The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-05-26

were not presented by us. We have not
attempted TO dictate nor have We asked
the nomination Of one person TO any
offico in the State Indeed with the sole
exception Of the written request set forth
above we have never expressed an npin.
ion to the Presiden. in any case unless
questioned in regard to it.
Some days ago the President abruptly
withdrew in one and the same act the
names of General Woodford and SIr.
Tenny the two Marshals. This ucprece-
donted proceedings, whether permissible
by law or not, was gravely significant.
The President had nominated these off.
Gers after they had been weighed in tho
balance. Their official records were
before him ard had been fully scruti-
nized and approved. 1t must be pre-.
sumed that be thought the nominations
fit to be made and that it was his duty
to make .hem. There ia no allegation
that he discovered unftness in them
afterwards. 1t could hardly be that he
had discovered untitness in all of them
alike. What then was the meaning and
purpose Of this percmptory step? 1t
was Immediately stated, as if by au.
thority and seems TO be admitted, that
the purpose was 10 coerce Senators to
vote us they would not vote if left free
from executive interference with the de-
signs of Senator'S touching matters COM
mitted by the Constitution to the Senate
exclusively. 1t had been suggested in
addition that by recalling those nomina-
tions and holding them in his own hands
the President might, in the event of the
failure of another nomination, use them
to compensate that failure. If it can be
supposed that al! these public trusts are
to be or would in any event be made per-
sonal perquisies, to be handled and dis
posed not ONLY to punish independence Of
Senatorial votes or action, but to liqu;-
date personal obligations ofany individual
however high in station, the conditions
are equally vicious and degrading, and
their acceptance would compel represen-
tative of States to fling down their oath
and report for duty at the footstool of
executive power. Following this
strict and sweeping executive act
came ominous avowas that dissent
or failure to consent would be held
an act of ofiense, exposing all Senators
from whatever State to executive dis
pleasure. THIS we find ourselves con-
fronted by the question whether we shall
surrender 10 the plain right and sworn
duty of Senator's by consenting to what
We believe to be vicious and burLful, or
be assigned the position of disloyalty to
an administration which We helped to
bring in. and the success of which we
earnestly wished for. Every reason and
motive which can enter into the case we
know. No theory adopted by any party
exacted. Although party service may
be fairly considered in making selections
Of public Offices, it can hardly be main
tanned that the Senate is bound to
remove without cause incumbents merely
to make places for those whom any indi-
vidual, even the President or member
of his Cabinet, wishes to repay for being
recreant to others or serviceable to him.
Only about two years ago the Senate
advised that General Merritt be app pointed
Collector at New York. II is understood
that among the Senators who SO avised
was Mr.. Window, now Secretary of the
Treasury and head of the department
whose subordinate General Merritt is
Another Senator known to have ;ven
this advice was Mr.. Kirkwood, now Sec
retary of the Interior. It is said that,
like the Postmaster General, from our
own State, these Cabinet officers were not
taken into consultation touching the
removal of General Merritt but their
sworn and official actions as Senators is
none the less instructive. That the
Secretary of the Treasury Of the late
administration, up to its expiration, less
than the ten weeks ago, approved Gene
raj Merritt as an officer, is we'll known.
1t is nowhere suggested that citizens had
petitioned for his removal, or that any
official delinquency on his part is the
reason oft. In place Of an experienced
officer in the midst Of his term, fixed
by law, it is proposed to put a
man who has no training for the position,
and who cannot be said to have any
special fitness for its official duties.
In the inaugural of President Garfield,
delivered on March 4, stand these words !:
"The civil service can never be placed
on satisfactory basis until it is regula-
ted by the law for the good Of the service
itself, for the protection of those who are
interested with the appointing power
against waste of time aud obstruction to
public business, caused by inordinete
pressure for place, and of incumbents
against intrigue and wrong. shall, at
the proper time, ask Congress to fix the
term of minor Offices of the several ex.
ecutive departments, and prescribe the
grounds upon which incumbents shall be
appointed" How good the distinction
which makes major Offices n prey to
intrigue" and wrong aud shields minor
! officials from like havoc, and whether
the collectorship Of the country should
belong to the exposed or to the protected
class need not be decided her. Assum-
ing General Merritt to be an officer of
average fitness and honesty it might he
reasonably argued that all Senators
should with alacrity advise his displace-
ment by a man OF obvious superiority.
Probably 1t might be- said that all should
advise the selection in General Merritt's
place of man who without superior
fitness had rendered his country or even
his party conspicuous and exalted ser
vice. The case in hand does not belong
to either of those two classes. The vOca.
ton of Mr. Robertson and his iegisla-
tive and professional experiences and
surroundings do not denote superiority
in the qualli.es, the knowledge, the bust
ness habits and the familiarity with the
revenue laws and system of the United
States which might make him more COM
petent than General Merritt to collect the
vast revenues and administer the vast
business pertaiaing to the port OF New
York. Certainly he cannot in this re-
spect be held an exception to the rules
of right and consistency on which the
constitution and Laws have placed the
public service. We know Of no personal
or Dnlitical sarvica renderad hy Mr. Roh.