The daily gazette. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1874-1883, 1882-02-01
WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY i. Iss2.
TAG AppoINTTNe Powyp m

system Of Presidential appointments
70 Office that it is difficult to foresee
what the future may bring forth in
order TO escape from the present sup
posed ills growing out of appoint
ments, in view of their increase, and
the greater hostility that must be
engendsred every four years after the
election of President of the United
States. We are at a loss to know
what 10 best to be done to avoid the
present evil, for such it is, and the
killing OF President Garfield is one
Of the results, as is generally con-
coded, of the system. It may be and
doubtless is DESTROYS by some men who
succeed to the Presidential office to
be able to appoint their friends to
lucrative and honorable positions /;
and this desire might be gratified by
leaving in the hands of the Execu-
tive few positions to fill. But the
head Of the government should be
rid of the vast number of appoint
ments that now cause trouble in every
part Of the country and which to a
terribly damaging extent affects the
legislation of The country through the
necessity Of nominations having to be
confirmed by the Senate. This has
been shown up completely By the
quarrel of ex-senator Conkling with
the Cabinet of the late President, ANA
the rami6eation of that quarrel
throughout the country. The Presi-
dent had an undoubted right to nomi-
nate and send to the Senate the name
of his friend in the Siats Of New
York for the office of Collector Of that
port and Mr.. Conkling as Senator
from New York had an undoubted
right to vote for or against the Bomi-
nation-but he demanded more-he
demanded, as courtesy due to him
as Senator, the President should with
draw the mama of Mr.. Robertson,
which he had sent in, and send in a
name which would be pleasing to
himself-in fact that the President
should nominate man of the Conk-
ling faction hostile to himself and
to force the President to do this he
went systematically to work to COM
bine the Senators to defeat the aim Of
the President. To accomplish this he
appealed to Senators to stand by their
rights in the Senate, and reject all
nominations that were not of their
liking not their friends in their
States. He claimed that it was a courte-
sy that the President owed the Senate
that he should nominate only the men
they desired for office in their several
States. We need not tell our readers
that Mr.. Conkling carried the great
body of the Senate with him in this
matter-they know that he debut
that his unpopularity with Senators
not of his party rendered it impossi-
Bile 20 defeat the aim Of the President,
and hence he resigned in order to
carry the question before his own
State, where he thought he was su.
preme. But the people are ayerse to
!, Mr.. Conkling's assumption-they do |
not think that a man aust be the |
tool Of a Senator in order 10 become |
an officer of the government, and the
New York Legislature, therefore, re-
fused to re-elect Mr.. Conkhng. If
the present system results in such |
difficulties now, what will be the |
effect of it generation hence ?
Judge Geddes, of Ohio, introduced |
into Congress on Monday week, a
joint resolution to change the Con-
stitution and vest the appointing
power in a commission of three, com
posed of two commissioners appointed
by the President with the advice or
the Senate, and the head of the de-
partment to which appointments be-
long. The term of these commission
ers to be for six years. This would
hardly remedy the evil if it could be
passed with a three fourths vote,
but it shows the desire to get rid of the
appointing power difficulty. A more
radical mode Is proposed by large
number of peOple who favor the elao-
lion of United States officers, and have
them commissioned by the heads of
departments, as in the case with our
county Sheriffs, who are all commits.
stoned by the Governor after their
election by the people. We confess
that it would be something novel to
witness an election in all the towns
and villages for Postmasters, Collec-
tors of the Port, Marshals, &C., but
there are numerous advocates for such
a change nevertheless. We have pro.
crossed for over hundred years very
well under the old system, and with
some slight variation could no doubt
get along very we'll for another CEN
tury, if the salaries were greatly re-
duced and the number Of officers re.
dnced slso to enough to do the actual
work of the government, and they
required to work as diligently and as
many hands as do the work in our