The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1877-12-20

A Washington Associated Press tele-
gram of the 18th gives the following
account OF the final action of the United
States Senate, in Executive session,
upon the Presidents nominations for
the Custom-House officers at New York:
The Senate was in Executive session to-day
nearly six hours, adjourning only at eight
O'Clock this evening. The entire session was
devoted to the New York Custom House nomi-
nations, two OF which, namely, those Of Theo-
dore Roosevelt to be Collector, in place of
Arthur, to be removed, and 8. Bradford Prince
as Naval Officer, rice Cornell, to be removed,
merce unfavorably. The third, namely, that
Of E. A. Merritt, to be Surveyor Of Customs in
place OF Sharp, whose commission has ex-
pired, was reported with favorable recon-
mendation. No opposition was manifested to
the latter, but the contest In regard to the two
proposed removals was extremely animated,
and took very wide range, causing discus
sion OF the rights, powers and duties of the
President in regard to removals from Office,
and the subject OF the Civil-Service policy in
general
MI. Conkling, Chairman of the Committee
on Commerce, opened the debate with brief
statement of the reasons why, In the opinion
Of the majority Of that committee, the two first
nominations should not be confirmed. These
were in brief that no charges Of either corrup-
tion or inefficiency had beea made against the
present incumbents, but, on the contrary, they
were conceded to be faithful, honest, expert
enced and able officers.
Mr.. Bayard followed in an extended argu-
ment maintaining the right of the Executive to
make changes which, in his opinion, would be
for the benefit of the public service, he being
responsible for the execution of the laws, and
entitled to select his agents, subject to the
confirmation of the Senate, but without being
fraf ffrrr, ho Gnr1o IN fofa -
his reasons.
Mr.. Herman then delivered speech, of con-
siderable length, on the same side of the ques..
ton, defending the action Of the President.
His remarks were mostly read from manu-
script.
Gen. Gordon was the next speaker. He
warmly commended the Civil-Service policy Of
President Hayes, and in regard to the pend
ing nominations, asserted emphatically that
the removals which they contemplated were de-
manded by proper regard for the purity of
the service. He charged that Cornell and Ar
and patronage Of their Offices for merely par
tisan and selfish purposes, and he intimated
that 1t was time for the one-man power in New
York State to be broken.
The debate then became quite general
Messrs. Hoar and Matthews spoke in favor of
sustaining the action Of the President in the
exercise of his Constitutional power, and of
what they agreed was his sound public policy
In removing the Civil Service from the domain
of partisan control. Mr.. Teller and others
spoke briefly in reply, arguing that in the
present instance, at least, the President had
departed from the principles of Civil-Servce
reform which he himself had announced,
namely, that faithful and efficient services
should protect the officer from removal, etc.
Mr.. Conkling closed the debate in a speech
Of considerable length and great vigor and
earnestness. He replied in detail to the vari-
ous arguments advanced by the supporters of
the nominations, and repelled with the utmost
emphasis the charges that had been made
against the official character and conduct of
the officers whom the President proposed to
remove. He insisted that they had been faith
full, honest and efficient in every particular,
and challenged proof that single charge had
ever been made against them, either by the
community. or by the Secretary
of the Treasury, or the President him
self. He also defied anyone to show
or to assert that his (Conkling's) action in
fair, open, courteous and above-board. In
he claimed that the Senate would
be alike unjust to faithful officers, careless of
its own prerogatiyes and duties, and unmindful
of the dictates Of true Civil-Servicc policy, if
it failed to Vote that these nominations should
be rejected. A vote by yeas and nays was
then taken upon the nomination of Roosevelt,
and It was rejected by majority of Z, the yeas
being 25 and the nays 80.
The nomination of Prince was rejected upon
another roll-call by the same vote. In each
case Senators Eaton, Dennis, Whytc and Max
ey (Democrats) united with the great body Of
the Republicans against confirmation, and
Senators Burnside, Christiancy, Conover,
Dawes, Hoar and Matthews (Rcpublcans)
sided with the mass of the Democrats in favor
of confirmation. The nomination of Merritt
was confirmed without division.