The daily gazette., 1881-05-16
The presidents Modification I'm
Ths spoils-systsm.


There can be no QUESTION that In the
course tbe President 10 pursuing with re-
gard to the New York nominatlons be 10
acting, az his organs In the press have
frequently pointed out during The last
few weeks, strictly within. the sphere of
discretion assigned to him by the Con-
stitution. Il is, according to that instru.
meDt, bis right to nominate for Office
whom he pleases; nobody shares with
him in any degree the legal power of
nomination IL 10 only to the subsequent
appointment that "tLe advice and con-
sent Of the Senate are necessary. The
pi actice OF dividing the power and duty
of nomination with the Senators OF par
& cular States, or the still commoner
practice iatterly Of divesting himself Of
this power and duty altogether and
transferring them completely TO the Sem
alors Of particular States, was recog nized
in 1915 as very gloss abuse by the Re-
publican Convention which nominated
sir. Hayes. The fifth section Of the
true rule In the following terms:-
"Under the Constitution tho President
and heads of departments are 10 make
nominations tor Office the Senate Is to
advise and consent to appointments; and
the House Of Representative Is to &C
cuse and prosecute faithless officers. Tie
best interests OF the public service de-
mand that these distinctions be respec-
ed; that Senators and Representatives
who may be- judges and sccusers should
not dictate appointments to office. The
invarlAbIe rule for appointments should
rave reference to the honesty, fidelity,
and capacity Of appo.ntees, giving TO the
party in power those places where bar
mony and 'vigor OF administration re-
quire its policy to be represented, but
permitting all others to be filed by per
soDs selected with sole reference to eff
cheney of the public service, and tie
right Of citizens TO share In the honor Of
rendering faithful service to their coun-
try"
President Hayes adhered to this doc
trine In The dtfuf way IN which be adj
hered TO everything In the way Of re-
form-that 10, he made some Of the
nominations himself, and some be al
lowed the Senators To make. It was the
general belief, however, during his ad-
ministration that he was, on the whole,
making an effort to break up the usage
which the convention denounced, and TO
resume aud exercise the duty imposed
on him by the Constilu tion OF using his
own judgment In the selection of candi-
dates for Federal Offices.
1t was, too, undoubtedly the expecta-
ton ola that class of Republicans
knowh as Republicans known as "Inde-
pendents." without whose support GEN
eral Garfield would probably never have
reached the Presidency, that, owing to
his greater experience In political lite,
and the strong evils Of Congressional In.
reference With the patronage which he
had expressed in speeches aud articles
almost up TO the time Of his nomination,
he would resume the constitutional duty
Of selecting executive officers, refuse to
allow Senators to share 1t with him, and
perform 1t With more consistency and
filmness than Mr.. Hayes. His letter of
acceptance, however, was generally re-
ceivsd rs reputation of any such in
Lention and as confessional Of the Sem
atOrial claim TO share In the nomina-
lions, and was, therefore, q good deal of
q surprise both TO his friends and enc
mics all over the county. He said:--
"To select wisely from our vast popula-
ton those who are best fitted for the
many offices to be filed, requires an &C.
QnainLance fer beyond the range of any
Que man. The Executive should, there
lore, seek and receive the information
aud assistance of those whose knowl-
edge of the communities In which the
duties are to be performed best qualities
them to aid In making the wisest
choice" BY this General Garfield was
understood TO mean, and doubtless did
mean, that he would continue the old
practice of allowing Senators aud Rep
TO control the patronage Of
their respective States. There was not
a hint during the canvass or In his IN
augural address that he meant any thinp
else; aud his organ, Immediately before
OILS inauguration, evidently believed
That he meant to pursue the old course,
which the Cincinnati Convention had
condemned.
he did, however, depart from this
course when he resolved TO restore what
is called "harmony In the party" BY
not Only the claims OF the
New York Senator, but the claims of
those who are opposed to him. He
therefore nominated q Ger ain number
Of persons who were known or supposed
70 be Cenkling's men; and, having done
this, proceeded TO "recognize" the anti
Conklinites by nominating their leading
man for the Collectorship of this port
Now, the objection which Mr.. Coukling
makes to this 10, from the machine |
point ofview, IS 1t seems to us, unan
,werable. He says to the President -
you have acknowledged, both In vour
letter Of acceptance and 10 your private
conferences with mo, my right as Sepa-
or, under nay system, TO be consulted |
about the New York appointments
hat 10, to name to you the persons
whom wish to fill them. You have
never pretended that l was bound to sat-
lsfy you that they were the persons best |
qualified 70 fill them. What you sought
70 know about them was INV wishes
with regard 10 them. Now, YOU have in
.wo or three cases followed my wishes.
Or what you supposed to be nv wishes:
and II In the remaining cases you had /
thought simply Of what the theoriIts
,all the good Of the service, aud made
FOUR own choice on purely administra-
i've grounds, l do not know that should
nave had any good reason 70 complain,
,r that should have complained. Mer.
lit, who ID now In the New York Gus.
om House, Is not my man. did not L
ssk to have him put there, aud l don't
want him there C. him y, but II you
lad said that you were determined 10
|aAn him heCauaa he waa d0ino tha a.. |