Litchfield enquirer., 1881-05-12
The Old Story


 From that time forward, for four years, there
 was war between Senator Conk ling and the
 Hayes administration. The Republican ma chine of New York fought Conkling's battles;
 and made Cornell, ore of the Custom House
 officers removed by Mir. Hayes, Governor.
 The Republicans at the Chicago National Con- I vention yielded to him the nomination of Mr. Arthur as Vice President Though Mir. 1 Conklng has lost the confidence of the better l men of his party by his tyrsnnical selishness, ] he hasretaned firm control of the Republican l machine of his own State. and has made himself the prominent champion of the spells system in rational politics. He says to the Reform element of his own State, in effect, Whatever you may say. propose to pay off my friends with government offices for their loyalty to me- always have done it. I always shall do it. Now what are you going to do about ?". .-s. .e9s. sE f.n .<'
 Such was Mir. Conkling's attitude in Hayes time, and we cannot deny that he has been encouraged to maintain that attitude not only the Republicans of his State. but by the Republicans of the nation. Now comes an- other scene. Garfield succeeds Hayes. He proceeds to nominate such men as he chooses to positions in the State of New York. He does not do this under any pretence of civil service reform he simply exercises his con- stitutional right of making such changes as he sees fit in the civil service without assign ing any reason therefor. MT. Conkling takes issue with him on the question of right. By the unwritten law of the Senate, notwithstand. ing the written law of the Constitution, says MT. Conkling, no Republican president can make any nomination for office in any State that is not satisfactory to the Republican Sen- ator or Senators from that State. This un- written law is commonly spoken of as the "courtesy of the Senate" In other words Senators have arrogated to themselves control of most of the nominations to be made by the president. in addition to their. constitutional right of confirmation or rejection.
 Just as in Eugland, the constitutional right of refusing money to carry on the govern ment has by the natural growth of parliament arv privilege finally placed the whole execu. tive power ln hands of the Commons so, in America, the Senate is trying to so stretch it's constitutional right of rejecting presidential appointments, as to gather into it's hands not only the power of rejecting but the power of making most of those appointments. For four years, the Senate, under the lead of MT. Conkling, has been quarreling with the presi- dent for control of the offices; and now the present question is simply whether the Sen ate stands ready to back Mir. Conkling in an- other four years struggle in order to wrest from the president a power which the Con- stitution has plainly given him. Bear in remembrance that the question raised by Mir. Conkling is not whether the appointment of MT. Robertson is fit one, but whether the president had right to make any appoint ment for New York office without consult ing one or the other of the New York Sena. tors. On this issue we side unhesitatingly with the President and against the Senatorial assumption of power upon which MT. Conk- ling relies.
 The whole question of patronage is one, however, that cannot be settled too soon by the utter abolition of the spells system. Here is the Republican party in the agony of re- newed internal strife over thls fertile source of dissension. Is it not evident even to the politician that the spells system must be eventually destructive of any party in power? Can anything be more ridiculous than the s,,x x,b; nh fho finds itself? All last fall it was claiming to be the exponent of great and worthy prlnci- ples and asking the confidence of the people that it might carry those principles into effect canism granted another lease of power, than the old squabble for the loaves and fishes re- commences. For two months the Senate has been wasting it's time over the appointment of clerk and a sergeant at arms That was a row in which Democrats took as prominent part as Republicans, and of which they share the discredt. Now, however, comes con- test in which Democrats have no share, but which is waged by Republicans alone. If the Senators had any conception of the disgust of the people with their siskening scrambles and squabbles for what Mr. Carlyle would call ''hogwash," they would bend some of their energies to the framing of such measures as would forever remove this scandal from before the eyes of the people
 The Republican Senatorial caucus at Wash ington finally voted to go into executive ses- sion. Uncontested nominations were first to be disposed of, and then it was suspected that the Conkling faction would be ready for an adjournment. The result of the arrangement would apparently have been that all the New York appointments favorable to Conkling would be confirmed, while those to which he objected would probably go over to December. On Friday, therefore. the President withdrew all his New York appointments except that of Robertson for Collector. This action shows g determination to accept MT. Conkling's offer of battle; and, now that open war has begun, to infict all the injury on his adversary he can. The Republican press is divided on the wisdom of the move, some considering it be. heath the dignity of a president to engage Tn such controversies, others fully justifying his action.
 The May Festival held in New York, last week, was evidently great success financially as we'll as musically. Immense and enthusi astic audiences were in attendance throughout, and on Friday evening" Messiah" night fhoro cosl fDk kovx boo, l.. Al. 900 people present in the Armory. Of the merit of the performance different opinions are given, through the cnrrent of criticism is favorable We judge that the older, slower, more massive musical style, like that of Han del, is better adapted to tLe enormous weight of such chorus and orchestra than the lighter, swifter, more varied music of modern com.