National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-03-29

The Attorney-Generals Resignation.
Stalwart Republicans in the city were
cheered last evening by~a rumor that the
Attorney-General had rendered his resig-
nation. There was some depression
among them afterward over the rumor
that the President hesitated to- "quaff
this, kind nepenthe," and thereby to for
get the error into which he had originally
fallen by calling Mr.. MacVeagh into his
Cabinet.
Mr.. MacVeagh is said to be unhappy
because the President has, in his passion
for surprises, sent in the name of Mr..
Chandler as Solicitor-General without
previous consultation with his Attorney
General. 1t was somewhat novel pro-
ceeding, but We may reasonably conjec-
ture that his failure to confer with the
head of the Department was be-
cause he knew, as in another very
recent case where a conference was
omitted, that his wish would not
be concurred in. Mr.. MacVeagh was
equally unhappy over the appointment
of Mr.. Jones, of Illinois, as United States
marshal, after that gentleman had
frankly told him, in reply to questions,
that, Yes, he would, if marshal. take part
in conventions and Republican cam
paigns," and that: Yes, he did know that
his interrogation was ciyil-service re-
former, but that he (Jones) was not, and
did not intend to join that fraternity"
1t is because of these and other cases
of unpleasant ignoring of his wishes that
this member of what Mr.. Whitelaw Reid
calls the extreme or nincompoop wing
of civil-service reform theorists" has ten
dered his resignation. We sympathize
with the President in his reluctance to
have a break in his Cabinet during the
first month of his administration, but we
have fact for him which may aid him
in a determination of the question.
On Sunday, the Goth instant, a Southern
member of Congress-elect, to whose de-
feated opponent Bourbon Governor has
of course given certificate, called upon
the writer of this and asked his good
offices with the President to have him
understand who he (the Congressman
was and who were the true Republicans
then i'll the city from his State, to the end
that great wrong might be prevented.
Said our friend land no truer man lives
on the continent), ave had recon-
mended man for appointment as United
States district attorney in our State, and
yesterday we called at the Department of
Justice to learn of the prospect of the ap-
pointment being made. The chief clerk
informed US that, by order of the At
torney-General, he had addressed letters
to the Bourbon Senators from our State
to inquire whether the person they had
recommended would be acceptable to
those Senator'S"
We submit to the President that the
superhuman exertions made for his cleo
ton were not intended to place in the
hands of Senators manufactured by bull
dozers and ballot-box suffers the choice
of district attorneys to prosecute their
pals, nor of marshals to serve venires for
juries or subpenas for witnesses. The
IlcpuDllCluS Vi LllC NdtlDH Idfe d IISilb
to expect that this very fastidious Attor-
ney-General shall make way for a Stall
wart Republican, who viii not be afraid
to offend Bourbons by maintaining
the majesty of the law, and who
will not allow its ministers to- be
chosen by the very law-breakers
whose career the American people in
tended, by their votes in November, to
check. And since Mr.. MacVeagh cannot
abide William E. Chandler for Solicitor
General, we hope the President will ac-
cept the resignation of the former and
put the latter in his place.
The President is under orders of the
people to execute the laws, and the in
cident we have mentioned shows that he
has not chosen as the chief law officer of
the Government man who is reliably on
the side of the Government in it's conflict
with the breakers of the law. Let him go ]