Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-03-14
TENURE.oF.OFFICE.
Trouble Brewing Between the Presl-
dent and the Radicals The TeRures
oEOHice Act Net to be Repealed,

N
| dent and the Radicals The Tenure,
oEOfRce Act Net TO be Repealed,
Correspondence of the New York Herald.
| WASHINGTON, March 10.-There ars
signs of an approaching unpleasantness
between President Grant and the Radical
| branch of Congress. In the first place
the Senators are in sour condition bes
cause Grant has failed to consult them
about his cabinet, or any thing else; IN
the second place they don't relish the
men he has called about him as constitu>
tional advisers and in the the third place
they are disposed to kick against repeal
ing the civil tenure bill. The substanS
tial cause ofdifficulty will doubtlessgrow
out of the last mentioned cause. Presi-
dent Grant is known to hold the opinion
that the law ought 10 be repealed, so that
he may be allowed to carry out his plans
Of reform without let or hindrance. He
declares he can not successfully put his
plans into execution if he is to be con-
stantIy hanpered with the checks and
restraints Of that enactment, and believes
he sho1ld have the largest liberty in the
selection of all his subordinates. B :
it is just here that Senators come in with
their opposition. Since the passage of
the Civil Tenure bill, they have had
very good thing of it, because that bill
has enabled them to control, in their re-
spectiye States, all the patronage they
desired. To repeal the law, therefore, is
asking them to deprive themselves of
great source Of political power. Why
should we do SOP" ask the Senators. If
Grant puts so little value upon US now
that we hold this much restraint over
him, how much less will he, when, by
our own act, we render him entirely free
and independent of us?' This is the
way Senators talk-not, of course, open
ly, but quietly among themselyes-and
this is the secret of the repeated post
ponements, on one pretense or another,
of the bill to repeal the Civil Tenure act.
To-day there was another fruitless effort
to put a repeal through the Senate.
Thayer, of Nebraska, brought it up;
but 1t was evident from the mo-
ment he asked for the taking up of
the matter that it was destined
to another defeat. Sumner was on the
alert in an instant, ready to summon all
his forces to the opposition. Edmunds
Edmunds Edmunds !" shouted Sum-
ner, in his peculiarly hoarse tone to the
Vermont Senator, who happened at the
moment to be engaged in conversation.
This shouting was intended as q warning
to Edmunds to be on the qHi ViVe, Ed
munds being the bright, particular star
among the opponents Of repeal but Ed
monds did not hear, and Sumner was
obliged to run from his seat to Edmunds'
side and whisper a word of warning.
Edmunds Immediately looked up, put
one leg over the other in his usual mode
Of attention, and prepared for action.
Trumbull was the first to throw in an op-
posing suggestion. As chairman Of the
judiciary committee he wanted the bill
for repeal referred, or else that his COM
mittee should be discharged from con-
sideration OF the other bills about the
same matter. Thayer, Morton and
Grimes opposed any reference to COM
mittee, we'll remarking that the question
involved was one 50 plain as not |
to need any ray of light even
from the learned Solons on the
judiciary committee. Morton further
that a reference of the subject
would be equivalent to its death and
burial until the next session of Congress.
Williams, Hamlin, Pomeroy
and Conkling all spoke in favor of refers
ence, each having his own reason to urge.
But all, perhaps, except Hamlin, actuated
by the same motive-opposition to re-
peal. Corbett. of Oregon, stood right up
to the mark, urging immediate action
and unconditional repeal but it was no
use. Senators had made up their minds
to postpone action, and therefore, under
the thin pretext of investigating an ima
portant constitutional question, the bill
was referred to the Judiciary Committee.
The effect of this is stated variously.
Some think there ara many who voted
to refer who favor repeal, others say the
vote to-day represents pretty nearly the
sentiment Of the Senate on the main
question. The fair way of regarding it
is to conceds that few who voted for
reference, say three or four, believe in
repeal, but this is not enough to secure
the passage of the bill when it returns
from committee manipulation.