The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1881-05-24

peremptory stspe d waj iMmediaaeiy stated. a
If hy ansbority and seemed 10 be admitted. that
the purpose Waa - coexcs eea4tou 10 vote
- they would rot vote II len free ffom
SensioFs toucAing nattsD cemmitted BY tAs
Constituiisa 10 The Senate exclusively II had
been suggested In additioi THAI by recalling sheae
nominaiioB and holdiag then h hin own hands
the President msSht in The event Of the failure
Of another nomination ne them 10 compensate
public trusts aFe 70 - oP Wot,lA n any evsni -
made personal perquisitns b be handed and
disposed, not only 70 penish lindependsnce ef
senatorial votes o. actioA hna 20 hauidaae peR-
sonal obligations sf 4nY individual, however
high in station. the condifione are equally vicious
pei Representatives q States . hisg dowu their
oath and report for duty1s ths fooi-stool af Ex-
ecutive power. Following this strict and sweep
ing Executive oct came: ouJino1s Gvuwah that
dinsent or mfiure 70 e0n1tent would be he'd an
act Of ofence. expasinG aal asnaasss fssu What
end ourselves coufrsnted hy the question whether
We shall surrsader the plASn night and sworn
duty OF Senators BY ceuienting to what We BE-
lieve to be vicious and kurtful, or be assigned
the position Of disloyalty 70 an AdministrStiou
which We helped to bring IN and the success Of
which we earnestly wished for. Every reason
and motive which can enter into the case We
know. No theory adopted by any party requires
such submission - 10 now sxacted. Although
party service may be fairly considered in MAKING
selections Of public officers. It can hardly Be
maintained that the 6snile IL bound 10 remove
without cause incumbents merely % make places
for these whom any individual, even the Presi-
dent or member Of the: Cabinet, wishes to re-
pay for being recreant to Others OF servceabls To
him Only about two years. ago the Senate ad-
vised that Gen. Merritt ba appointed collector 1t
New York. II Is understood that among the
Senators who so advised was Mr. Windom. now
Secretary OF the Treasury and head of the de-
partment whose subordinate Gen Merritt ia
Another Senator known TO have given this ad-
vice was Mr. Kirkwood, now Secretary Of the
Interior. II is said that Ike the Postmaster
General from our own State, these Cabinet OH
GERS were not taken into CONSULTATION touching
the removal Of Gen Merritt. but their sworn and
ofdcial action as Sesatols ID none the lea in
structive. That the SECRETARY Of the Treasury
OF the late administration up to its expiration,
less than ten weeks ago approved Gen Merritt
as an officer, is well known. II 10 now here sug-
gested that citizens had petitioned for his re-
moval, or that any Official delinquency on his
part . the reason ef II In place Of An expert
enced officer in the miast OF hs term, fixed BY
law, it is proposed to pH D man who has no
training for the position, andwho cannot be said
to have any special 6EneE1 for ifs Official dutiea
In the inaugural Of President Garfield, deliv-
cred on March 4, stand these words: The
~ basis until it is regulated by the Law for the
COED of the service itself, for the protection Of
those who are interested with the appointing
power against waste of time and obstruction to
public business, caused tg tnerdinale pressure
for place, and Of Incumbelts against intrigue and
wrong / shall at the proper time ask Congress
to fix the term Of minor esices of the severS ex-
ecutive departments, and prescribe the grounds
upon which incumbents shall be appointed"
How good the distinction which makes major
Offices prey 10 "intrig le = and wrong and
shields minor officials ir0Ga like havoc, and
whether the collectsrship Of the country should
belong to the exposed or. to the protected class
need not be decided here, Assuming Gen. Mer-
riti to be an officer Of average fitness and honesty
il might hs rsasonAbly @fKued that all Senators
should with alacrity advise bis displacement by
a man Of obvions superiority. Possibly it might
be said that all should sdVise the selection in
Gen. Merritfs place Of man who without su-
perior fitness had rendered bis country or even
his party conspicuous and exalted service The
case in hand does not belong to either of
those two classes. The vocation of Mr. Robert
son and bis legislative and professional expert
ences and surroundings d not denote SUPERIOR
~ in the qualities, the kHSwledge, the business
habits and the familiarity. with the revenue laws
and system Of the United States which might
make him more competent than Gen. Merritt to
collect the vast revenues and administer the vast
business pertaining to tie port Of New York
exception TO the rules OF right and consistency
on which the Constitution and laws have placed
the public service. We know Of no personal or
Political service rendered by EE. Robertson 30
tr2nscendent that the collecfprship Of New York
should be taken in the midst Of term and given
to him as q recompense.
Mr. Robertson d repeTled BY the New YeTk
Tribune to have declarea that his nomination
was . reward "a reward fer his action a.
delegate TO the National Convention II Mr.
Robertson in his action was influenced by q
sense OF duty, If ne vote.l aad acted his honest
conviciisns, it Is difhcnlk 70 see what claim he
has for any reward, net 70 speak of 80 great .
reward The action Of which an estimate is
thus invited. d surmised to be this: Robertson
and sixty-nine other men accepted from State
Convention certain ursk They sought and
accepted the position Of agents or delegates to
the National Conventior. Ths State Couven-
ton declared aPiai1ly stassd Judgment and policy
commissioned To this declaration all selected
delegates gave implied con8ent, bat several Of
them IN addition made . mest specific personal
pledge and engagement to exert themselves in
good faith throughout tci secure the nomination
Of Gen Grant. They made this pledge as q
delegates and they did, "a We both personally
knew, obtain their seats IN the National Conven-
ton upon the faith Of their personal statements
Of their eamestness end nAeliiy The oblieafions
thus assumed were understood to involve intng-
rity, - tha obligation Of one who receives he
proxy Of stockhelder in . cooperation on the
pledge and promise 70 vote q his principal
would vote. Whether Mr. RDbertson was or
was not himself bsund mol only hy honor and
implication, but by expressly giving his word,
becomes quite immaterial In view Of the claims
made for him. Il b insisted that be Organized
was the leader Of the VOTE" That d to say that
he invited nefsraade6 IN luced ofherz whona h.