The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1869-03-22
HandcuT- on the President.

The Senate gave yesterday to the further
discussion OF the question, whether the gives
with which Congess made Andrew johnson
helpless for good or evil ought to be continued
as incidents OF the Office of President. Ought
the extraordinary means once used to keep
bad ruler harmless, to be perpctuated so as TO
make all rulers powerless The question
has long been decided everywhere save In the
Senate. The people generally say that they
can trust the open act OF a President, whom
they know, better than secret vOte by Sem
ators, most Of whom they do not know. State
Legislatures have resolved, some ofthem with
surprising unanimlty, that the law ought 10
cnd with the office of the man whose unfit
ness suggested 1t. The tone Of the press is
quite generally against its continuance. The
House Of Representatives has voted, by very
large majority, to repeal 1t. The President
himself, while ready to assume his constitu.
tional responsibility for the whole Executive
branch OF the government, refuses to be re-
sponsible for that which he cannot control.
Why does the Senate hesitate, where the
country is so divided What peculiar inHu-
encos effect the view of this question taken
BY Senators, which do not effect the view
taken by othersl This Is a disagreeable
point, upon which nothing but necessity
ought to drive the press to inquire very GU
rlouslyi and that necessity does not exist,
so long as the Senate has not finally refused
to repeal the law. But II Is an aspect OF
the subject which will come more aud more
prominently before the country, should the
senate persist in keeping the President In
chains. People will inevitably point to the
fact that every Senator has or may have a
direct personal interest In keeping for him
self an Influence upon the executive appoint.
'nents, and that this Is really the essential
| difference between the position of Senators
who Insist upon retaining the tenurc-of.
| office law AMI that of the represent ltves
who insist upon repeating 1t.
| The influence they now have, by their
power to prevent the President from remov
Ing his suboriinates, Is exceptional and new.
| II was given them, not by themselves alone,
| hut by Congress as whole, to meet an
emergency which Is now past. Both Of the
| other branches Of the national legislature
! concur In thinking that this law ought to be
| repealed; that this exceptional power ought
not to be made permanent. Is 1t becoming
| In the Senate to push their constitutional
! rrerosttivc TO an extreme, In or Ter to retain
this power In their own hands Werc the
question Judicial, instead OF legal; were 1t
question Of interpreting doubtful law BY
courts instead Of u question of interpreting a
doubtful Constitution by a Legislature, not
one Of thosr Senators could sit upon 1t at al
! II vote by one Of them upon II would be
| Knocked and rcOtie at a. an idnCency un !
| N outrag' by the ciyiiz.l world Is the
Inference between the two situations as
great In reality as custom makes it appear
In form Is there any reason why Judge
| should not give Judgment on his own cause
| which does not apply also to q Senator
1t takes time for the people Of the country
to become deeply interested In question like
| this; so much that Is plausible may be said In
favor of multitude Of counsellors" In every
act OF administration. 1t Is only upon close
consideration that those who have no execu-
tive experience can understand how law
like this hampers President, discourages at
every step his efforts to do thorough work,
and opens the way for corruption Itself, as
well as for lnefiicency. But the people will
find this out very rapidly II any practical aP-
pllcation Is made of the tenure -of-offlce law
during General Grants administration. II
he Is not quite free to remove those who will
not or cannot carry out his policy Of energetic
honesty, and to select the best agents he can
find, without Partially to the friends Of Sen.
ators, the best plan Is to enforce the law rig.
ldly. II tends so strongly to turn all govern.
ment into what is called patronage" and
to make the Office of Senator more valuable
and less honorable, that II cannot stand very
long against Itself. The President says; 81
know no method to secure the repeal of bad
or obnoxious laws so effective rs their strin.
gent execution. ~ Y. Evening Post.
NAVAL ORDERs.-The Secretary of the
Navy has ordered Commander Ralph Chand
Ter TO take command of the Tallapoosa
Commander G. II. Baldwin has been de-
tached from duty as feet captain Of the late
North Pacific squadron, and placed on walt
Ing orders. Also, Lieutenant Commander
j. NJ. Pritchett from the Tuscarora, ant
ordered TO return to the United States. Fleet
surgeon A. A. Henderson from the late
South Pacific squadron, and ordered as fleet
surgeon of the Pacific station. Surgeon ]
). DUNCAN from the Cyane, and ordered Il
the Ossipee. Surgeon n. II. Adams from
the Mohongo, and ordered to return to New
: York. Surgeon B. F. Gibbs from the Ossi
pee, and ordered to return to New York
SurUann q f,nnn ,h, so,,I,,I,,,