Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-02-24
Improving Fortunes or the
Cuban Insurgents.
WARRINGTON.
Grant Wants Civilians for Heads of
Observation-Disclosures CRueus on the
Tenure-OfOHce Act.

GFAnt wants civilians for Heads O
DepRrtmeats-RadIea Caucus on In,
Tenure-OEOMce Act.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 23-In converse
ton at army headquarters this morning
with Senator Payer, Gen. Grant re-
marked, l want to say to you that shall
send into the Senate the name of Mai
Gen. Schofeld as Secretary of War, but
it is likely that he will decline and re.
turn TO his position in the army. | shall
then nominate civilian for that office
and | want the Senate to know this
Turning to Representatives Dickey, Nor.
Till, of Pennsylvania, and Roots, Of Ar
kansas, who were at short distance from
him, be said he had no objections to their
hearing what he had to say on the ques-
ton of the cabinet. He remarked. / am
opposed to appointing officers of the army
and navy to civil offices, and shall, there,
fore, have civilian at the head Of each
department. This statement comes from
members of Congress who were present,
and they express their satisfaction at the
sentiments of the General, and believe
from the conversation that he will have
SIIaiBuI h6puDllCd0 CaDileG.
The Senate Committee of Conference
on the constitutional amendment are
Stewart, Conkling and Edmunds.
The course of the Senate towards the
President elect in his declared policy for
repeal Of the civil>tenure- oi>ofiice act
was subj ected to the test Of party mach
inery yesterday in the shape of Radi-
1c Ill L.
can Senators. 1t convened at Ii A. M.
and with a slight intermiSsion for the
meeting and the recess of the Senate at
noon did not adjourn till late in the day.
There were present when the caucus was
called to order fifty>one Republican Sem
ators. 1t appeared that the secret con-
claYe had been called by the opponents
of the civil~tenure law. This at once
brought to their feet the friends Of re.
peal, who, throlI gh Senator Morton and
others, declared that they did not intend
TO be bound by any caucus decision unless
itdecided for the immediate and uncondi-
tional abolition of that law. Indeed, they
were not willing to accept any of the
proposed notifications which were
pending il the Senate, but favored
concurrence with the House bill for OBJ
liteTating the obnoxious statute. Mr..
Fsssenden said that the law was passed
to restrict the powers CT Dad Execu-
tive, and he questioned if it had not after
ali resulted in more harm than good,
Mr.. Morton repeated his arguments
made in the Senate for repeal, and
thought the new President ought TO
come into power unshackled by any of
the restrictive legislation which had been
thrown around President johnson. III
this were done Gen. Grant would be left
free TO remove corrupt officials, to more
efficiently collect the revenue, and to
carry out the retrenchmsnt and reform
policy indicated by the President elects
late speech. Messrs. ThayeT, Grimes and
Harlan followed on the same side. Mr..
Conkling took the opposite view; thought
that the law, with some slight modi1ca-
tons, was good one. He opposed its
repeal from no fear that Gen. Grant |
would abuse the power of removal and
appointment, but argued that it was
clearly constitutional for the Senate to
retain the executive powers conferred by
the civil tenure act. Mr. Edmunds said
he was opposed to the repeal. Mr..
Howe favored modification of the law,
but could not support the House bill. |
Mr.. Williams, Of Oregon, addressed the |
caucus earnestly against repeal, and was |
followed by Mr.. Sawyer, Of South Caro> |
lima, who said he was as strong a sup
porter Of the new administration as |
could be found, but he wanted the law |
in question left where it stood without |
any alteration Of any kind. He |
looked upon it as an excellent measure,
and only wondered it had not |
been enacted years ago. He did
not regard 1t as an Infringement Of the |
powers Of the President, but as consoli- |
dating the two executive branches Of the |
government. Finally, after more discuss
sion, pro and con-, Mr.. Wilson said this |
law was passed to restrict Andrew John |
) ms witckednesS, and he thought that, il |
the House bill was passed, the President |
would send 1t back with an insulting veto, |
over which it could hardly be passed in |
the rush Of the closing hours of the ses-
sion. The Forty first Congress would |
meet at once. The new administration |
would be in power and in harmony with |
that Congress. The views of the Presi- |
dent elect would be more positively |
known on this question, and the House |
and Senate could act in a better spirit |
and with more light before them. lie |
therefore moved that the whole matter be |
indefinitely postponed. By this time the |
caucus had dwindled to thirty Senators.
The rest, weary with the debate and dis |
gusted with caucus machinery, had with
drawn. A vote at $50 P. NJ. was taken,
and Wilson's motion adopted by - afs |
tirmatlve votes, the negative not voting. |
The friends OF repeal, however, who were
mostly absent, don't intend to abide by
this decision, and to morrow will move
in open Senate TO discontinue the discus
sion Of the question. With the Demos
cratic Senators they are confident of Sc
curing a small majority to repeal the bill
Col. Blanton Duncan is circulating a
petition for the release Of Capt. j. G.
Braine, the only remaining Confederate
prisoner Of war, and it will, in a day or
Two, be presented to the Presdedt. The
release IS asked for without reference to
the legal aspects Of the case. It's already
signed by a number Of influential Radi-
Gals AM many Democrats.