The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1879-02-08
New York Appoiutm ,ntS.
HlSTUkY OF The STRUGGLE.
Causes which Led 10 the Confirmation
how tho President Received the News.
WAsHINGroX, Feb. 4, 1879.

about the Capitol 1" dag. The history of
I this long fight Is bri. lily a. follows:
On October 30. 1871. tbs names of Rpnse-
welt, Prince aud Merritt we're sent to the
Senate, and on November 30. 1877, the
committee on commerce reported adversely
4 IN the cases Of Roosevelt; and Prince M
action was taken by the Senate. and the
extra session expiring two days later, the
/ nomination lapsed. On December 6th the
names If Roosevelt aud Prince were again
/ sent u the Senate, aud on December - h
I they were reported adversely by the com
/ mitt-e on commerce, which Tepor:
adopted by the nate-yeas - nays -.
Congress remained in session more than
six months after this adverse action Of the
/ Senate, but no nominations of these offices
were sent in. Apparently the Adminlstra-
/ t!"n had accepted the verdict for the senate,
/ which WAS that sufficient reasons for the
removal Of Arthur and Cornell had not
been assigned, bat in reality the purpose
| Of The Administration was very different.
! Less than a month after Congress adjourned
/ Arthur and Cornell were removed and Mer-
nit and Burt were appointed
len days ago II was commonly said that
! tn. Senate would r, iect the nomination by
4 large majority: II was even very conf
! IDENTIFY asserted that the Administration
would rot get fifteen votes altogether, and
tins was probably true ut that time. But
when last Wednesday the executive session
! broke up without decision, some o! Nj
| cnnkling's frlcGis did not conceal their
/ disappointment and uncasiness, and since
that day the result has been considered
| doubtful by the well informed, and the
! delays since then have been accounted ftv-
| ofahe 10 the Administration. Is the event
| has shown them To have been. Nevrrthe-
/ less the Administrations $ victory has caused
! ! good deal Of surprise. even among its
! friends Mr.. Cnnkliug's uniform success
and the Administrator repeated failures
| combined to lead most people TO expect
General Merritt's rejection aud another TIL
umrh for Mr.. ConkIng.
When TIE nomination Of Mr.. Roosevelt
was rejected the Democratic Senators who
| then aided Nr. Conkling are known TO
have been rcprnached by their friends with
having made party blunder; but their
r'ply was that, the Administration being
/ Republican. II ought not to secure the con
lTnatlpn Of its nom nations solely bs Demo
cratic votes, and that the Democratic party
desired 40 such responsibility. IL was I'M
derstood when General Mcrritts uomina- .
ton WAS sent in that unless the Admins
rration could lind reasonable number Of
defenders on the Republican side the Demu-
Gratis would take no interest in the case,
but LEI IL go as the Republicans, led by Mr.
Cunkling. should d9sire. What is said and T.
done ia executive session is, Of course, alb /
| Solutely secret; but common rumor has il
that for a time the Administration Rrpub
leans who came forward To defend the noml
nation of General Merritt were few in mum
Der aud feeble in voice and that il was not
until the battle began To rage between Sec. F.
rotary Sherman and Senator Coukling that /
sides were vigorously taken.
touk!ing Republican said yesterday Z
that his chief committed fault when he .
attacked the Secretary of the Treasury dI-
rectly, aud that he would have done better. /
and alIena:ed i-wer Yates, had he attacked
only the President and the Administration .
policy. On the other hand, II is said that
g he Democratic dislike of Nj. sherman was
a drawback 10 the Administration, and
that if another person, less disiked. had .
been Secretary of the treasury, the votes /
to confirm would have been more easily |
secured. On Friday it was admitted that I
the Administration had ten Republican /
votes, with prospect of five OF SIX more. /
and the fact that Secretary Sherman was I
taking personal and very active interest .
IN the struggle gave rise TO a belief that he I
and the Administration would probably [
win. Mr.. Sherman has declared from the /
beginning the strongest belief that General .
Merritt would, IN the end. be confirmed.
To considerable extent the question /
among the DemocroiIc Senators WAS which .
"f the two possible conclusions would /
be most damaging to their opponents .
There arose, however. besides this before .
them the question whether the President,
being by the Constitution responsible. for .
his subordinatcs, ought not IL be allowed 4
to select these and To have his nominees
confirmed II they were men of good /
character. This consideration had great
influence over those Democratic Senators
who voted To confirm, while others were
driven Ia Mr.. Conkling' side by a strong
IndispositInn to be responsible for Republl-
can oificehold-rs, and desire To let the
Republic Senators decide such cases ind.
pendenrly of the Democrats. The success
Of last friday had SO encouraged the Ad.
minstration that tremendous efforts were
made TO secure tho triumph which then for
the first time seemed possible. Both Sec.
rrtarIes Evarts and Sherman have been
lndsiatigable ever since, and President
Hayes has lost no opportunity to let all ap-
plicants for office aud their hackers under
stand that there was but one way to his
favor, and that was To help beat Cnnkling.
There never has been 4 time within the
memory ui the oldest Senator when such
desperate efforts have been made by CabI.
uct tulctis III influence senators. Every
body agrees that there has never been As
large aud rs inpudent a lobby here at work
rs that which has been impnrtuning Sena-
tors night and day for 4 week past to vote
foT Confirmation.
All this was OF cOui ST. patent TO Mr. Conk-
ling nd he was an ious to have tie H. b. end
I'll ssteidiy. He said TO a brother Senator
yesterday morning that lie had seen aud
heard things within the las, twenty four
hours which astonshed him. lie saw that
his side of the chamber was going to pieces
The seductive offer OF place had been too
euticiug to some of the Senators who go
ou- of the Senate ON the fourth of March.
Cameron. of Wisconsin, it is alleged. is TO
have foreign mission. IL is even said
that he goes tn Rome. Oglesby lives in
hopes that he will be sent to Berlin There
are some changes, however ON the Republi-
can side, which cannot even be guessed At.
Mcmillan, 4 member OF the committee on
commerce, aud always staunch friend of
Conklines, voting with him in committee.
last night, to every body's surprise, voted
for confirmation. The vote of Cameron,
OF WISCONSIN, was equally surprise
Ferry, of Michigan, 1t Is supposed, was
fixed IN the trade by which ChrIstIancy ard
Zach Chandler both got out of his way.
Besides ihes. draw backs to Conk ling. the
their efforts TO help defeat Arthur. because
of his Iustrumentaliry III the defeat of Tam
many last Fall. The result is most i'm
portant in a political sens, As Conkling's
friends assert that il is the death of the
Republican party in the State of New York.
senator Couklng was represented last
night AS being completely broken down,
but this morning at the opening hour of
the Senate he appeared looking quite Is
fresh and undisturbed as though he had
won i victory, instead of having suffered
defeat The honor of victory Of the Ad
ministration is ascribcd Ia Secretary Sher-
man. and he is familiarly suloe;zed as a
bigger man than Grant
The first news Of the administration vie
tory was conveyed To the President by Mr.. .
Gustiu. o@e of his secretaries who .
heard this result at the door Of the Senate
Chamber and drove rapidly to the Executive /
Mansion. lie found the President sitting \
in the library reading and told him of tL. 1