The Sun.
London, England, 1869-03-29 00:00:00

C

_ 4

7CIALS.

(From the Anglo-American Tinges.)

The repeal of the Tenure-of-Office Act hangs
fire in the Senate, though at once passed by the
House under General BUTLER'S lead on the assem-
bling of the new Congress. Vice-President COLFAX
laid the House Bill before the Senate on the 10th
inst., and it was called up by Mr. THAYER, Mr.
TRUMBULL moving that it be referred to the Judi-
ciary Committee, before whom there was a similar
bill with an amendment, and this was carried by
34 to 25. Senator NORTON was the only Democrat
who voted for Mr. TRUMBULL'S motion, all of that
party favouring the repeal. Some conversations
with General GRANT on the Tenure-of-Office Act
have found their way into the papers. In one case
a Senator with several applications for office drawn
ont to be ',resented, called on the PRESIDENT, by
whom his attenti )n was directed to the division on

the question, GRANT asking whether the restriction.
w.ts not opp ,evd to the American theory of gove•,n-
inent He considered it, he went on to pay, a
great stride towards a revolution, that the incam-
bents of subordinate offices, formerly subject to con-
stant change (the PnEstpEsr and members of Con-
gress themselves being equally liable), should now
be invested with a life into-rest unless charges are
preferred against them to be tried before the Senate,
the tribunal which tries judges. Another step,
added the PRESIDENT, might make these offices
hereditary, remarks which proved so little agree-
able to the Senator that he put his applications into
his pocket and quietly retired. Other interviews
took place with Representatives, in which GRANT
assumed a position wherein it is expected he will
prove a thorn in the side of the Radical Senators.
He says, " If the law is not repealed, I shall remove
no mm from office except for cause." " Not a
Democratic office-holder, and a Johnson-man ?"
"No," was the answer. " I shall protect office-holders
who do their duty, whatever may be their politics,
if the law remains, against both Executive and Sena-
torial inteifercnce. I have said this to Senators,
and the justice of the view was acknowledged."
Office-holders can be removed without the trial to
which GRANT referred, as was the case with Mr.
JOHN M. BINCKLEY, Solicitor of Internal Revenue,
who was " promptly ditched" on the application of
Commissioner ROLLINS, who asserted that he was
either a wilful perjuror or the credulous tool of cor-
rupt and malicious men. He has not done an hour's
duty for five months, but has regularly drawn his
salary at the rate of $4,000 per annum. Not only
is he wholly unqualified, but he does not even claim
to he a lawyer; and it is passing strange that, un-
der such circumstances, he should have found his
way into the office of Solicitor of Internal Revenue,
and held it in spite of his official superiors, waiting,
in utter disregard of appearances, till he was ejected.
Although a leading article is not exactly the place,
we cannot refrain from telling what Mr. ROLLINS
got for this report. About eight o'clock on the
morning of the 11th instant JOHN M. BINCKLEY
met him at the corner of Fourteenth-street, oppo-
site Willard's Hotel. if the ex-solicitor could do no
lawbusiness, he took instantand impressive steps to
show the ex-Commissioner that he was an expert in
pugilism. In truth, his proceedings would have
looked the unqualified admiration of the " Prize
Ring." Off went his coat, up went his sleeves ; but
as these demonstrations only hurried Mr. ROLLINS'
movements, Mr. BINCKLEY was obliged to put on
his coat to pursue the retiring Commissioner. Later
he met Mr. HARLAN in New York Avenue, upon
whose face he freely used his cane, when, with the
honours of war thick upon him, he surrendered to
the police, and was bailed in the sum of 4300.
Without such cause assigned, however, GRANT will
not dismiss Government employes, and without
such ejection how are the hosts of applicants who
have swarmed into Washington to be satisfied?
One of his visitors remarked that General GRANT'S
case differed from Mr. LINCOLN'S, in whose time
there was no Tenure-of-Office Act; adding, that
" Now we shall 'have to defer to the Senators more."
But if there are no offices to give, each incumbent
being in for life, the Senate will lose equally with
the PRESIDENT ; and, regarded from this point of
icw, we hope the Act may not be repealed, as it
will smooth the way for the passage of Mr. JENCKES'S
reform of the Civil Service. "I. he PRESIDENT con-
curs, however, in the general impression that the
law will be repealed this session, ani it is evident
that if no', there will be no small split between the
two Houses of Congress. The following telegram
fro:n WaAington, March 24 h, was published in

London on Thursday :
" The Senate has, by 37 sg:Lin4 1G votee, passed a Bill
modifying the 'Tenure-of-Office Act, so as to permit the
President, without assigning reasons, to suspend officers
and to appoint their successors, whose rejection by the
Senate, however, should reinstate the former. The ab-
solute removal of officials by the President remains still
prohibited. The bill now goes to the House of Represen-
tatives." _ _

The Senate keep the nut, but do not mind leaving
the PRESIDENT and the Representatives the shell;
but whether this will satisfy the House remains to
be seen. Without the power of removal public
business would have got into a state of collapse, but
the Senate retain the privilege of keeping officials
in office in spite of the PRESIDENT, however ob-
noxious to him, so they lessen but little the power
they held over ANDREW JOHNSON.

SHOCKING CATASTROPHE AT SEA.

--~--- --

The Waterford Company's steamer Leda, Capt.
William Coveney, which left Oporto on the 19th
inst., with a cargo of fruit and cattle, for London,
put into Plymouth at 11 o'clock on Thursday night.
Near Cape Finisterre on Saturday, the 20th inst.,
at about 2 p.m., she followed for sonic distance a
four-masted screw steamer, which appeared to be
in great distress. This vessel was very deep aft,
and suddenly went down, stern foremost. The
Leda steered up immediately, and found a number
of the crew floating about and endeavouring to save
themselves. Two quarter boats (one in charge of
the chief officer, M. Pratt) were at once lowered,
and each succeeded in rescuing five men ; three
were picked up by the ship. Of those saved, three
were on the bottom of one lifeboat and three on the
bottom of another. They were large, serviceable
boats, which turned bottom up when the steamer
went down. There was no time to lower them by
the ordinary mode. The other men saved were
floating on spars. The body of one man was found
in a life-buoy, with his head under water. While
the crew were in the water, a clipper schooner,
name unknown, and showing no colours, sailed
close to them, but passed on without rendering
any assistance ; the schooner was so close that
she was hailed by one man in the water, who
was answered by those on board •; she appeared to
steer for the harbour of Morose. The vessel which
sank proved to be the Italian, 1,500 tons, Captain
Patrick Urquhart, belonging to Messrs. John
Bibby and Co., of 21, Water-street, Liverpool,
from Trieste March 5, with general cargo. It ap-
pears that she struck on a sunken rock about five
miles off Cape Finisterre, and went down in ten
minutes; wind, N.E., moderate. The steamer had
five hatchways, and the water poured in by the
fourth and fifth, which were abaft the engine-room.
When she went down she had on board a crew of
39 ; so that 26 have perished, besides three passen-
gers—the stewart of a yacht, who had paid his pas-
sage from Corfu, and two distressed British sub-
jects sent home by the Consul, one of whom was a
carpenter named George Wilkinson, belongingto
Hull, the other a seaman belonging to Harwich.
The names of those saved are Patrick Urquhart,
master ; John Howard, chief officer ' • John Harris,
second officer ; Roger Barry, third officer ; John
Sullivan, Andrew Smith, William Mooran, Patrick
Kenolty, and William O'Neal, seamen; George
Murray, Patrick Laughlin, and Charles Seguin,
firemen ; and Thomas Walmesley, boy.
The rescued men received every comfort on board
the Leda, and on landing at Plymouth were sent
to the Sailors' Home. With the exception of the
master and mates, they were. early yesterday morn-
ing, despatched by rail to Liverpool through the
agency of the Shipwrecked Mariners Society. The
master and mates left by the Bristol mail train at
12.30 p.m.

DuNvILLE and Co., Belfast, are the largest
holders of Whisky in the world. Their Old Irish Whisky is re •
commended by the medical profession in preference to French
Brandy. Supplied in casks and cases for home use or exports
Lion. Quotations on application to Messrs. Dunville and Cio.,
Belfast; cr 4, BoAuforOttil4ngs _ trand,
Tertinment.

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