, 1881-05-14
WASHINGTON.
THE COURTESY OF. THE SEE.
ATE COMING TO THE FRONT.

THE COURTESY OF. THE SEH-
ATE COMING TO THE FRONT.
What is called "the courtesy OF the
Senate means that no person nominated
to Office by the President in any State
shall be confirmed if the two Senators
from the State object to the confirmation.
1t was this unwritten rule which Mr..
Hayes struggled against. Gen. Grant
butted his head agains. it also, until he
discovered that the easiest way to get
along was To ask the advice # the two
Senators from a State IN which he de-
sired to make Nomination, because act
rng ON the advice OF these two h was
very apt to have the consent OF the Whole
Senate when the nomination Was sent IN
SOUTHERN SENATORS DISSATISFIED.
The power of the courtesy of the
Senate" is not unlikely to be felt also 10y
the present Administration A number
of the Southern Senators have complained
that their requests or recommendations
for importsnt federal officers IN their
States have been disregsrded 1t is said
ty one Of these Senators that, interesting
ss..se9 in the selection Of a proper per
son for United States Marshal in his
State, he MAS shown list Of eight or ten
,h hn fn h..
Marshal was to be selected, and he might
name that one whom he preferred. be
and his Colleague, looking over this list,
declared that there was not on II tit
name, In their Judgment, for 50 Impor-
ranr An office, and they departed from
headquarters dIsgusted and somewhat
alarmed, because, as they reported 10
fcilux Senators, the names Oh the list
were al those Of mere politicians, with
little character or ability outside OF
politics
ARRANGEMENT AMONG SENATOR'S
Not nnnaturally they cast about for
some way 10 prevent what they con-
sidered unsuitable NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
men,s, at any rate, displsasing to them
as Democrats. Report says, this evening,
that they discovered that other Southern
Democratic Senators we're equally dis
pleased with important nominations made
or proposed in their States, and that
general determination WAS arrived at
among them to appeal to the " courtesy
of the Senate 10 secure the rejection Of
such nominations "a both the Senators
from State should oppose. They came
to this conclusion as > necessary means,
they say, Of protecting thei: people
against disagreeable officers. Naturally IL
occurred to them th.t the tDO New Yorl
Senators would b, i,,cline6 to take their
vlew Of the importance Of the courtesy "f
the Senate and tbst probably other Re-
publican Senators would take the ssme
view, and 1t i, asserted on very good
authority this evening that they were nor
mistaken in their supposition. The re-
sult, AZ stated by SoErhern Democratic
Senator, 10 An Agroeaent between most
ef the Southern Democrats and a number
Of Northern Republicans In the Senate to
unite for the rejection OF every nomina-
ton which shall be objected to by the
two Senstors from the State in which the
officer is to serve, End thla alliance has
become strong enough, it is poativsl,
asserted, to insure the ejection Of every
Nomination So objected 10. In the ease
,f Virginia and louisiana, where the two
Senators are Of opposing politics, this
agreement will not hold
RoBERrsoN'S NOMINATION IN DANGER
If this report, which Comes fron. South
ern Senators, Is correct, as 1T probably Is,
it would seen that it viii insure the re-
lection among others OF Mr.. Robertson
to the Collectorship of New York, whose
confirmation has hitherto been considered
certain by the administration. 1t IS held
by Senator. who favor and are part OF this
combination that the President, while he
can nominate to eeice, can appoint only
by and with the aslvice Of the Senate, and
that the Senate may, If majority
oh. oses. reject nomination ON the Tt
quest Of the two Senators from the State
In which tho noIsinea ID to act, even
without reference to a committee or any
further question raised. They add that
the power over appointments given to the
Senate, in co-operation with the Presl-
dent, may be rightly referred to the two
Senalors from State, because they are
supposed to be most familiar with the
residents of their own States and with the
wishes of their people.
NOMINATIONS To BE AFFECTED.
Whenever it is definitely ssreed by
majority Of Senator. that the - courtesy
Of the Senate shall rule, the deadlock
will be broken and the Senate vii 90 To
executive business. That may be IN
few days. 1t 10 needless to sag that such
an agreement will affect considerable
number Of important nominations besides
that Of Mr. Robertson, and may affect
some part, Of the administration policy,
particularly in the Southern States,
where. it in generally understood, the
federal patronage VIZ to be used 10
encourage and support the independents
and to re organ - tie Southern wing OF
the Republican party on a neH and
broader basis. The Southern Senators
who are Dsmocrsts, and strongly opposed
10 the movement, have not concealed
their alarm at the power which judi.
eious Use Of the federal patronage would
have in breaking up the solid Democrat;
South. but they count upon being able to
defend themselves against patronage by
the courtesy ot the senate.