Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1877-03-15
Our Washington Letter

announced by President Hayes
yesterday. The current Of Re.
Ipublican speech was unfay orable
to it on the whole, aud that dis.
favor was reflected in the Senate
was shown by a reference of the
several nominations to Commit.
ices. This is unprecedented, and
is especially notable in the case
lot Sherman, as eX Senator'S are
frequently appointed to Office and
are invariably confirmed without
reference. Perhaps the Senate
might be pardoned for referring
| Deven's name to committee, Tor
he has not q national reputation;
mo more has Thompson. And an
inquiry as 10 which party Mr.
SchuIz belongs to is always in or
der. To mention all the oLiec
tions made by Republicans, to the
various appointees would be tedi
ous, but ii may be said that Mr.
Conkling's friends object TO Mr.
Evarts because he is not q strict
party man, and because, as they
say, he did not take part in the
Hayes campaign until his services
were sought with a price. Mr..
S burr, it is said, is tickle and
unrr liable, aud that the Admins
iration has not as much reason to
expect his faithful support as Mr.
Tilden had during last Spring and
Summer. To Messrs. Devens and
Thompson the objection is that
they are comparatively unknown,
! and add nothing TO the strength
Of the Administration. Mr.. Sher-
man though sufficiently radical
and sufficiently prominent, has
mhny enemies among prominent
radicals. lie is not a popular
man. While Coakling aud Blaine
and Morton and others are sup
ported in nominating conventions
by earnest and enthusiastic men,
Senator Sherman, outside of his
own State, has little following.
Then there is feeling abroad
that Ohio has more than her share
o. high Offices. MoCrary is con-
sidered a fair man, and there is
little opposition to him. A great
deal of radical bad feeling is ven
ted IN connection with the ap.
pertinent of Mr.. Key, but that
Eo1li have bten the case if any
ether Southern man, not a carpet
Bigger, had been hOnored with
t8e place.
On the whole, there is no de
nJiDg that the President has dis,
appointed nearly the whole of his
party, and, if signs do not fail,
has sOwn the seed of a great and
bitter warfare within its lines. If
ex President Grant was on the
floor of the Senate yesterday for
the purpose, as alleged, of de-
feating the confirmation of Schurz,
tie battle may be said to have
commenced.
1t is the general belief that the
Cabinet will not hold together
long, and though enough Repub-
licau Senators may join the Dem
ocrats in confirming the present
appointees, the radicals in Con.
gress will force upon the Execu-
tive issues upon which other al
visers than these will be necessary.
A further complication may
possibly be found in the material
of which the expected opposition
is composed, for its leaders are
hardly the men to dwell together
in unity. Think OF Blaine and
Morton and Conkling acting to.
gether, and all trying to lead.
One of the evil effects of this
unsettled state OF political affairs
will be the further generalization
of the public service, here and
elsewhere. Those who remem
Der the johnson administration,
and see its evil influence even to
this time, will dread repetition of
lit.
Among the possible minor re-
forms which the new Secretary
of the Interior can make will be
reorganization Of the bureaus Of
the Department. In the last ten
years or more the Patent, Land
and Pension branches have
changed heads a dozen or more
times, and always as a result Of
political influence. During the
last session of Congress the House
proposed an Investigation of the
Pension Office, but owing to want
of time nothing was done. Plen-
ty of charges will be filed with
the new Secretary, however, both
as to the character of the men at
the head of the bureau and as to
the system by which work is re-
tarded there and the nnhlic nnn-