Litchfield enquirer., 1877-11-22
The Senate and the President.

[
 they have been in the past
 The Senate and the President.
 i On Saturday, the 10th inst, the Republican
 Senators held private caucus in the nature o
 an indignation meeting, relative to the Pres
 ident's appointments, at which committee
 was appointed to remonstrate with him anc
 bring him back, if possible, to what they con
 sider the strict line of his duty to his party
 AS near as we can determine the nature oi their objections (over-which the caucus threw an imperfect veil of mystery they may be classed under four heads: list, that the Pres l ident appointed Democratic" cabinet 2d, that he abandoned the Republican State gov ernments of the South; Sd, that he appoints Southern Democrats to office; 4th, that he l removes the friends of Republican Congress men from office without sufficient cause. The first and second of these objections are con- fessedly dead issues. The cabinet is confirmed, and is satisfactory to the president and, as he believes, to the people. The abandonment of Chamberlain and Packard, right or wrong, is an act that is now irrevocable. The nomina- tionsof Southern Democrats to office, and the nomination of an anti -Conkling set of officers for the New York Custom House. all remaining meonfrmed, are the only present issues be- tween the President and the Senate. AS re- gards the first matter, the Senate caucus con- mittee who called on the President for an ex- planation were told by him that wherever he found Republicans who would make. as reliable and efficient officers as Democrats, he had appointed them In few cases where he had been unable to find reliable and efficient Republicans he had appointed Democrats Here, therefore, there is no issue of principle between the President and Republican Senators.
 The most important present issue is that re- garding the Presidents removal of the Conkling board of officers at the New York custom house. The real reason for the re- moval of these officers is because they are creatures of Senator Conkling; and one of them, in defiance of the Presidents order, pre- sided over the state convention which was signalized by Mir. Conkling's attack on the ad- ministration and it's supporters. The position now taken by this leader of the Republican opposition in the Senate is that none of the present federal officers should be removed ex- cept on proof of maladministratioh To ap- preciate the impotence of this claim Qn the part of the New York Senator, we must refer to his practice under Grants administration. For eight years, MT. Conkling was busy filling the federal offices in the State of New York, and, during the last months of the last presi- dential term, repeated changes were made with the sole view of consolidating his power over the of1ce-holders of the Empire State. Now, having packed" the offices of that State with personal dependents, Mir. Conkling demands that the Senate should hold. them in their places, by refusing to confirm their successors, unless in cases where actual malversation can be proved against them At this point let us re- fer to the duty plainly devolving on MT. Hayes, under the Cincinnati platform and his letter of acceptance. The fifth resolution of the Re- publican platform is as follows:
 Under the Constitution, the President and heads of departments are to make nominations for office the Senate is to advise and consent to appointments, and the House of Represen- tatives is to accuse and prosecute faithless officers. The best interest of the public ser vice demands that these distinctions be respect ed that Senators and Representatives who may be judges and accusers should not dictate appointments to office. The invariable rule in appointments should have reference to the honesty, fidelity and capacity of the ap- pointees, giving to the party in power those places where harmony and vigor of adminis- tration require it's policy to be represented, but permitting all others to be filled by persons selected with sole reference to the efficiency of the public service and the right of all citizens to share in the honor of rendering faithful ser vice to the country.
 The clause of Mir. Hayes letter of accep- tance having reference to this matter. is as fol- lows:
 The fifth resolution adopted by the conven- ton is of paramount interest. More than for ty years ago system of making appointments to office grew up based upon the maxim, ito the victors belong the spoils" The old rule, the rule, that honesty, capacity and fidelity constitute the only real qualifications for office, and that there is no other claim, gave place to the idea that party services were to be chiefly considered: All parties, in practice, have adopted this system. It has been essentially modified since it's first introduction; it has not, however, been improved
 At first the President, either directly or through the headsof departments, made all the appointments. But gradually the appointing power in many cases passed into the control of the members of Congress. The oficesin these cases have become not merely rewards for par ty services, but rewards for services to party leaders This system destroys the independ- ence of the separate departments of the Gov ernment. 'It tends directly to extravagance and official incapacity;" it is temptation to dishonesty; it flinders and impairs that careful supervision and strict accountability by which alone faithful and efficient public service can be secured; it obstructs the prompt removal and sure punishment of the unworthy; in every way it degrades the civil service and the char acter of the Government, It is felt, I am con- fident, by a large majority of the members of Congress to be an intolerable burden and an unwarrantable hindrance to the proper dis charge of their legitimate duties. It ought to be abolished. The reform should be thorough. radical and complete. We should return to the principles and practice of the founders of the Government applying by legislation, when needed, that which was formerly the es- tablished custom. They neither expected nor desired from the public officers any partisan service. They meant that public officers should give their whole service to the Government and to the people. They meant that the officer should be secure in his tenure as long as his personal character remained untarmshed the performance of his dnties satisfactory. If elected shall conduct the administration of the Government upon these principles, and all constitutional powers vested in the Executive will be employed to establish this reform. The chief objects of the present administra- tion are succinctly stated by Secretary .Evarts, as follows: first, to nationalize the republi- can party; second, toresume specie payments; ]; third, to emancipate the action of the voters from the control of the office holders. It is in pursuance of the latter object that the Presi- dent has removed the appointees of an old and evil system in New York. The civil service order was in strict accordance with the require. ments of the platform and of the letter of ac- ceptance. The President did not think it right to make wholesale removals of persons holding oficesas ''rewardsfor services toparty leaders. Ja y,as,voIv xva rfoA than to osvn uy, fhasr ,ld