Sacramento daily record-union., 1882-05-12
THE BOSTON CoLLEcroRsHIp.

1t is very strange how circumstances
alter cases. The executive session Of the
United States Senate on Tuesday was
wholly occupied by a discussion of the
nomination of Worthington as Collector OF
Customs at Boston. Tne remarkable fact
about this discussion was that all the Mas
sachusetts Senators were strongly and most
emphatically opposed to the nomination.
Now We have never, as our readers very
well know, held to the doctrine that the
Senators and Representatives of any
State ought to control its patronage. On
the contrary, we have always contended
that the Executive had perfect right,
under the Constitution to make Fede.
raj appointments upon his individ-
ual judgment, and that the doctrine OF
Senatorial control was unconstitutional
But We control forget that a year ago
Mess1s. Conkling and Pratt resigned their
places in the Senate because President
Garfield had undertaken to appoint Col.
lector OF New York without consulting
them and that the gentleman who now
occupies the Executive office, at that time
Vice. President, went to Albany to help his
friend Conkling in his strenuous efforts
to obtain vindication" from the Legis.
lature. The curiosity of the case con.
sists in the obvious fact that President
Arthur to-day occupies exactly the same
position in regard to the Boston Collector
ship which President Garfield held year
ago in relation to the New York Collector.
ship. We do not know how the "Stal-
warts explain this remarkable revolution
in the Presidents views, but it would be
interesting to know how Mr.. Conkling
regards the attitude Of Messrs. Dawes,
Hoar, Williams, and George, and especially
whether he considers that the President
is within his rights in nominating Mr..
Worthington against the opposition of the
Massachusetts, Senators and Representa-
tives. 1t is true that there is another
element in this case, which separates it from
the Robertson case. Worthington, the
man who has been nominated, is the pub.
Usher of paper which for many years has
been a most violent opponent of reform
in the civil service, and an equally
violent upholder of machine politicg
In short he is to the "machine !"
politician class what the late NJ.
Venillant vas to the Roman Catholics
generally; an Ultramontane, that is to
say, of the most pronounced variety
The selection of such a man for such posi-
tion therefore may seem to warrant the
objection of the Massachusetts Senators
and Representatives, to the effect that
g he would be likely to use the patronage
of the Custom House for merely partisan
purposes. Ii they said that he would
be certain to do this, probably they would
not be amenable to the charge of exag
geration, under the circumstances. What
the qualifications OF the nominee are sup
posed to be by the President, beyond his
extravagant fondness for corrupt methods
of government, has not appeared. The
present indications are that the Senate will
confirm the nomination, however, thus
creating fresh precedent for the breaking
down of the doctrine of Congressional con-
troll of the patronage. As to what the
moral of the affair may be, we leave
that to be discovered by our readers.