The New York herald., 1869-03-20
THE TENURE OF OFFICE BILL IN THE SENATE,


The Debate ON the Tenure Of Once Acs-Thc
Talent Engaged in Sustaining its Principle
The Course of Argument-Thc Probable Re-
suit.
WASHINGTON, March Is, 1869.
The debate at present going on over the Tenure Of
once act would lose most OF Its interest at any other
time than the present but that just now this city hap
pens TO hold over 5000 ONCE seekers, and General
Grant In the White House stands mutey waiting but
not appealing for something to be done enabling
him to carry out his design OF conducting the govern
ment with economy and retrenchment. The debate, as
purely forensic affair, has been great success; 1t
has exercised the legal acumen well a. the keen
est talent for sophistry among the ablest minds OF
the Senate. Edmunds parried Mort0n's thrusts with
the skill OF an accomplished fencer.
'The Tenure OF once act was passed to check a
bad President, and but for that would never have
become q law, and should therefore be repealed
was the gst OF the arguments the side OF the
pealers; but could anything have been more seduc-
lively and plausiby convincing than Edmunds' re-
tort-"The English Magma Charta was adopted by
the barons to restrain q bad king; but who called
for It's repeal through the reign OF any good king
that folowedfn Right, Edmunds; but the Magma
Charta brought liberty and It's attendant blessings
to the people; the Tenure OF once act brought only
profit and power to few score Senators and trouble
ana vexation TO the people.
The men who spoke in the Senate during the past
three days in favor Of only suspending the act and
against Its repeal were some OF the best and highest
lawyers OF the party. No one viii question the legal
and logical mind or Edmunds, the force and com.
mon sense OF Howard the delicate and subtle .heo.
logsms OF Conkling, the brilliant fancy and capt..
waiting reasoning OF Carpenter and the quiet self.
ali these men seemed to feel consciousness Of de-
Tending weak and sefcondemned cause Never.
theless they made the most OF II. and
through lack OF extraordinary ability. sher.
man and Morton were the towering spirits OF the
bristling array OF arguments The torrent Of sner-
mans speech resembled the rapids OF Niagara river.
e is fairly leapsd down ery turn with crushing force
came so thick and fast to his mind--and well they
might, for time there was when Sherman exercised
his best energies to defeat the enactment Of the
lawthat quick hls utterance naturally Is IL failed
TO furnish an outlet FOR the roopng thoughts oil the
The atmosphere OF the senate has been decid edly
IN favor oil repeal In spite even OF the presence OF
black cloud Of ONCE seekers. Thayer's motion TO
mittee by substituting for the words 'shall be sus
pended' "is hereby declared imperative and void "
es prei esyes shs peSe o. S %
the original House motion to repeal should
Thayer's amendment fail and another amendment
DC oncred, suspending the law until the attn OF
March, 1873 II Is very probable the latter would be
adopted. On the nnai question, however, OF repeal
Senators would be found:-
On the question OF repeal Of the Civil Tenure bill:
. YFAs-Messrs Anthony, Bnysrd, Boreman, Cameron,
Cassery Cole, Corbc, Davis, fenton Fessenden Fowler
1rimes dam,n, Harris Kellogg McCreery Mcdonald, Nor
ton Norton, Patterson, Pomeroy Pool Pratt Ramsey Rob
s,scn Ross shsrmsn spsnser prgue Stock
NAys-Messrs Abbott, Brownlow buckingham, Csrpcn-
ter, Catie, Chandler Conkng Drake, Edmunds Ferry,
schur, Stewart, Sumner, Trumbun Wiley, williams
nouBtruL-hessp crsgin, Nvc, Osborn Scott, Upton,
or those marked "doubtfulr Nye is as likely to
vote one way a. the other. The same may be said
latter on this question will diner with hrs colleague