Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1871-03-17
Senatorial Ostracisxn.

Senatorial Ostracism.
The exciting topic of conversation
and newspaper comment all over !
the country during the past week,
has been the unjust, unpolitic, and
every way unjustifiable action of the
Republican majority Of the United
States Senate, last week, by which
Hon. Charles Sumner was deposed
from the craftsmanship of the Com
mittce on Foreign Relations, and
the corrupt schem-r and place;job
Der, Simon Cameron, elected in his
stead. This nothing less than in
iquitous proceeding, was determin-
I'd on in caucus of Republican Sem
stors on Thursday by a vote of rs
10 81, and carried out in the open
Senate the next day. This action
having for its real animus the Pres
idcnt's antipathy to Mr.. Sumner be-
cause Of the latter's opposition to
his pet policy of annexation, is a
blow at free speech and the indie
pendence of the Legislative depart
n,ent of the government. 1t is in
effect declaration that no differ
cnce with the Executive will be toll
Grated, and that chairmen of COM
mittees in the national legislature,
. co-equal and coordinate branch
Of the government must not only not
express opinions antagonistic to any
policy which the Executive may
choose to adopt, but that they must
also be careful to maintain intimate
and friendly personal relations with
the President and Secretary of State.
For a refusal to thus sink their own
individuality in that of the admins
tration, and become the mere mouth
pieces of its DEGREES, they are to be
cstracised, condemned, insulted, no
matter how honorable or distinguish
cd their past record, or how COR
spicuous their labors in behalf of
the party or nation.
That this is not an unfair esti-
mate of the motives which infuen-
ced this attempt to humiliate Mr..
Sumner, is shown by the speech of
Mr.. Howe, of Wisconsin, who was
put forward to move and champion
the act Of expulsion. He avowed
distinctly that the reason for the de-
position Of Mr.. Sumner from the
head of the Foreign Relations Com
mittce, was because Of the unfriend-
ay personal relations between Mr..
Sumner and the President and Sec
vetary Of State. He afterwards en-
phasized the fact that he did not al
lude to official relations, but person
al relations. Well might Mr.. Will
son say: "Great God was such a
farce ever before played before the
American people" What business
has the Senate to inquire into the
personal relations of any of its men,
bers with the President, Secretary
OF State, or anybody else? Must
Senator's fitness for a position be
determined by the question of the
PRESIDENTS personal like or dislike
of him? Against the feeble pro-
tests of the promoters of this out
rage, that it was not done in retail
alton for Mr.. Summers opposition
to the Presidents too strenuously
urged project to annex San Domin-
go, there is everything to show that
shat was its real animus. The Pres
adent ROT anybody else ever discoy-
cred that Mr.. Sumner was not in
harmony with the general foreign
policy of the government, until the
vexatious and distracting question
OF San Domingo came up. If this
fact is not sufficient we have the
positive statement of Mr.. Upton in
debate in the Senate, that the day
before he took down from the lips
of Mr.. Howe in the caucus of Re-
publican Senators, as the reason for
the displacement of Mr.. Sumner, the
the words that "the majority Of the |
Senate were in favor of annexing
San Domingo, and a majority of the
Committee on Foreign Relations
were opposed to it." This was not
denied. !
The injustice done Mr.. Sumner is
not the greatest evil which is to
follow this nnwise proceeding. Its
natural effect will be to distract,
inharmonize, and dismcmber the Re
publican party Of the country. Its
FIRST fruits are already seen in New |
Hampshire, where the Republicans
for the first time in sixteen years
arc completely and decisively rout- |
ed. The result Of that election is
neither more nor less than a rebuke
to the weak or designing men who
surround the President, and to the
President himself, ssi-4fo7getting or
disregarding the pledge he made at
the outset of his term, that he "never
would have policy to enforce
against the will of the people"
THERE seems to be a general and
hearty endorsement of the claims of
Col. c. c. Carpenter to the nomina-
<:o,> T.. IL. 80 .>.o.a -