Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-03-12
THE TRuE SITUATION.
What the Republicans Hope From the
Present Contest With the President.


Present Contest with the President.
Fran. tho Near York Star.
WASHINGTON, March 9.--In order fully
to understand the plan of the Republican
Senators. we must go back little. The
idea originally was TO make a fight on the
President simply to establish the point
that, after proclaiming he would not re-
move except for cause. be has removed by
the thousand, and now refuses to assign a
reason OF furnish the Senate with his
grounds of action. At first it was
thought the President would yield. Sew
eral Democratic Senators urged him to do
80, for reasons best known TO themselves,
and the impression got out that he would
concede the point. At this the Republic
can Senators lost interest in the affair.
But the feeling was revived shortly
after by the announcement that the Presi-
dent intended to reject the Senate's de-
mand. The question with the Republic
cans, then, was whether to press the de-
mand, at the risk OF rallying the DemOc-
racy around the President, or TO drop it
and content themselves with making such
capital as they could out OF the Presi-
DENTS refusal. At that time, now some
i've weeks ago, the sentiment Of leading
Republican Senators favored the latter
alternative, and it will be remembered
that there was prevailing impression,
almost universal, that the controversy
was at an end. Republican Senators VINO
are now eager and determined in their
support of the judiciary Committee were
then free to say tnat they saw no advan-
tage ia carrying the thing furtaer, and
that the only point in the case has been
already made. Since then, however, the
matter has assumed different aspect.
The Republicans have been working
with incOnceivable industry to collect
facts against certain OF the Presidents
appointees, and have found that much
material is available. They have ascer-
tanned that against many appOintees
moral objections can be urged, that it
will be practicable to defeat many OF the
Presidents nominations on grounds that
the President himself has declared valid.
The rejection OF Pilsbury and Chase was
in the line Of this policy, and the ntem-
plated reflections of Solicitor General
GoOde and Assistant Attorney General
Montgomery are cases in point.
The fact is, the Republican Senators be-
GeVe they have a crushing case against
the Cleveland administration and are
moving heaven and earth to strengthen it.
They hope to make showing That will
impress the country ana influence the con-
gressiOnal elections of next fall. 1t is
their opinion that thirty or forty rejec-
tions. based on grounds Of moral and per-
sOnal untitness, will cause serious injury
TO the Democratic party as proving its
untrustwOTthiEess, and this result they
believe they can ACCOMPLISH.
The whole case was laid before the
President on Friday evening by a Demo-
cratic Senator in q private interview.
The Senator said: "Mr. President, this
controversy is not really what it seems
to be. The Republicans care nothing
about those papers. They were ready
to abandon the thing SIX weeks ago when
You refused to produce them, and would
have been thoroughly discounted had you
acceded to their demand i'll the first place.
Until recently they we're merely trying
ing that you would nO1remoye except for
cause, refused to give the causes
which Influenced your action. Recently,
however, they have discovered that
they have pretexts upon which they can
reject a number of your nominees. They
have been hard at work burrowing into
every case, and the result is they are in
possession Of quite an array OF evidence.
What they propose now is to defeat every
one of your nominations against which
an objection, however specious, can be
urged. and this renewal of the controversy
over the papers is simply for the purpose
OF attracting tie attention of the country
to their pr ceedlngs, so that whatever
they do will be observed by every body.
acute attention. They are on the qui
vive as to every detail and development,
and nothing that is now said will
escape them. II the Republicans sue
coed in making good their cases
against any considerable number of your
appOintees, it will be a serious injury to the
administration, and will heavily handicap
the party in the campaign. They believe
they can 90 this, and all this clamor and
menace 10 for the purpose of cOncentrat-
ing attention upon themselves and lend
ing special emphasis to their utterances.
Watch their action during the next week,
and you will see. This controversy over
the papers amounts to nothing. 1t is
mere gladiatOrial contest of wOrds-an
issue of official etiquette; but it cOnceals
an assault, and a deadly one, upon your
administration, through the medium of
discrediting its works."
And this is really the situation. The
speeches made TO the Ostensible question
Will avail nothing. On this point the peO-
pie are with the President, and no amount
of defamation on either side will affect
that fact. But the Republicans hope,
while the vigilant attention Of the cOun-
try is rivited, and when every disclosure
will thus be lent especial significance, TO
bring out and illustrate the proposition
that the President has promoted great
number of men whose records are dis
creditable, and whose moral character
will not bear the most indulgent test.
Here is the key TO the dilemma. Every
development and phase of the controversy
must he cOnStrued in this light