The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-03-27
The Outrage of the senate upon the Ex
ecutive Power.

From the " Y. Herald
The amendment to the Tenure Of Office acts
which has, through the Committee on the Ju-
dietary, been presented to the action of Con-
gress, can only be classed as an insult to our
form of government. The Senate by passing
it yields no point in its usurpation Of power.
The old act may be called an executive gullo-
tine, and the amendment is the knife which,
raised scarcely out Of sight, only awaits the
touch of the executioners in the Senate to
strike off the Presidential head which they
have forced under it.
Section two of the proposed amendment
gives the President the right to suspend any
officer during recess Of the Senate, and this
body may, if it think proper, restore said Off
Ger to his position, no matter how much he
may impede executive action in its proper
sphere. Suppose, for instance, that President
Grant, in accordance with his inaugural, which
the country 80 heartily endorsed, found that
any member of his Cabinet failed in his duty
and hampered the just and rigid application
| of the laws-the Senate, despite the removal
of that officer by the Executive, could retain
| him in power and thus virtually block the
wheels of government. We should then see
a Cabinet officer more powerful than the Pre-
sident who appoints him, and to whom the
| laws make him responsible for the fulflment
| of his duties. How, in this case, can the
people of the United States hold the Presi-
| dent responsible for the branch of the Gov
eminent entrusted to him by the Constitu-
tion? The whole amendment is, in the Ian
guage of Daniel O'Connell when denouncing
a celebrated compromise measure before the
English Parliament ga cheat, delusion, and
a snare"
It is evident that the radical Republican
leaders are blind to the fact that the people
elected President Grant because they believed
him fitted to fill the post OF executive officer
in accordance with the provisions of the Con-
stitution of the United States. If the Senate
refuses to surrender the usurped powers 1t
now holds, it will be virtual announcement
to the nation that the Constitution of the
United States is humbug and farce. In
fact, the action of Congress for some time past
has proven this, and now the Senate chooses
to endorse the decision through the amend
ment to the Tenure of Office act.
This absorption OF executive authority by
body which is not held responsible for its use
is already producing complete demoraliza-
ton in the ranks of the Republican party, and
evidences of this are very observable in the
discussions of the Senate for the past two
weeks. Failure of its leaders to have q just
respect for the desires of the people who have
placed them in power threatens to make
political changes which advance to point but
little short OF actual revolution. And what
has the Senate done with all this usurped
powerY The South has not advanced an inch
In the last two years, Notwithstanding all the
experimental legislation. Does the Senate
understand that the North is paying the bills
for these experiments Bad legislation fol
one section reflects very severely upon the
other, and the people OF the
North are very little disposed tc
be bled simply to support legal quibblings
and technicalities. Give the whole country
more legislation for its material prosperity,
and we shall advance. Since the Rebellion
we have had nothing but political measures,
and these have been urged forward with 9
party animosity which has completely ignored
the existence of our material interests. The
! Tenure'Of- Office act, throwing into the hands