New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-08-08
PRICE FOUR CENTS.
AFFAIRS AT WASHINGTON.
CLEARING THE CALENDAR.

"hohL'rioN' huS' 6-IHc senate went into
executive session at o'clock this afternoon. and
remained with closed doors until o'clock, suffer
ing greatly from the heat but clearing it's erecu-
tive calendar in spite of it. The FIRST reached
was that Of Luby nominated for Surveyor Of the
port of Albany and upon it long discussion took
place
Senator Miller made a speech defining his posi-
ton, which has been sometimes misrepresented, in
relation to the appointments Of the President. Tma
| appointment he showed was made during term,
Mr.. Landers having until March 5. 1883 to servo
1t was thoroughly political appoint
ment made in the interest of tho
faction which managed the snap" eau
cuses of 1850, by means of which Grant
delegates were sent TO the Chicago
Convention. The appointment. he believed had
not been recommended by any Member Of Congress.
Senator Miller it is understood caused to be read
Thurow Weeds letter upon the Albany nomina-
tons which was published in The TRIBUNE at the
time and in which they were emphaticaly de-
nounced. He descrl bed the nomination of Luby as
the throwing down of the gauntlet to the whole
country. 1t warning to all ohiccholders-
even to those who held Offices for terms-that they
must be prepared to do the bidding of the Admins
tratIon, OF else to vacate their offices.
The Senator explained his own position with re-
gard to NewYork appointments with great explicit
ness. He had nothing whatever to do, he said with
the distribution of patronage in his State He made
no recommendations TO Office, except in sometimes
cOncurring with tho accommodation of Repro
sentative lie made no original recommendations
at all. and not responsible in any way for the
New-York appointments that had been made. Il
was not true that ho had been factional and was
fighting the Administration, as had been hinted in
the Senate aud elsewhere About 100 New-York
nominations had been made; nearly all OF them had
ID . fho Wbara thp 1f a
Garfield man had expired. Stawart was usually
put in his place, and where Stalwarts term had
expired he was usually renominated In dealing
with New-York nominations the President had
almost invariably violated the so-called rule which
allows the wishes of the Congressman to govern the
| appointment. whenever the Congressman did not
| belong to his faction. The rule the Senator had
followed in passing upon tho Presidents nomina-
| tions was this: Where a vacancy existed he had
asked only one question Is the man fit for the
place 7" Where the President had removed a man
during his term, he had opposed 1t unless there was
good and sufficient cause.
In the Penn Yam case he had opposed the removal
of the Postmaster because there no good cause
for it. So in this Albany appointment, which was
merely an exercise of arbitrary power. In the casa
of the Post Office at Weedsport, where there was
vacancy, he had opposed confirmation on personal
grounds and it rejected. With these excep-
tions the New-York nominations had been reported
by him and had gone through the Senate,
usually without division. All the Post-Olce NOM
nations were referred to HIM as the New-York men,
Der of the Post Office Committee and all ,the nom-
nations of Collectors and Surveyors of Customs and
Consuls we're referred to him in the Commerce Com
mittee etc; and he had not taken politics INTO
| sideration In dealing with any of them. He recog-
| nized the right of the President to make nomins-
tions and his own right to pass upon them. IL 10
was claimed that he was fighting the Administration,
he denied it. He had exercised his rights Senator
on one or two occasions, but il had been for good
reasons. Beyond that he had not gone, leaving tho
responsibility for the political cast of those appoint
ments with the President. He said that the Sena-
tors who are yielding implicit acqniescence in every
nomination sent to the Senate the worst enemies
the Republican party has.
IL Republican Senators had firmly resisted the
movals in Pennsyvani they would have prevented
the breach there. Peace and harmony could be re-
stored to the Republican party only by bringing
these arbitrary removals to an end He proposed
TO support the Administration In all its policies
which are Republican, both domestic and foreign;
but he held to the absolute right of a Senator to
cnticse its acts. The Albany case was test case.
If this man could be removed without cause, when
be has nine months to serve, Senators must expect
other and more important removals. The entire
mower of the Administration is to be used TO compel
the Republican party to indorse its acts Sena-
tor has constitutional prerogative duty
TO Judge of the fitness Of nomi-
nee The nomination may be made for some
State of which the President knows nothing and
the Senator knows everything; but under this
rule the Senator can do nothing. II he disregards
IL he is told that he is not in harmony" with the
Administration, and cannot expect any favors.
Senator Lapham briefly attempted to justify tho
tno, md fhaf anI-
Garfield had set the example by removing General
Merritt from the Collectorshp of New-York. Sena-
tors sherman and Window replied to this, defend-
inc the memory of General Garfield, and asserting
that the cases were by means parallel, inasmuch
as General Merritt had been appointed
to position in London with which no
was well contented. General Logan made
speech laying down with considerable
emphasis the general principle that the President
had the right to make removal when he chose to
do So with or without cause In the middle or at
the end of term. The nomination was confirmed
a. was to have been expected but by narrow
vote. large number of Senators being paired ano
absent
The next case taken up was the nomination OF
General Crane to be surgeon-General and more than
two bours WAS devoted it's consideration. General
Ioyan. chairman of the Committee on Military AZ
fairs. appeared as the chief opponent OF General
Cranes continuation, making a long and somewhat
bitter speech against him. He revived the old
stones of inefiicency in the SurgeonGeneraps Of
fee especially in the handling of pension cases and
in the clerical work upon The Medical and Sur
gical History of the War;" and produced the VIII
ten opinion expressed by General Crane when me- a.
Ceneral Logan asserted wanted to make
rscord ~ AN advanced Republican. to the effect that
the troops were withdrawn from the Southern States
,oo soon after the close of hostlos- Those States