Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-03-12

change the issue. did no; speak Of
their official relations. Ispoke of their
personal relations. -
Mr.. Wilson-Then Mr.. President, it
comes to this, that the oldest member Of
the Senate, the Chairman of the Commit
tee on Foreign Relations through the past
ten years, is to be removed from the
craftsmanship, and from the committee
itself, because of social relations between
the President of the United States, the
Secretary of State and himself. He
(Wilson) was one of those who believed
it not the business of the Senate what
those relations. were, or what were the
social relations of any member present,
or any other member of the government.
He thought the only question was as to
whether the member held proper official
relations with the President, Cabinet, and
other members of the government. He
argued with the Senator from Missouri
(Schurz) that this matter should not have
been precip:itated upon the Senate, but
it had been determined otherwise, and it
must at all cost. -oJ - ~ e '1ILJ
He now concluded: He could not see
q blow struck at friend of twenty five
years, with whom he had co-opersted in
minoritles and majorities, without pro-
testing against it; but his opposition in
the present instance was not solely for
personal reasons, but it was because he
believed that the interest of the country
would not be promoted by removing the
Chairman of the Committee on Foreign
Relations, from place he had filed
with signal ability. 10 the present con-
dition Of our foreign affairs, we need to
retain all the learning and experience we
now have there. He was opposed. TO
change now, because it was full or dan
ger to the future of the Republican party.
There were hundreds of thousands of
pure, thoughtful and trusted members
of that party whose hearts would be
wrung by the intelligence of this action,
and who would see neither justice nor
wisdom in it. The party was in no con-
dition to do that which would wound or
offend hundreds of thousands of the
purest and best men in the country. He
believed that those who were persisting
in having the matter considered today
were committing a mistake, and upon
them would be the responsibility. For
one, he washed his hands of it, and now
moved that the further consideration of
the subject be postponed till to-mor-
row.
Mr.. Morrill,, of Vermont, said he was
one of those who regarded the change as
unwise, but he thought that all the usual
means of opposition had now been ex-
hausted, and he deemed it quite unwise
to make further opposition. He there
fore hoped the Senate would go on and
complete its reorganization, as recon-
mended by the majority.
Mr.. Schurz was sorry to hear the Sena-
tor from Vermont express the opinion
that all opposing means were exhausted
and that nothing was left but quiet sub
mission to that which great many con-
sidered not only a wrong but blunder.
He (Schurz) did not give up 30 easily.
Supposing it to be true as asserted by the
Senator from Wisconsin (Mr. Howe),
that personal, not official, relations be-
tween the President and Secretary of
State on one side, end the Senator from
Massachusetts on the other, were very IN
kind; was that fact of any consequence
Was the American Senate to be governed
by the personal relations between Sena-
tor ard Minister of the Executive De-
partment of the Government Must the
Senate before appointing the chairman of
committees ask President or Secretary
of State how he likes SO and so, and
whether he likes to dine or sup with that
mani Must there be precise under
standing between them about cookery or
any other detail of social relationsl Mr..
Schurz then denounced as untrue the as
sertion that Mr.. Sumner had refused TO
entertain relations of any kind with the
President or Secretary of State. He as.
serted that, on the the contrary, that gen.
tlemsn had, on a noted occasion,
most emphatically declared that in
spite of all that might have
passed between them, he was
at any moment ready to receive the See
rotary of State Fish as an old friend, and
| that to transact with him such official
business as he might have to transact be-
tween them. The Senator from New
Hampshire, Mr.. Patterson, not now in
| his seat, would bear to the truth of this.
Commenting upon dispatch issued from
the State Department at the instance of
| the President relative to Minister Motley,
in which suudry illusions were made to
the Presidents adherence of betrayal of
confidence, Dir. Schurz said these were
direct references to Mr.. Sumner on &C.
count of his course on the San Domingo
schemes. Could Senators require any
member of body who had the least
sense of its dignity to bend his knee and
cringe and fawn before those who had
thus spat upon him. The reasons assigned
for such q degradation were but fimsy
pretexts. During the administra-
ton of Andrew johnson, the
chairman of the Committee
on Foreign Relations was not on
speaking terms with the President of the
United States, and yet the grave question
of the presence of the French army in
Mexico was solved, and the various
treaties passed by the Senate were first
considered and approved by the commit
tee. Attributing the present difficulty to
the determination of the President to
prosecute the San Domingo scheme and
urging the Senate not to yield to Execu-
tive dictation, he went on to say there
were rumors abroad, and there was al
ready too much ground to believe them,
than in the change proposed the Presi-
dent had taken propelling power,
which was rather stronger than had
heretofore been deemed compatible with
the dignity of that Office. 1t was perhaps
time for the Republican party to consider
whether they were ready to sacrifice their
cause to the Whims of one man.
Mr.. Edmunds entirely concurred in the
last sentence of the remark. of the S9na-
tor from Missouri. He too desired to
inquire whether the President of the
United States and the Republican party
were ready to sacrifice their sense of duty
to the whims of one man, whether he
came from New England, Missouri, or
anywhere else. The Senator (Schurz)
had argued altogether on the mistaken
basis that Mr.. Sumner was being removed
for some cause or other, whereas he had
simply been transferred from one sphere
of usefulness to another, in the ordinary
rearrangement of the committees, which,
under the rules, took place every two
wears. These changes in chairmen and
committeeman had often given dissatisfac-
ton, but no Sen, tor had supposed him
self entitled to his former position as a
matter of right. The Senate had been