Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1881-05-11
SPIRIT OF THE AGE,
Wednesday, May II, 1881
Prom our regular correspondent
WASHINGTON LETTER,

Tie deadlock, senator Dawes, WHO Ipi
nearly two months, ~ the organ Of TIE
Republican caucus, has been able 10 pre-
vent the transaction Of public business
on Wednesday hung out the signal oI
distress which everybody knew MAS
coming aud which public opinion had
made necessary, Amer deal OF mouth
lug and moaning, growing aud gFoanlng
over the action OF the Democrats, 10
made motion 10 20 into executive
'session-lhe sans motion that had been
made no the Democratic side without
number, For two months the Senate has
stood Ia waiting, because Mf, Dawes ana
his party associates wanted
40 change the man who tends the door'
10 change the serubbers Of the hoor
The weAch who cleans the euspidor,"
That ID the whole OF Il, aud II the secrets
Of the Republican caucus could be reveal
cd, II would DO known how keenly some
Senators on that side feel the shame OF
their position, and how emphatic have
been the expressions that caused halt
Mr. Dawes undertook to say TO the
Democrats that his motion must be taken
~ u surrender or breakdown, but 10 kaew
that this little Bit Of brayado amounted
10 nothing, aud that the struggle over
tho Offices can not DO continued, The
chances Of Gorham and Rlddlebnrger'
now or hereafter, are worth very lltlle'
President Garfield In letter 10 the chair
man Of the Republican caucus put HIM
self on record ~ not particularly anxious
10 see u struggle continued the only
object Of which was TO elect TO office a
man who In his newspaper daily abuses
him and his administration. This Is
what Gorham, IN his defense OF brady
and partlsanshIp for Conklipg, has been
doing.
And now the interest centres In Conk'
ing's contest for control Of the New YORK
appointments. lie has succeeded In hav'
Ing his plan adopted by the caucus, that
no nomination shall be acted upon at
present which Is objected by one Senator
from the State In which the officer Is
located. In this way he may stavo off
action until the other nominations are
disposed of and then secure an adjourn
inent, thus postponing the Issue until the
next regular session.. but unless he has
Democratic support II Is very doubtful II
he can ever do that. This thing called
senatorial courtesy, Of which We hear
so much, Is all very well so fur as II re-
lates to the amenities Of the chamber, hut
the sort of courtesy that enables Senators
TO usurp and control the power ofappoint
ments of olilcc-thc constitutional prerog-
alive of the Execut ive--ls carrying II.
good thing long ways too far. The
history of this system of cncroachment Is
soon told. 1t began In the days OF
Andrew Johnson, when the Senate took
lead in originating measures trench'ng
upon the ba rrics Of the Constitution, and
aided by the bitter partisan feeling per-
yading the country, that body went on
step by step until the Executive was
shorn of every vcstage of power-unable
to appoint postmaster or discharge a
worthless official without permission OF
the Senators interested.
OF the senatorial cabal which then
dominated at the White House and the
Capital, Senators Conkling and Edmunds
were among the most prominent. When
Gen. Grant came into power, the sena-
torial cabal, although he was the Presl'
dent of their own choice, refused TO
remove the hedge (thc tenure-of-oflice
law with which they had environed his
predecessor. Gen. Grant never cared
to make any fuss about it, Tor all he had
at heart was to stow away in comfortable
places few of his cronies. The cabal
made no objections to this, for in return
Gen. Grant turned over to them practical
" the control of their local Offices For
eight years no man could hope to attain
Federal positions In New York unless he
was friend or retainer of Mr.. Conkling.
So with respect to Senator Chandler In
Michigan, Senator Edmunds in his Sec
ton, Simon Cameron in Pennsylvania,
and others who might be named in their
States. When Mr.. Hayes came into
office he did not exactly appreciate the
condition IN which he found affairs. He
commenced to send in nominations with
out first obtaining the permission Of the
senatorial capital They had usurped
for so long the powers Of the President
that they had come to the conclusion they
had the inherent right to do so. They
were astonpded and indignant at the pre-
sumption of Mr.. Hayes, and it was deter
mined that he must be brought to terms
through the defeat of his nominations.
The war ragged against President Hayes
ON this account by Mr. Conkling and his
colleagues of the cabal during the whole
period Of his administration is too recent
to need any detailed rehearsing. But
the weak point in Mr. Hayes position
was his own vascillating course, and the
lack Of respect generality entertained for
his title to the office. This last crippled
him at every turn, and was of itself
enough to break him down.
And now President Garfield enters the
arena possessed Of determination to exer-
else little free agency-to be President in
fact as we'll as in name. The advantages
are oil on his side. He is legitimate
President and has the hearts of the
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