The New York herald., 1869-03-17

3auoso, pr9nch ol the Union Paclnc k2uroao.
TIE DECssns or ADx1RALry COUNTS. Il
Mr.. SUMNER, from The Committee on Foreign Re-
the decrees Of the New York southern District Court
IN the cases OF the British steamer Laouan and the
,Se sym n Aso aeces o. the u.aa @
Science, Dashino Wave and Flying scud.
PACIFIC RAILROAD PR0JE0r ~
Mr.. kICE. repJ or Ark, Introduced bill TO aid IN
the construction OF the International Pacinc Rail-
road from Cairo, H., to the Rio Grande, In the direc
authorizing the consolidation OF certain railroad
companies and TO provide homesteads for the labor
ers a on tneir roads Referred to the Committee on
racine kaiiroads. II proposes guarantee OF inter-
estto the extent OF $4,000 bonds per mile n
Mr. How no%Anp rep q Mich, INTRODUCED blIl 70
pany IN extension OF the Northern Pacific Railroad.
Referred to the Committee on the Pacific Rallroadl
RECORDS OF COURTS. "a
Mr. CARPENTER, lrep.) OF WIS.,. Introduced bill 70
provide remedy for the loss destruction OF jndg
ment records or decrees appertainng 70 proceedings
IN the United States courts, Referred to the Judiciary
Committee.
GRANTS OF LAND TO ALABAMA.
renew certain grants or land TO Alabama. Referred
| TO the Committee on Public Lands.
VOTERS IN UTAH. n
Mr.. POMEROY introduced bill to define the quail
ncation Of voters IN Utah. 1t establishes woman
suffrage. sAsfee %r ~
SURVEY OF WYOMING TERRITORY.
Mr.. DRAKE, trepJ OF NO., introduced q bill to
create the ONCE Of a Surveyor General Of Wyoming
therein and for other purposes. Referred to the
Committee ON Public Lands. &
REoRGANrzINa THE NAVY.
On motion OF Mr. GRIMES, rep OF Iowa, the Senate
then resumed the consideration OF the unfinished
business Of yesterday the bill to reorganze the
rne remaining amendments reported BY the commit
Mr.. TRUaBuLL ofrered an amendment providing
that the pay OF midshipmen shall be $1,000 per
Mr.. CRAGIN, (rep) OF N. h., oncred an amendment,
which was agreed 70, limiting the ONCE Of solicitor
1859. 'A' 'l1e' 'A1'S'A'' eS-''N : NV" 1A'
The bill was then passed. HHN Z
UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD. s4 III
message was received from the President trans
mltng report Of the directors OF the Union Pacific
THE COMMITTEE ON RErRENcHMENr.
senate insisted upon It's amendment e the resolution
and asked for q committee OF conference m
THE TENURE OF OFFICE ACT.
On motion OF Mr.. TRUMBULL the bill to repeal the
Tenure Of once act was then taken up.
The SECRETARY read the bill with the amendment
S s me s%Scy aas
stead suspended until the next session OF Con-
Mr. TRUMBUL briefly reviewed the practice and
LEGISLATION IN regard TO appointments TO and reno
walls from ONCE in the past, and said that while the
~ s ne
rassments caused by the Tenure Of once act yet
they thought that regard for consistency and for
should not be abolished but only suspended.
Mr.. THURMAN, (dem.) Of ONO, said that in the Ju-
way the bill OF the House to repeal the act because
he believed that 1t ought to be repealed Either the
constitution vested in the President an unlimited and
unqualified power Of removal from office or IL
made the concurrence OF the Senate necessary.
II the constitutional power Of the President to
move f'Om Office was absolute, Congress had, or
course, right TO restrict 1t, and IT, the other
hand, according to the theory OF The Tenure OF ONCE
act the constitution provided that the Joint action OF
the President and the Senate should be necessary in
order to remove them Congress had no right TO
evade that provision oy suspending the law. The
n ems n q hQa n fla
constitution which was wholly untenaDe. Ii the
the Tenure Of once act was good aud constitu-
tlonal law, to suspend 1t would be to disregard the
constitution, and the people would naturally come
TO the conclusion tnat Congress interpreted the
stltutf0n TO mean one thing when one man was
President and another thing when another man was
MI. MORTON, trep, OF Ind, made an argument in
favor OF the unconditional repeal OF the act. He
could not any reason for suspendng Until the
next session Of Congress which was not equally
good reason for suspending it during the whole term
Of President Grant for repeating it. The language
OF the amendment reported by the Judiciary Com
put the President on probation until the next session
oi Congress, saying 10 him. II your conduct during
the interval does not please US the law win then SO
unchanged than suspend 1t for eight and half
months. Up to the enactment Of this law there
leading men or the country in Of the right OF
the President to remove from once without consult
act was regarded an Innovations piece or ex-
ceptonal Northumberland to meet special
Cured in the history Of the country ana probably
would never occur again. II was not intended To
govern all future Presidents but only asa temporary
protection against the would be administration or
President johnson, as was shown by the inde-
feasible fact that II the law had not been
President johnson no senator Representative
would think OF proposing such q law at this
time. Why. then, continue the law after occasion
for It had passed. He believed that It's Immediate
repeal was demanded by the best interests OF the
me ot 10 n n 1v
administration. He would go further, and say that
the country had gained nothing by the law, even
and that the republican party had gained nothing
by It. II had been mistake from the beginning
course OF his argument in the last Congress In favor
OF the law, had said that the President might just
well = De allowed m to remove supreme Court Judge a.
were entirely dssimilar, because according to
the theory Of our system OF government, the jil-
wholly independent Of the Executive. while Cabinet
oiilcer is dependent upon the Executive for his
Mr.. HOWE, (rep.) or Wis.,, explained that he had
been replying TO the argument that IN order to
an ecient administration OF the public service
1t was necessary that Cabinet 0fcers-heads OF de-
partments-sh0uld be removable Rf the win OF the
President and had said In reply that II the argument
cause L was equally necessary in order 70 secure
an efcient administration OF the judicial service
that the President should have power TO remove
Mr.. MoRTON said that hs statement OF the view OF
the senator rom WISCONSIN tMr. Howe) was sub
stantaly correct ana that the explanation did not
AFFECT the force OF hts reply TO It, He then proceeded
to dscuss the operations OF the law as II stands and
10 show that instead OF purifying the pub
lie service II actually served to Keep corrupt
men In once under IT, The President could not
any oiicer unless for cause, and the result
that although he might have evidence entirely
satisfactory TO his own mind that an oicor was
faithful and corrupt yet not having tangible proof
Of It he would let him remain undisturbed rather
than take the risk OF falling to make out cause
before the Senate and sulect,ng himself 70 the sus
picon Of asking the removal IRON unworthy mo-
tives. He mr. Morton) had talked short time since
upon this subject with Commissioner Rollins, who
had told him that In the Internal Revenue service u
great many oficers were len undisurbcd for want
OF tangible proof OF their wrong doing while the
moral evidence Of II was most convincing.
Mr. EDMUNDs, (rep.) Of VI, inquired whether the
instances 10 which Mr. Rollins referred had occurred
during the rccessY The Commissioner had been ex-
amined before q committee OF which he tMr. Ed
munds) Was member, and had stated that he could
not get the President TO remove anybody from ONCE
during the session OF Congress.
Mr. MORTON did not think the question pertinent 10
uf.