Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1874-07-08
The President warned.
Fum the Cincinnati Gazette

correctly, of a large number of that
body. Unfortunately the Senate
has largely degenerated, chiefly
through the adventures elected
from many of the Southern States
after reconstruction, and members
from new States, whose main con-
stituents are railroad monopolies
and swindling rings of various
kinds, and partly by men who pur-
chased their election with money
or patronage. This is an evil to
which the country must turn its at
tention if it would restore to the
State its original character, and
make it in reality the upper, and
better and more reliable branch of
the national Congress. But while
we entertain these unfavorable
opinions of the Senate, OF of q very
large portion of its members, we
are free to say that it surpassed it
self recently in rejecting, almost
unanimously, the nomination OF
Shepherd as one of the commission
ers al interim of the District Of
Columbia. The nomination was,
whether intended or not, in open
defiance of public sentiment, and
we are entirely within the bounds
of truth in saying that the Senate,
in rejecting it, fairly represented
nineteen-twentieths of the people
of the United States.
What the President knows OF
Shepherd we do not pretend to say, |
but what the people think of that
person we need not stop to detail.
Shepherds nomination in the first
place to the Governorship of the
District shocked the public con-
science. 1t was an act that the po-
litical friends Of the President did |
not dare to defend before the peo-
pie. 1t was then suspected that
the District government was out
rageously corrupt, and it was
known that Shepherd was the soul
and brain of that government. 1t
being no part of the business of
the President of the United States
to appoint men to Office for the
purpose Of vindicating them, the |
appointment, under the circum-
stances, was, to say the least, un-
wise. There were serious charges
pending against Shepherd. An in
vestigation of these, at least, should
have preceded his appointment;
but he was appointed by the Presi-
dent and confirmed by the Senate
without question. The Senate sub
sequently opposed an investigation,
but it was forced 10y the very de-
cided action of the House, backed
by an overwhelming public senti-
ment, to join in an investigation.
The inquiry thus authorized was
fairly conducted by committee
composed of Republicans and Dem
ocrats, and the report, which con-
demned the management Of the af-
fairs of the District, of which Shep-
herd, as we have said, was the soul
and brains, as rascally and corrupt
was unanimous. Upon this report
and not upon the common rumol
or previous charge, the countr!
made up its verdict, and that, too
was very nearly unanimous. II
the credit of the press it is to b.
said that outside of Washington
City, public opinion upon the sub
e ject was fairly represented.
) 1t was the opinion in advance c
n the investigation, for reasons a
a ready indicated, that the Presiden
d should have dropped Shepherd
r After the investigation there WEI
; few people that could for momcr
= suppose his appointment to any pr
Ie sition possible. The friends of til
N President were even grieved.
,e learn that he permitted Shepher
st to accompany him to Cape May
20 This incident is mentioned to sho
re how deep and widespread was Il
Is conviction on the subject. III
ne general indignation caused by Il
~ nomination sent into the Sena
4 may better therefore be imagine
Of 1t was so unexpected that no Oh
he seemed capable Of explaining it..
IT. The President evidently did n
ny understand, or did not caro- for pu
RI lie sentiment. The most Chart
ar bic conclusion was that he suffer-
or himself to be surrounded by m,
nd who determined that upon this So
a. feet he should not be reached by