Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1886-02-08

the state for the first time in the his
tory of the Tennessee roads.
THE PRESIDENT AND THE
SENATE.
The controversy between the Pres
ident and the Senate, which now
seems inevitable, is to be deplored
because no good can come of it and
because the country, which believes
that Congress bias more important
duties to attend to, will be quite sure
to be disguised with a prolonged
contest involving matters of no
greater Importance than whether
Democrats or Republicans shall be
Postmasters or Collectors of Internal
Revenue. But while we believe that
the republican senators might have
avoided this controversy by assuming
that the President suspended repub-
lican officers TO make room for demo-
Gratis, which is the fact, the President
is mainly responsible for whatever
contention there may be over this sub
ject. Before Mr.. Cleveland was in
augurated he gave the country to I'M
derstand that he was not going to
make removals on political grounds,
but that all officials suspended or re-
moved would be deposed only upon
charges duly filed and substantiated.
That this was the general understand
ing after the publication of the Cur
tbs letter, the papers of that period
show. When Mr.. Cleveland became
President, he started off on his pro-
gramme. That he intended to pur-
sue this line of action is proved by
the remarkable confidential circular
sent to democratic congressman in
the close states by Postmaster Cen
eral Villas, soliciting charges of Of
fensive partisanshlp in order that re-
publican postmasters might be re-
moved to make place for democrats
this circular having the approval of
the President. After a time, howev-
er, the pressure became so much of
an avalanche that even Mr.. Cleve-
lands stolid firmness could not with
stand it and he began to suspend re-
publican officials against whom there
could be no charges of offensive par
tisanship made and to appoint demo-
Gratis. A very much larger number
of such suspensions would have been
made if the democrats could have
agreed with any considerable degree
of unanimity upon men to be their
successors. When he was led to a
gradual change of policy and to aban-
don his reform announcement, he did
not explain or even qualify his earli-
er declaration that he would remove
for cause only. 1t having been CIV
en- out that changes would be made
for cause only, the impression be-
came very general that charges more
Or less serious had been preferred
against hundreds of republicans who
had been removed from office. This
impression did great injustice to com.
petent officials who were put out oil
office with stigma upon their char
acter because the Administration was
not frank enough to say that it haC
no fault to find with them eXcep
that they belonged to a political par
ty opposed to the Administration
The republicans thus suspended
have appealed to friendly senators t.
ascertain the charges upon whicI
they were suspended in order tina
they may refute them if they in an.
way reflect upon their efficiency O
integrity. If the President has re
ceived such charges, they are on fill
in the departments to which the sus
pended officers belonged. Their
they will remain and remain unan
swered because those against whor
they have been made have not bee
notified of them, and have not bee
permitted the privilege of maxim
reply. If the President had nc
caused it to be understood that sus
pensions would be made only fe
cause, the suspended officers an
their friends in the senate would NJ
have asked President for the reason
for their suspension. Had the Pres
i dent squarely announced his chang
of policy and said, in effect, that
would do as his predecessors ha
done-make changes for polite
reasons as he saw fit-he would ha,
been in no trouble with the senat
His refusal to furnish the reasons f
L the suspension of officers is the be
possible evidence that if they we
made public they would show that
has entirely departed from his ear
- professions. He does not propose
II furnish the evidence to convict hiI
y self Besides, this controversy fl
. nishes a ground for the President
appeal to bis party in the Senate a
in the country generally. To tt
extent it is piece of good fortu
for him.
or And yet, so far as the republic
l" senators are concerned, we can
III leve that it would be much wiser
Il. | ALoo, Ianloua thot tho ppoci1 10