Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1881-05-20

The legislature of New York elected Mr..
Conkling to represent the state in the United
States Senate for term of six years which
would expire March 8, 1885, and Mr.. Plat
for term which would expire March 3, 1887.
On Monday both of these senator's resigned,
and in a joint letter to Gov. Cornell set forth
the reasons for their action Immediately on
receipt of the intelligence the friends of the
senators, in and out of the legislature, organ
lied for and demanded their reelection.
But why should they be re-electedP If they
desired longer to serve their state and the
country in the senate, their terms of four and
six years were before them, and if the legisla-
ture should take them at their word accept
their resignation as conclusive evidence that
they do not desire longer service, and elect
new men to fill their places, the country
would applaud its action. If these senators
resigned without cause, they are unworthy of
reelection. 1t they had sufficient cause for
this remarkable step, that cause would still
exist on their return to the senate. Both
these gentlemen evidently desire and expect
a reelection as a vindication by the legisla-
ture of their recent conduct in the senate, of
their warfare upon the President and his ad-
ministration, and, as a direction from that
body to continue the contest until the Presi-
dent yields to their dictation.
While the New York assembly is deliberat-
ing upon this grave question, the people of
the whole country are naturally enquiring
what all this fuss is about, and are well enough
satisfied to take the statement of the senators
themselves They charge that the Presi-
dent, without their knowledge or consent
and in violation of promise made by him to
them, removed Collector Merritt from the
Custom House in New York and appointed
Mr.. Robertson in his stead and that, after a
written remonstrance, signed by them and
the Vice President and Postmaster General
James against the proposed change, had been
presented to him, the President refused to
withdraw the nomination. They further
charge that the President afterwards withdrew
his five nominations for district attorneys and
marshals as menace that no friends of Mr..
Oonkling should be appointed to Office until
Robertson was confirmed
If these allegations were literally true, they
would prove that the President has neither
acted in good faith nor wisely but they
could furnish no justification for the senators
of a great state surrendering their trust and
even temporarily handing over the control of
the senate to the opposing political party. If
Nv. Conkling was in the right he should
have remained in his place and valiantly
fought the battle through, and abided the re-
suit instead of fighting and running away"
SO as to Give to fight another day" If he
was right, he was already thrice-armed and
needed not to go back to his state for reas-
suranoe.
But the joint letter does not state all the
facts. 1t omits TO state that Mr. Conkling
himself greatly desired Merritts removal, but
that his place might be filled with man af-
ter his own heart. 1t withholds the impor-
tant fact that when the senate had for six
weeks failed to act on the Robertson nomin-
alton, Mr.. Oonkling cajoled and drove the
Republican senators into the adoption of a
rule that, in case a single senator objected to
Presidential appointment made in his state,
therefore that nomination should be rejected
or postponed, so that that the President was
compelled to withdraw the five appointments
in sell. defense.
While it is not plain why the President
should have removed Collector Merritt, who
was competent officer, in the middle of his
term, and while the reason is not apparent
for the appointment of Judge Robertson in
the unceremonious manner in which it was
made, we are bound to believe he had some
reasons of his own for his course. At all
events, if his election was, in the judgment
of the senate, unjust or unwise, it had only
to consider the case and reject the nomina-
ton. Mr.. Conkling is incorrect in his asser-
ton that the President tried to compel the
senate to ratify his nomination. He tried to
compel it to consider the case and decide it
one way or the other instead of postponing it
indefinitely as Mr.. Oonkling desired, and in
this he has succeeded.
The President is human, and therefore liza