The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1869-03-22
1uE TENURE OF OFFICE law.
The Struggle in the Senate for its
Repeal.
WASHINGTON, Friday Evening,
March 10Th 1863

WASHINGTON, friday 1IVeHluSi !
March 10Th, 1869. }
The troublesome Tenure-of-Ohce
matter is still king in Washington.
Nothing else is Thought OF. Nothing
else is talked of. 1t is a question who
is most interested in the debates, and
who is the most anxious for the result,
the President, the Senators, the Repre-
sentatives-or the of1ice-seekers. The
President wants to change the present
Government officers, or, at least, those
of them who were appointed by Presi-
dent Johnson, because he believes he
can get better ones, and he has his own
ideas about retrenchment and economy,
which he believes cannot be carried out
with the present Office he has
also the usual number or personal
friends TO reward. The Senators are
anxious for the same reasons, only they
would like to make certain recommen~
datiOns for the interest of their States
and constituents in the way of Mar
shals, District Attorneyshlps, and Col
lectors OF Ports, to say nothing OF terri
toriaI, judicial and foreign appoint
ments toward which it is expected they
entertain an especial fondness. The
Representatives want the matter dis
posed of, because they want to know
whether they are going to be able to
fulfill certain little promises made last
fall, and whether theyS will be ena-
bled to strengthen themselves for
the next skirmish, year and half
Post-otlice, that one the COllectOrship,
and another one the AssessOrship.
Above them all, probably, in the inten-
sity OF his interest and the half hopeful,
half-Iearful anxiety for the future, IS
the ofIice-seeker. The fate OF the bill
probably decides his case, and ne IS
solicitOus; he wants to know what to
depend upon; he wants to know
if his board bill while he has been wait
ing in Washington is to be paid, and
his tailor, and his little debts of bor-
rowed money. The vote will arrange
all of these matters; and 1t is an hour
in Washington of the scverest trial TO
all conference.-the mono more than the
applicants, who show anxiety in their
faces. They know, and Congressman
know, that it will be for the interest of
each to repeal the law and have done 1t,
but the Senate, perhaps justly, are in
doubt as to their duty in the premises.
And SO the discussion goes on. Messrs.
Scott, Schurz, Sprague, Nye, COrbett
and Bayard made speeches to-day, that
of Mr.. SchurZ being, perhaps, consider
ing its brevity, the ablest yet delivered.
1t created general comment, not only
for its attitude, but for its general
choice language and the eloquent man
ner of its delivery. 1t is expected
SOIe Will CHTNbllhY 10 ACoSllCO
to morrow, but it is by no means GER
tain TINT the subject will be decided
for several days. Mr.. Morton, who
leads the repealers, counts twentv-nine
votes on his side, and believes that
number sufficient. There are sixty.six
Senators, two being absent, and those
in favor Of tho repeal hope that sulh-
cient number will cast the vote to carry
the project. The following is perhaps
as close u count as can be made for the
repeal: Bayard, Cnsserly, Cameron,
Corbett, CraSin, Davis, Fessenden,
Fowler, Fenton, Gilbert, Grimes, Ham
lin, Kellogg, McCreery, Morton, Nor
ton, Pratt, PomerOy, Poole, Robertson,
ROSS, Sherman. Sprague, Stockton,
Thurman, Thayer, Vickers, Wilson and
Yates-29. For suspension: Abbott,
Anthony, Brownlow, buckingham, Cat
tell, Carpenter, Chandler, Cole, Conk-
ling, Drake, Edmunds, Ferry, Harris,
Harlan, Howard, Howe. Morrill,, Nc
Donald, Nye, Osborn, Patterson, Ram
sey, Rice, Sawyer, Spencer, Stewart,
Summer, Schurz, Scott, Trumbull, Tip
ton, Wiley and Williams-23. Absent:
Salisbury and Hamilton. Doubtful:
Warner and Boreman. Total 66. The
vote on the repeal will be taken first.
When it is lost, If it is, the vote will be
taken on the suspension. Unless the
| repeal is carried the subject will be re-
ferred to Conference Committee, and
it is believed the House will insist on
its absolute repeal, and then the fight
will go with an uncertain future.