Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-12-15
CONGRESSIONAL.
The Senate Discusses the Blu Re
peaIIne the Tenure OF Office Law.
Edmunds Speaks.
The HOUSE, In Committee OF the whole
Takes Up the snndry civil APP
Precipitation Bill.
XIX. CONGRESS.
THE SENATE.

from the committee ON finance, reported
back favorably to the senate the bill for
the retirement aud recoinage OF the trade
dollar and the bill to prevent frauds on
American manufacturers. Placed on the
calendar.
Among the bills introduced and re-
| ferred was the following Mr.. Harrison,
| by request TO increase the pensions OF
those WAC have disability equivalent 20
the loss OF a hand or foot.
Ga motion Of MIR. Hoar the house
amendments to the electoral count bill
were non-concurred in, and a new con
ference was asked for. Senators Hoar,
Edmunds and Pugh were appointed con-
ferees on the part of the senate.
Among the memorials presented was
one by Mr.. Spooner from the German
| AID society of Wisconsin, expressing the
idea that there was no further necessity
| for stimulating immigration to this coun-
try; that no satisfactory reason
can be assigned for allowing
| foreigners to vote and hold Office after
one years residence and 'efore they are
naturalized, and suggesting the enact
ment of laws making naturalization and
suffrage to conform to the uniform stand-
ard.
On motion of Mr.. ingalls,, the senate
took up the bill reported by him yester-
day, directing that none OF the avenues,
streets, alleys or reservations of the city
of Washington be occupied for other
than ordinary purposes without the
consent OF congress being FIRST obtained.
After considerable debate, the bill was
passed.
The senator then took up the bill re-
pealing the tenure Of office law and Mr..
| a Inn do ha in IN
the bill. Mr Edmunds said the law had
been in existence neatly twenty years.
President Johnson, to restrain whom 1t
was enacted, obeyed 1t, although he be-
| lieved II unconstitutional, and all his sue
cessors had recognized Its va idity as q
| guide and restraint, and il there was any
| value In that constitutional power of
| restraint vested In the senate that value
was to be entirely destroyed by the repeal
| of this statute, and there would be turned
over, as If in the affirmative, to the presi-
dent the power of the immediate removal
OF every one OF the public servants whose
appointments were confirmed by the sen
ate. That was very grave and serious
step to take. This bill was brought for
werd in apparent aid Of their friends on
the other side and to relieve the president
OF difficulties and embarrassments now
attending removals and suspense ms
1t was Gu invitation to him to make short
work of the whole civil service bust ess
and expel from office at once all officers
who are within puryiew of the statute.
Its passage would be u great practical
step backward on the theory of reforms
ton of the civil service of the United
States. 1t would be affirming that con-
gress was willing and DESTROYS that the
president should exercise his power OF
selecting persons to I'LL offices whether
the senate advised and consented to II
or not. II he had the slightest doubt of the
constitutionality of the tenure of office act
he would be willing to consider how far
that law entrenche on executive power
and SO far as 1t did so to retreat from /,
immediately but II 1t were found that
the statute was not only conservative oil
the public good, but was constitutional
then congress ought to stand by it. Il
the senate voted to repeal that statute, i,
would make q mistake which 1t would
live to regret.
Mr., Hoar advocated the passage of the
b'll. 1t had been reported from the
judiciary committee last session, but or
account of the controversy then existing
with the president on the subject Of Office
he had not deemed it proper to ask the
|
ton had subsidized he now deemed Il
proper to ask the senate to vote whether
= 1t would eturn to the ancient policy Of
the government, to the rule which haC
existed from 1889 to 1867, and which
D Notwithstanding the condition of IN,
statute books, had practically existed
since the accession to power Of Gen
G Grant In 1869. President Gran
had recommended its repeal 81
9 that ne (Hoar) was actin.
: under pretty substantial Republican au
thority in trying to get rid Of this legisla
= ton While expressing himself in full
!, sympathy with the principles of civil
service reform he declared his conviction
u that the people of the United States ex
\ pected and demanded that no man sheulC
. be kept in an executive position who haC
not the confidence of the person respon
II sible OF those executive functions.
= Pending the discussion the senate wen
= into executive session, and when the
:. doors were reopened adjourned.
y THE HOUSE.
WASHINGTON, Dec. l4-The speake
u laid before the house a letter from tn,
secretary of the treasury, submitting
book OF estimates for the fiscal yea
+" 1888
The house went into committee of tn,
y whole, MIR. Hammond in the chair, OIL
n the sundry civil appropriation bill.
Mr.. Ryan of Kansas and Mr. Long o
y Massachusetts, criticized the bill as bein.
. Inadequate and contended that the appro
. prlations were made not with an eve tc
y public service, but with view to carr,
u out the foolish policy that no appropria
= ton OF this year should exceed the appro
priation OF last year for SINH
q lar object. MIR. Long also took oc
casion 10 criticize the president 10
failing to make permanent appointment
OF superintendent of coast survey. Tn,
president was forgetting "that publ,
70 office was public trust" He was neg
lecting his duty and was making t6,
coast survey the object OF pubic ridicul,
T. In failing TO make this appointment.
" MT. Atkins OF Pennsylvania. spoke Ii
y. q q ~. 4. -