The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1885-11-20
FoRrr-NINrH CONGRESS +.

The. Congress which assemblies TWO
weeks from next Monday will be one OF
more than usual interest. 1t Will be
important in a political as well as in a
legislative sense. For the first time IN a
Quarter OF a century the legislative
branch of the republic viii find the
executive branch of the government
Democratic. The Democratic admins
tration will be faced by a Republican
Senate. while the House OF Representa-
tiyes will be Democratic. Politically,
IN party sense, the session will be
important. as outlining and fixing the
policy of the administration with refer
ence to its own party and to the
country. Cleveland has been President
nearly nine months, and to-day very
little is known concerning his policy
nationally considered, and nobody
knows as yet whether he is going to be
a Democrat, Republican or Mugwump
in the matter of the exercise of his
party influence. He viii now have to
define his position and take sides, be.
-capse one or another Of the political
factions will force him to it. It viii
also be interesting TO watch the
course of the Senate with refer
ence to Mr.. Cleveland's appointments.
II it wants to, the Senate can greatly
harrass and annoy the administration
by refusing to confirm the nominations.
Many of these nominations should
without doubt be rejected, for the ap-
pointees are unworthy and incompe-
tent; if the Senate shall refuse to con-
firm purely on the ground of the unfit
ness of the candidate for the place, it
VIII do good service to the country; if
on the other hand reflections should be
made on political grounds, as some pre-
dict win be the case, serious conflict |
would arise, and the administration be
iniuriously hampered. Such course
might result in good eventually, in that /
It would expose a weak and inconsistent |
feature of our governmental system. |
and thus bring a remedy. The execu- /
tive patronage is entirely too great, the
appointing power vested in the Presi-
dent extending beyond ali reason in a
republic where the people are pre-
sumed to say who shall Ill the offices. |
1.-THE appointive Offices were reduced to |
one-tenth their present number, it |
would prove beneficial to the country.
In nine cases out of ten the man who is
elected is preferable to the one who is
appointed, and his service is much
more satisfactory to the people.
Among the most important matters
to come before Congress this winter are
the tariff, the silver aud bankruptcy
laws. A hard fight will be made against !
he continuance of the coinage of silver
dollars as required by the Bland act,
and unfortunately for the great silver
mining region Of the west. the outlook |
is gloomy for silver. 1t is next to GER
tain that the law viii be changed in
some way, as the administration and |
eastern Republicans and Democrats are
arraigned against the silver dollar, as is
the great money interest of the country. /
Any change of tie law viii be an injury |
to the silver interests. The chief strug- [
gle of the session will undoubtedly be |
over the tariff and SONS good results
may be expected TO follow. Utah, as a |
matter of course, viii come in for |
share of the deliberations and discus
sions. The session promises to be long
and full Of interest.