The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-04-27
DEGRADATION OF THE PRESIDENTIAL
OFFICE.
From the N. y. World.

From the N. y World. .n....
We do not wish to be unjust. even to General
Grant; and now that many of the leading JOUR
mails of his own party criticizing his appoint
ments and deploring his incompctency, we deem
it fair that what can be reasonably said in eX-
tenuation of his blunders should be candidly
set forth General Grant is not alone answera-
bic for the disgraceful state of things which has
been exhibited at Washington since his inaugu-
ration. The party that elected him must bear
an equal portion of the blame. We do not mean
that they must share the discredit because they
elected President of so little experience and
capacity (although they are in this sense with
out doubt responsibility, but because they have so
stripped the office of its just prerogatives that
no President could have made his administration
respectable.
In the querulous debate which sprang up in
the Senate last Wednesday, it was conceded by
all the Republican Senators that the business Of
making appointments has come to a most scan
dalous pass, and cries aloud for rectifcation.
Most of them spoke in a tone similar to that of
Mr.. Trumbull, who said that he regarded the
subject of removal from and appointment to
Office one of the greatest evils to the country.
and calculated to sap the very foundations of
our Government. The experience of the last six
or eight weeks admonished them all that some
thing should be done to effect reform.
great change had taken place, and Senators and
Representatives had become mere solicitors. The
portentous change which Senators strongly
deprecated is the natural consequence OF the
usurpation OF executive functions by Con-
rapidly by reason of the personal weakness of
the new President. The applicnnts for offices
were not slow to discover that the President is
stripped of all real power, and that their chances
of success depended upon their courtlng and
conciliating the Senators. Under the new Ten
ure-of-Otce law, the same as under the old, the
President can make no removals without the
consent of the Senate and when it @was found
that that body held fast its grip upon the PreSl-
dent, his moral as well as his official influence
sunk into hopeless eclipse The Senate, being
| able to prevent his making any appointments or
any removals, were seen to possess all the real
power, while the President was compelled to take
the nominal responsibility. In this state of
things the instinct of the Oice-seekers led them
to importune the Senators for recommendations
| and Endorsements, knowing that the President
would naturally wish to nominate men whom he
could get confirmed, and that the Senators would
be likely to vote for the confirmation of persons
! whom they had themselves recommended. The
| system has operated in practice as might nave
| been expected in theory. Applicants, instead OF
| relying on the recommendations of their State
| officers and other men of influence ut home, have
besieged Senators for signatures to their papers,;
| and the President instead OF submitting his pro-
| posed nominations to the member of the Cabi-
| net from the same part of the country, who
could easily ascertain the qualifications OF the
| applicant by correspondence with trustworthy
! persons of his acquaintance, has allowed Sc
| nators and Congressman to dictate his nomina-
tions The cases of Ashley and of Jones are
| instances which Illustrate the operation OF the
| system Ashley. though notoriously and scam
| dalously unfit, was nominated for Governor OF
| Territory because his papers were signed
by nearly all the Republican Congressmeni and
| Jones though a particular pet of the President,
| could not get confirmed. Under this system, all
sense of responsibility is frittered away and lost
| The Senators who sign the recommendations are
not responsible for the nominations, and to avoid
| giving oifense, they sign for almost everybody
| who asks them. When these thoughtless recon-
mendations reach the President, he gives them
Importance as coming from members Of a body
which holds complete check both upon his
power of appointment and his power of removal.
The conseduence is, that Senators who have any
sense OF character are often obliged to vote
against the confirmation of persons whom they
have themselves recommended. Under this ab-