The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-03-26
SPIRIT or TIE PRESS.
EDITORIAL OPINIONS OF THE LEADING JOURNALS
UPON CURRENT ToPIos-ooMPILsD kVkRf
DAY FOR THR HvEEIEe vELEaRAPH.
Shall the Senate or ire President Manage
the Executive Department


sbs,, ,he Senate or ire President Manage
the Executive Department
ys-onp 0e W. T. Herald.
The Senate has passed a bill modifying
Che Tepure-of Office law. The Presl-
dent is said to be satisfied Win tnis COLI
promise, although the essence OF tne law is
still retained. The harsher restrictions ana
exactions of the law are cut on, put .ne power
M the Senate over the Presidents removals ls
not reliuouished. Hence we have still to ask
tbe House. shall the Senate or the President
manage the Executive Department.
This is startling question. II suggests
change Of the government by act OF Congress.
By act of Congress this change was made for
the benefit of President Johnson. The power
which all his predecessors had exercised In
the matter OF removals from office was In his
oase transferred to the Senate. Down to the
passage of this law the President could and
did remove his official subordinates at his dis
cretion, the Senate being content with its con-
stitutionsl power and duty OF confirming or
rejecting the Presidents nominations. But
under this existing law the Senate has the
decisive vote over every removal from Office.
Thus the Executive Department has become
mere appendage of the Senate. The Presi-
dent is but the President in name, for practi-
cally his Office is in the hands Of an oligarchy
the oligarchy of the Senate. It 80 happens,
Grant as President the radical leaders of this
oligarchy reasonably calculate upon controll-
ing the Senate, and, through its action, the
whole machinery and policy of the admins
tration.
General Grant, with the quick perception of
asagacious q soldier, on coming into power
made the repeal of this Tenure-of- Office law
the condition of any thing like general system
OF removals from office. He does not like the
drudgery of submitting to the Senate his
reasons for the removal of John Doe or
Richard Roe, with the chances of having his
reasons voted insufficient. But the radical
majority of the Senate have 80 modified the
law as to relieve him of this drudgery, requir
ing only that his removals in the absence of
Congress shall be subject to the consent of
the Senate at its next session. This Is the
substance of the law retained-the material
feature which makes the President a mere
servant of the Senate, though he may consent
to 1t for the sake of peace. Let us suppose,
for example, that this modification Of the law
is in force, and the two houses have adjourned
over till December next. The President be-
gins to weed out the fshy otfice-holders. A
radical leader of the Senate, who has his
friends to look after, takes the alarm. He
ca Is at the White House and says we think
this man and that man ought not to be
touched, but that such and such may be safely
removed. What, than, is the President to
do? Surely, his wisest course is to do
nothing; and if left in this perplexing posture
he ought to do nothing for the benefit of Office
beggars, great or small.
The Senate, having gained this position of
the French Directory through the folly of the
House of Representatives, is naturally enough
disposed to keep it. The House, from its
recent action on several occasions, is quite as
anxious to rectify its mistake, under VII ich
member of the House, as an ofice-seeker, is
reduced to mere nobody. But in refusing
- tha oLenI IS kI.;1
Tenure Off Office law, and in refusing to adjourn
without this repeal, the House may regain its
proper position of influence with the admins
tration in enforcing upon the Senate return
to the Constitution on this subject and a COM
pliance with the manifest will of the people.
The law in question is an insult to the people
and an insult to the House of Representatives
from the degrading position to which the
House is reduced, with the President, under
this law. Nor can we expect any wholesome
legislation from Congress 30 long as the House,
the President: and the people are compelled,
cap in hand, to bow to the supremacy of the
Senate.
The trainers of the Constitution, in classify
ing the Senate so that one-third of its men,
bers shall be elected with every new Con-
gress, unquestionably had their fears that
otherwise the Senate, with its members
chosen for six years, might become a sort of
b oligarchy in the Government. But under
existing circumstances, with this Tenure-of-
o flee law, we have this..oligarohy established
to moral certainty for the next four years.
Give it these four years, and it may become
impossible to disturb this controlling aristo-
cratic branch of Congress in the position 1t
has secured. Nay, more, through its affilia-
tion with banks, bondholders, offce-holders,
manufacturing monopolies, railways, whisky
rings, and all other material agencies of
wealth and power, the will of the Senate may
not only be the law of the President, but the
law of the succession. Surely, with our ex-
perience in revolutionary changes dur ing the
last eight years, we cannot in our widest
cenjectures undertake to cover the possibili-
ties Of the future.
In this experience we have learned prscti-
oally, under the terrible array of an army 0i
million of men to begin with, that the re.
served strength and sovereignty of our Ma
tiopal Government are in Congress, but we
have learned, too, that IL we are safe against a
despotism from the White House, We are in
danger from an oligarchy in the Senate. Here
lies the latent mischief of this Tenure-of- Office
law. The executive supervision which il
gives the Senate, even as modified, and the
temptations which 1t covers for the spoils and
plunder, wealth and power, are too large to be
trusted or be trihed with in shallow compro
mises. This law should be utterly cut out O
the statute book. II is not wanted. 1t is al
unsightly excrescence in any shape. There
are many reasons for its removal; but were
there no other, the subordinate position K
which 1t reduces the House OF Representatives
should suffice with that body for a firm de
mand for nothing less than absolute repeal