The Washington critic., 1886-03-17

H''l'Ns
Here, to use a familiar phrase, np-
pears to he the milk in the c1coanut
Let us anayzc IT, 1t provides that a
Senator may attack the character OF n
person nominated, and all who hear It
shall keep the assailants name Sc.
cret under penalty Of expulsion or re.
moval That is to say mans rcpu.
tation may be destroyed by blasting
remark, which may travel the world
over land generally does If only the
name of the Senator who made IL Is
withheld Or the fitness of the nomi-
nee may be called in question and
misreprescntcd ith % certain knowl-
edge on the part Of the man who does
it, that he is talking down in the
well, MS n great rcforner once said
while trying to bribe New York leg.
islator to vote against Roscoe Conk-
ling. How does such rule look,
made by Senators to protect them
selves from the inconvenience of being
known as the authors Of remarks con.
ccrning the character and qualifications
of their fellow citizens, who have been
honorcd by Presidential nominations
for offices of trust, honor and profit?
But Senators are not alone to be
shielded Mark the next sentence.
The committee (mcanng the one 80
which the nomination was rcfrrrc'D,
mdH IN ia diarre'ioH, allow the uu-
happy wretch who has been selected
for an Office by the President to know
that charges have been made against
him. Or IT may kick him into outer
darkness without so informing him.
But if 1t shall bc the pleasure OF the
committee to tell the poor devil that he
has been stigmatizcd in executive scs.
sion as forgcr or Il horSg.thicf, an
escaped convict or lunatic, ur that gos.
sips have scandalaed him because of
his wifo's behavior, or because he can
not read or write, or is not a citizen,
no matter how false the accusation h.
cannot know who has pcrpctratcl the
Infamous outrage. II may be Il SGnn.
tor, or il may be n fclon against whom
he gave the evidence that resulted in
conviction. 1t may be deadly enemy
who has pursued him for years, and
whose testimony he could impeach by
a cloud of witnesses, "d,H tie aaW3 Qj
he pcrsoa mabiag sach cttrgcs ShaH MT
be discioscd." "
And this is free Amcrica-the great
Republic, based upon that grand char.
ter of liberty passed by the people them.
selves, for the government of Senators
and citizens alike, called the Consti,u.
tion of the United States That in.
strumcnt declares that "no person sh Ill
be held to answer for a capital or other
wise infamous crime, unless on pre-
sentiment or indictment of grand
jury Except in the military service)
and it also declares that "In all crimi-
nal prosecutions the accused shall en-.
joy the right to speedy and publjc trinl
by an impartial jury" "and to be in.
formed of the nature aud cause of the
accusation, to be confronted with
the witnesses against him, to have com.
pulsory process for obtaining witnesses
in his favor, and to have the assistance
Of counsel for his defence"
What are these constitutional guarnn.
tees worth if they can be suspended by
one House of Congress in the case of
every man nominated for an office re-
quiring its confirmation? AMI are they
not in fact suspended when a secret
tribunal. fashioned after the court of
Star Chamber as enlarged and improved
under Charles |. can declare an ac-
cused person in his absence guilty Of
infamous crimes he never thought Of,
upon the periurcl testimony of scOun.
drels given under the pledge of the
Senate that their victims shall never
know who thus Stabbed them in the
dark?
If Congress, by statute, were to
create court, the procedure in which
should resemble the rules Of the Sen
ate above cited, the first victim of ii
presenting himself to the Supreme
Court would see the odious establish.
ment uprooted, That great tribunal
would say that such machine could
not exist in the presence of the Con.
stitution. 1t is true that the holding
| of Office is a matter of selection and not
personal right. But ii is outrageous
oppression for the Senate to make the
| rejection of nominee the occasion fol
blasting his reputation without hear
ing, thus violating his dearest right:
under color of ascertaining his fitness
for place. Such doings are common
enough under the coercion act in Ire
land, and in Russia, when Nihilists are
made to feel the iron hand of despotic
power; but in this land of personal
freedom and popular sovereignty they
ought to be known only in the regions
where resides innocuous desuctule.
THERE was shipped from New York
to Europe yesterday 50, 2S2, 900 in gold.
The total shipments of gold since
December % last amount to $11 ,G96,
coo. And for wonder the bankers
do not assign silver rs cause for this
specie migration. They admit that 1t
is due to the higher rate of interest
that is paid in London, and think that
il may lead to higher interest rate in
the United States. The banks are
greatly increasing their credits and
their surplus reserves are being much
decreased All of which would tend
to indicate returning confidence and
an unlocking of the wealth that has 50
long been boarded,
The Civil Service Commission, a.