North Branch democrat. [volume] (Tunkhannock, Pa.) 1854-1867, 1866-07-25
Removals from Ofice--Congression al Pre-
Cept and Practice,

Removals from Office--CongressiOnal Pre-
cept and Practice,
In the House, on Thursday, Mr.. SPALD
ING, of Ohio, from a Committee of Confer
ence, reported in favor of provision that
the present U. S. Minister to Portugal
should receive no compensation for any
further services he may render in that ca
pacty. Mr. RAYMOND asked him if he had
any objection TO stating fer chat reasons the
Committee made this unusual report -
Judge SPALDlNG replied that he would
state no reason, except that the Committee
was unanimous in its recommendation :
and refusing very premptorily and emphat-
icaly to permit Mr.. RAYMoSD to ask any
further question or make any further re-
mark on the subject, he moved the previ-
ous question, and forced the report, without
debate, explanation or delay, through the
House
There is nothing very remarkable in
Judge SPALDING's action in shutting off de-
bate ard forcing action upon a delicate and
doubtful question. 1t has come to be the
common practice under the pressure of
party emergencies, and Judge SPALDING
only follows the Acknowledgement and
discreditable as it is.
But the action of Congress Oh this mat
ter is worthy of a more full and distinct
statement. Mr.. JAMS E. HARVEY has
been fol the last four years and is low Uni
ted States Minister at Portugal. Some
three months since lie wrote an unofficial
letter to Secretary Seward on current polt-
ical topics, in the course of which he ex
pressed his concurrence in the policy of the
President and his dissent from the action of
Congress. Tbisletter was published in the
ZINES, and at once attracted the attention
of members Of the House. Mr.. STEVENS,
when the Diplomatic Appropriation Bill
was before the House, moved an amend
meut that the Mission to Portugal be abol
ished, and the House concurred. On reach
ing the Senate this amendment was reject
ed and when it came back the House re-
fused to concur, and asked Committee of
Conference; and this Committee, finding
that the Mission could not thus be abolish
ed, and yet determined to get rid of
Mr.. HARVEY, resorted to the means
reported by Judge SPALDING re
fused to explain or to allow anybody else
to explain on the floor of the House.
Congress had thus indorsed, ia the
strongest possible manner, by its own ac-
ton, the removal of office holders for ex
pressions of opinion hostile to its own. The
only offence alleged against Mr.. HARVEY
is the writing of a private letter expressing
dissent from the political opinions and ac-
tions of Congress Congress, by the Con-
stitution, has nothing whatever to do with
appointments or removals Of office, holders;
yet it resorts to the remarkable and extra
ordinary process of oflegislation, for the sole
purpose of accomplishing the removal of
an Office holder guilty of the heinous crime
of differing from Congress in opinion and
of expressing that difference in private
letter
And at the very time Congress is thus
resorting to such means of exercising
power never conferred upon it, for such a
reason, it is trying to rouse the indigna-
tion Of the whole country against the Pres
ident of the United States for doing the
same thing, in the exercise ola power ex-
pressly conferred upon him by the Consti-
tuition, and in exact conformity with what
has been the usage Of the Government from
the day of its foundation until the present
time.
The zeal of Congress in regard to re-
movals from office evidently is very one
sided, and not very disinterested senti-
ment, They have no sort of. objection to
such removal when they Can make them on
their own behalfand against those who DIFF
fer from them in opinion. In all other
cases they are opposed to them on princi-
ple Judge SPALDING is not exactly the
man whom we expected to lead off ip such
practice.--N. Y. Times-Republican.