Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1871-03-24

most respects, is more than their
peer?
Senator Howe of Wisconsin,
from whom we expected more chiv-
alrous part-was the mouth-piece OF
the Senate in stating its unreasona.
BILE argument for its mwarrantable
act. 'No question had been raised,''
he said, "as to the ability of the Sen
ator from Massachusetts, and no
pretension had been made that he
was surpassed in any respect by the
gentleman proposed to succeed him;
but it was we'll known 10 those who
proposed the change that the per-
sonal relations existing between the
Senator from Massachusetts on the
one hand, and the President of the
United States and the head of the
State Department on t.~e other, were
such as to preclude all social inter
course between them. In brief
continued Mr.. Howe, "the informa-
ton was that the Senator from Mass
achusetts refused to mold persona.
intercourse with the Secretary OF
State.'' Mr.. Sumner interrupted
him, and exclaimed, "Just the con-
trary." Wherenpon Mr.. Schurz
rose and emphatically informed the
Senate that ''Mr. Sumner had not
refused to enter into any official re-
lations either with the President or
the Secretary of State" Mr.. Howe
rejoined, 81 did not speak of their
official, l spoke of their personal re-
lations." n,
So then here we have it! Nj. Sum
ner is sacrificed, not on account OF
official, but of his personal, relations
to the President and his Premier!
This is new phase in the etiquette
of politics-a new precedent in the
formalities of craftsmanship! BY
this argument of gossamcr-by this
vapor Of logic-by this reason which
has no reason in 1.-THE oldest of
Senators is displaced from the most
important of committees!
Let us say distinctly that Senator
Howe's reason, however temperate
ly and fraternally stated, will not be
accepted by Mr.. Summers country
men as sufficient to warrant this un-
timely displacement. The people
do not care fig what are the per-
sonal, but only what are the public,
relations existing between its repre-
sentative men. If it were a consti-
tutional requirement that the Secrc-
tary OF State and the Scnate's Chair
man for Foreign Relations should he
boon companions; and an addition
al requirement that, when they ceas-
ed to be on dinner-table terms, one
OF the other must then cease from
his public functions; it still would
be a grave question whether, as be-
tween Mr. Sumner and Mr.. Fish, the
country could better afford to part
with a statesman who had illustri-
ously filled his Craftsmanship for
ten years, or with a politician who
had somewhat less brilliantly fulfill
ed his Secretaryship for two. The
notion that the President is entitled
to find in Il Chairman for Forcig
Relations a Senator who will smoke
n cigar with him, or ride behind q
fast horse with him, or sit at his
feasts with him, or drink an over
glass otwine with him, G. even shake
banJ, With HIM. c,,.b $, ,,,t;,,, :,
nothing but courtier's whim Of ad-
ulation, becoming in sycophants,
but unbecoming in senators. To
take such an idea into the Senate
chamber, and there give it the name
and stamp it with the authority of
legislation, is to exhibit republican
ism in the attitude, not merely of
bowing the knee of tiattery, but kiss
ing the dust of subserviencv.
The Presidents outbreak of hos
tility against Mr.. Sumner has not
been justified by anything in the
Senator's course toward the Presi-
dent. The preteNt made last De-
cember, that Mr.. Summers speech
on San Domingo was an atfront to
the Executive, is not sustained by
anything in the speech itself. 1t
had no line or syllable which could
give offence to a tunctionary who
did not wish to be offended. Its au-
thor used no word which, dying, he
would wish to blot. The criticisms
upon its personality were ten-fold
more personal toward Mr.. Sumner
than he himself had been toward the
President. Holding strong convic-
tions against the Presidents policy,
the Senator would have been recre-
ant to his duty had he failed to state
his objections as strongly as he did.
If the President himself had ton
que, and knew how to use it, he
would express his own ideas in the
same magnificent way.
In order to mitigate the indignity
of Mr.. Summers removal, it is ar
gued that such transfers are com
mon among the Senatc's Committees.
No, they are not common-they are
extraordinary; and this present one
is of such character that "none
but itself can be its parallel" Mr..
Trumbull declared "that in all the
time he had been in the Senate, new
er until then had chairman of a
committee been changed by his po-
litical friends except at his own re-
quest. This was the first time ii
had been done. 1t was a removal,
and nothing else could be made OF
it," Mr.. Trumbull was right; and
the country will thank him for call
ing the act by its right name, and
denouncing it as it deserves.
The most damnatory feature in
the case is the evidence which il
has elected that the President has
Transcribed the limitation Of his ey-
ecutive prcrogatlye, and intruded
himself into the Legislative depart
mcnt, with an intent to influence the
formation of the Senate's commit
tees. Senator Schurz distinctly said
that the President, desiring Mr..
Summers removal, had to this end
"personally excrted himself in the
way of argument and pressure upon
Senators" Such conduct 10y the