Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1881-05-12

MR. MARAT HALSTEAD, or the Com
mercial, who has recently been in Wash
ington, in his paper of Monday, gives an
interesting article on the situation at
the Capital. He says that of course the
President was not pleased with the dead
lock in the Senate, and was gratiied
when it was broken The break precip-
itated crisis. The contention had re-
suited in an assertion of the principle
that senatorial courtesy" was superior
to the appointing power of the Prssi-
dent. The egotism of Senator COnk-
ling prevailed in the Senate and in the
caucuses of the Republican Senators un-
til things had got into such a shape
that the power of the New York Senator
seemed to be supreme. The President
was made an object of contempt and
commiseration, and he was regarded as
a man "who would not fight" The issue
was now presented whether the New
York nominations favorably regarded
by Mr.. Conkling should he confirmed,
and those not agreeable to him should
be passed over or rejected. Many of the
Senators believing that Mr.. Conkling
would prove stronger than the Presi-
dent, were disposed to side with the
strongest. The Senators had mistaken
the Presidents desire to cOnciliats as an
evidence of weakness. The arrogance
of Conkling also grew daily. When the
Vice President and Senator Platt called
on the President, and were informed by
him that he intended to withdraw all
the New York appointments, but that of
Judge Robertson, they could not believe
therwise than that he was joking. The
message of Withdrawal. however, ar
rived at the Senate Chamber very
promptly, aud proved that it was no
joke. As soon as the decisive action of
the Prefident was made known, the
Conkling men were suddenly Mortified
at this act of incredible hostility on the
part of the President. They seemed to
forget that they themselves had brought
on just this sort of contest, in their re-
fusal to listen to the Presidents peace
full propositions. Mr.. Halstead insists
that the President did the right thing at
the right time, and that il he had not
withdrawn the New York nominations
when he did, they would have been
rushed through the Senate utterly re.
gardless of the other nominations, and
the reign of the Bosses would have been
complete. The exact question now is
whether Robertson shall or shall not be
confirmed as Collector of New York. If
Senator COnkling and his followers can
defeat R6bertson's confirmation, let
them do it. While Conkling holds that
nomination in his Committee on Com
merce,the President will hold other New
York nominations in his portfolio. The
simplicity of the situation is one of its
charms. The fundamental trouble is
that Conkling assumes to be a superior
being in the control of public affairs.
President Garfield thought to conciliate
all factions of the Republican party and
to make the party united and powerful.
Ccnkling never once was willing to
meet the President on common ground.
AS to the position of Senator Sher-
man, Mr.. Halstead says that it is not
secret that the former regards the nOmi-
nation of Robertson as a mistake, and
that while Mr.. Sherman will vote for
confirmation, yet he is not the active
and urgent champion of the Administra-
tion. in this particular case. Tire re-
moval of Merritt, the present Collector,
two years before the expiration Of his
term, was not pleasing to Mr.. Sherman,
even if General Merritt was appointed
to better position. 1t is understood
that the appointment of Robertson was
one that represented the wishes of Mr..
Blaine, and he desired to keep the future
control of the Custom House out of the
hands of Conkling. Mr.. Sherman does
not think it was wisdom to make any
change in that place at this time. On
the other hand, it is fair to say that
while the President is little disappoint-
ed in not securing the entire sympathy
and cooperation of Mr.. Sherman, yet
there is friendiness between them, and
they will work together in the future.