News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1886-12-30
FROM WASHINGTON.
From our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, D. c.,
Dec. IS. 1886.

Dec. Is. 1886.
1t cannot be charged that Congress
has tried to evade difficult questions
during the present week. Lands in
severalty to the Indians has been
agreed upon; the Sundry Civil bill
has been discussed; interstate COM
merce has mad some attention secret
sessions have been assailed the tar
iff has been up in both ends of the
Capitol a number of minor measures
have been killed; Senators and Rep
resentatives have been censured for
receiving fees as attorneys for subsi-
died railroad corporations, and the
bill to repeal the Tenure of Office act
has had share of abuse and approx
al in the Senate.
Senator Edmunds was opposed to
a repeal of the law, which has been
in existence nearly twenty years. 1t
had been enacted to restrain Presi-
dent Johnson, who obeyed it, although
he believed it to be unconstitutional,
and all his successors had recognized
its validity as guide and restraint.
If there was any value in the consti-
tutional power of restraint vested in
the Senate, that value was to be en-
tirely destroyed by the repeal of this
statute. 1t would be turning over TO
the President the power of immediate
removal of every one of the public
servants whose appointment was con-
firmed by the Senate.
Mr.. Edmunds said that the bill to
repeal had been brought forward in
apparent aid of their friends on the
other side and to relieve the Presi-
dent of the difficulties and embarrass-
ments now attending removals and
suspensions. 1t was an invitation to
Mr.. Cleveland to make short work of
the whole civil service business and
to expel from office at once all the Of
ficers who are within the purview of
the statute. The Senator argued that
the passage of this bill would be a
great practical step backward on the
theory of the reformation of the civil
service of the United States. 1t
would be affirming that Congress was
DESTROYS that the President should ex-
ercise the power of selecting persons
to fill offices, whether the Senate adj
vised and consented to it or not. If
he had the slightest doubt of the con-
stitutionality of the tenure of office
act, he would be willing to consider
how far that law trenched on eXecu-
tive power, and so far as it did so, to
retreat from it at once.
Senator Vance is irrepressible as an
anti Civil Service reformer. Last
session he introduced a bill to abolish
the law, but quietus was given to it
then by an unfavorable report present.
ed by Senator Hawley from the COM
mittee on Civil Service Reform. The
North Carolinian regarded that re-
verse as only temporary. He be-
lieved that since then the committee
had gained wisdom by experience, and
so in hope of more favor in the future,
he has re-introduced the identical bill,
10 be referred to the same committee
Representative Seney, of OHIO, is
equally unfriendly to so called Civil
Service Reform. While speaking of
the proposed increase of salary for the
Civil Service Commissioners, he said,
eff l had my way l would abolish the
whole commission. 1 would send its
members to the hot springs aud sell
their office furniture to the junk shop.
That's the way l would end the whole
farce
Secretary of War Endicott is puz-
zled just now as to how he will an
swer an inquiry directed against him
through Senator Van Wyck's resolu-
ton. 1t relates to the disbursement
of money for the improvement of the
Missouri River. Congress provided
that 100000 should be discussed in
specific sums at number of fixed
places. 1t seems the War Depart
ment gave all the money to two places,
and now Mr.. Endicott is asked to ex-
plain why he disobeyed the law in TAX
ing the money from places authorized
by Congress and placing it where it
was unauthorized.
The Apache campaign of General
Miles is not ended yet, either, but is
about to be supplemented by tussle
with the War Department. The Gen
eral is determined to be indicated, no
matter who suffers. He protests
against the injustice of being CEN
sured in Secretary Endicott's annual
report, for an alleged disobedience of
orders, and asks to have the record
against him corrected, asserting that
he obeyed orders literally, and that
the records Of the War Department
will bear him out.
The matter has been taken in hand
by the President for consideration.
Mr.. Endicott realizes that he blum
dered in his report through misinfor-
nation fgom the army ring in his de-
partment, but he hasn't the courage,
or he is too obstinate, to acknowledge
his mistake.
The recent announcement of Sec
rotary Endicott in regard 10 the dilap-
idation and pressing needs of our
field artillery, did not cause mo-