Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1869-04-09

The following is the new law :


"Be ii enacted, de-, That the first and
second sections of an act entitled An act
regulating tenure Of certain civil offices,
passed March 3, 1867, be, and the same are
hereby repealed and in lieu of said re-
pealed sections the following are hereby
enacted
" That every person holding any civil! Office to
which he has been or hereafter may be appointed
by and with the advice and consent of the sen
ate, aud who shall have become duly qualified to
act herein, shall be entitled to hold such office
during the term for which he shall have been ap-
pointed unless sooner removed, BE- and wish the
advice and consent Of the eeuate, or by the ap-
pointment. with the like advice and consent of q
successor in his place, G1cem as herein oterecse
prorlied.
Sec. g And be 1t further enacted, That du-
ring any recess of the Senate the President is
hel eby empowered, in his discretion, to suspend
any clvll officer appointed by and with the advice
and consent OF the Senate, except Judges OF the
Uuited States courts, until the end Of the next
session Of the Senate and to designate some sui
table person, subject be removed, in his discre
ton, by the designation of another, to perform
the du les OF such suspended officer Ia the mean
, time and such person designated shall take
the oaths and give the bonds required by law to
bs taken and gwen by the suspended officer, and
shall during the time he performs his duties be
entitled to the salary and emouments of such
officer suspended d it shall be the d. t of the
President within thirty days after the commence
menL pf e1ery session of the Senate (except for
any Ctiice which, Ia his opinion, ought not to be
tlled), to nominate persons to ill all vacancies
in offices which existed at the meeting Of the San
ate, whether temporarily filed or not and also
IN the place OF all officers suspended And if the
Senate during such session shall refuse to advise
and consent to an appointment in the place of
any suspended officer. then, and not otherwise,
the President shall nominate another person as
soon as practicable to said session of the Senate
for said Office"
This law is substa ntially triumph for
General Grant. AS the National Intelli-
gencer says, Practically, under this bill,
the king gets his own again. The ill.got-
ten plumber is restored. The aristocratic
body makes restitutluG>, but it is all extor-
ted it is not a case oil conscience. or the
graceful anaeaade of gentlemen happy to re-
pair wrong. We hail what is in sub
stance a triumph for the just balance and
equ;poise of the Constitution. It is great
thing for the people to have a President
power heretofore. With this bill he be-
comes something more than mere figure
head or an official designation. He becomes
power in the State for veal or for woe.
1--WE do not wonder that the leading
Democrats of the House and some of the |
most respectable Republicans were unwill-
ing to accept this bill. It is not fair, |
open, honest repeal of the infamous ten
ure-of Office law, as the House first pro-
posed and the country had demanded and
expected. 1t is just such q tortuous, indi-
rect, indecent contrivance as might be ex-
pected from a set of Radical trickster law
yers. who had no regard for the Constitu-
ton, no concern for the public service,
and no respect for public opinion. It is a
mean, shabby way of repeating the civil
tenure bill-an ungraceful surrender by
the Senate of ill-gotten and i'll used pow
er."