The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1878-05-23

!. The soldiers understand all this thinoi
III L were politician seeking TO ingratiafe
myself with the soldiers OF the country, L
would perhaps stand on the floor and be-
come their special advocate; but am plain
citizen, and / want to deal fairly with
everybody in the world, with the soldiers
and the civilians. Therefore / say We
ought to be just as we'll as liberal. Why
should We exclude any portion of the peo-
PIE oil this country from the offices of the
Sovernment? Why should we ingraft up
on this bill a provision which virtually ex-
cludes men OF as much merit as any Of the
soldiers Of the country? -
Besides that, do not shut my eyu =
the fact that il is an attempt to limit II
discretion Of the President Of the Uritsa
States. The Constitution gives him the
appointing power Here is propositioa
to limit the discretion which ia vested in
him by the Constitution and to control his
actions by saving that he shall appoint
| from a particular class of persona do
not believe it is competent for the Congress
OF the United States to control the discre-
ton vested by the Constitution in the
President of the United States, and shall
not give my vote in that direction. No
| difference to the soldiers, however great
| that difference NAV be, can induce me to
do that which in my honest Judgment be-
lieve l am not at liberty to do.
Therefore i shall vote against every
amendment that has been offered, and I
shall vote against the section as il came to
us from the House.
Mr.. INGALIS-Mr President, am in
clined TO believe that those Senators upon
the other side OF the House who are 90
very solicitous about the prerogatives of
the Executive are much more anxious
about the privileges of the next President
than of the pi esent incumbent am in
clined to belle &c that they are unwilling to
have any limitations imposed
Mr.. SALISBURY. Will the Senator
allow me to say that desire to zee the Sen
ator Just to his own President.
Mr.. INGALLS,. That IS what the Sen
ate is trying to do at the present time. If
the Senator from Delaware were anxious
upon the subject of precedents, he would
find that there are abundant instances
where Congress has imposed limitations
upon the power of the Executive to sp-
point. He Is completely hedged about
with restrictions that have been imposed by
legislative power. Here in this very bill,
as the Senator from Massachusetts alluded
10 it, We provide for corps of examining
surgeons. They are to be appointed BY the
Executive; and vet no one would say that
it was an infringement OF constitutional
power to require that those men should b.
learned in physic. We provide for Judges
who shall be learned in the law. We pro-
vide that postmasters shall be residents OF
the locality where they are to exercise their
R,ttx N In m n r.
ing provisions to require the appointmspt
of Union soldiers to offices that they can
properly fill, there seems TO be very gzeaS
difficulty; some constitutional objection y
continually interposed.
| am opposed TO this whole system Of le-
gisla;ion upon these subjects. At the other
end of the Capitol is House Ihich is fire.
quently alluded to as the House OF coufed-
crate brigadiers. They hayesno cons;itu-
tional scruples about declaring that Uninn
soldiers shall administer the pension agen-
cies OF this country. The men who have
served in the rebel army and have had their
removed, and have come 10
Congress- pass a section in this bill express
" declaring that the powers and duties OF
these offices shall be exercised by disabled,
and honorably discharged Union
soldiers. But when the bill comes to the
Senate, portion of gentlemen Of that faith
come together in body that is ostensibly
and find a great many constitu-
iional scruples about the power OF the Exc
cutive to appoint Union soldiers to office.
Mr.. HEREFORD should like to know
If the Senator what he means by ''ostensibly
Republican
Mr. Notwithstanding Republican
Mr.. HEREFORD-Not actually Repub-
.ican?
Mr. SARGENT-Doest the Senator mean
hat there are any nominal Republicans
here?
Mr.. History will declare
what | mean.
NJ. BLAINE-It will vindicate you.
Mr.. lNGALLS-IIisiory will vindicate
me. The Senate, nominally Republican,
takes section that comes from the House,
actually Democratic. That body, controlled
very largely by the sentiment known as the
Confederate during the war, have sent to us
IN open, manly declaration that these
offices shall be discharged by wounded and
disabled Union soldiers. l will not say
hat any of the Senators who differ with us
in opinion are disingenuous ard want to
throw a duty upon a nominally Republican
body that they would not perhaps exercise
in the other; but sufficient number of
hem, with Senators of the opposite persua-
sion, find great deal of constitutional diff
iculty about appointing soldiers to office.
Mr.. President, am tired of it, want each
body TO assume its proper relation to the
and TO this subject. II Democrats
and confederates, as they are called by the
public press, can find no constitutional Diff
,ulty about this matter, II seems to me that
we ought not to be particularly troubled upon
fe point. am not sensitive. believe that
Union soldiers competer- to discharge
.heSe offices, and since the House have sent
his bill to US with this provision in II,
rust that we shall reject the amendment Of
cred by the committee, that We shall reject
he amendment offered by the Senator from
Arkansas, expressing in an indirect and in
.ilicient way a preference for this thing, en-
to plow around the stump, and
hat we shall simply agree to the proposition
rs IT came from the House. lit is uncon ~
utional TO appoint soldiers to Office. lift. ~
ire disqualified to exercise the duties of PEN
,ion agents, let the President decide II. GER
ainly am troubled by no scruples.
On the morning Of the 9Th motion was
made TO strike out the provision, which
was lost by the following vote: