The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-06-01

VIM. Moore, Abbeville G. H.
julius Poppe. Anderson c. H.
Thad. Stevens Attack upon Secretary
McCullOeh and the Presielent-E1-
citing Discussion.
The telegraph has already notified
us of the assault of Stevens on the
Secretary of the Treasury aud the
President, last Saturday. The fol-
lowing extract from the report of the
proceedings of Congress on that day
gives the particulars of the affair.
The tax bill being under considera-
ton in committee of the whole:
Mr.. Stevens moved to amend the
sixty-fifth section by striking out
that portion which gives the appoint
ment of especial Commissioner of
the Revenue" to the Secretary of the
Treasury, and to make it read that
the said Special Commissioners shall
be elected by concurrent action Of
both houses of Congress. He said he
did this for the purpose of prevent
ing the Secretary of the Treasury
having more patronage, because he
was prostituting his high Office to
party purposes. A member of this
House went to the Secretary, this
morning for the purpose of obtain
ing an appointment in his District,
and he was asked whether the party
seeking the appointment was with
the President in his policy, and the
Secretary distinctly stated that he
would make no appointment except
of parties who sustained the Presi-
dent. It is time we build up wall
to protect those who sustain US. The
Secretary of the Treasury, by this
action, has been guilty of malfeas-
ance in Office, and other subordinates
of the President have also asserted
that appointments will depend upon
the feeling of the applicant upon the
question Of the Presidents policy.
We should let it be understood that
we are here as the grand inquest of
the nation, and will pass upon these
matters We are recreant to our
duty, and recreant to the interests of
the country, if we do not stand by
those who stand by u.s. 1t is time
we say to our friends that we will not
permit them to be DESTROYED by the
recreant tools of recreant President.
a member of this House calls upon
the Secretary of the Treasury to ask
for anappointment for constituent,
and he is questioned as to the politi-
cal status of the applicant, and is
told by this Secretary that, in these
appointments, he consults certain
recreant and apostatc Senator. It is
time this were rebuked. Let this ap-
pointment, at least, be taken from
the Secretary, and let Congress elect
nm Hcer, as it has a right to do.
Mr.. Morrill,, of Vermont, said lie
deprecated such language, and
GREETED that the amendment had been
suggested. He had striven in this
bill to keep politics as far away as
possible from the Secretary of the
Treasury, and would vote against the
amendment. He had not agreed
with all the Secretary had done and
said, but he regretted exceedingly
that TINS subject should have been
broached. The Indiana speech of the
Secretary was sound and good, but
the speech the other night was in
very bad taste, and very unfortunate
but he (Mr. N.Y. still hoped politics
would be kept far away from the de
partment.
Mr.. Hale, of New York, called at
tention to the fact that the Constitu-
tion clearly and plainly prescribed
how and by whom appointments were
to be made Mr.. II. then read the
article of the Constitution giving the
appointing power to the President,
andh argued that Congress had no
power OF appointment whatever. He
did not know whether the provisions
OF the Co,:@' .ution would have any
weight with the gentleman from
Pennsylvania, (Mr. Stevens,) but he
hoped it would have weight with the
committee. He would inquire of the
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr.
Stevens) if he proposed to override
the Constitution in order to punish
the Secretary Of the Treasury for his
"very wicked" speech the other night,
and his very wicked remarks this
morning to the member who applied
to HIM for an appointment.
Mr.. Stevens said this was not an