Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-12-13

I
OF justice and disrega Cd OF Z. 'uta ane
! good character which dlt, city tenN veg 7,
degrade sena ors, TO keep M'orthv mel 'ou,
OF ofllse, - put bad men into otilcc, ., +"
70 make Office getting suspicious and dir.
reputable. Thtre cannot. In tlff nature
OF things, be q refusal or neglect 70 per
tom high moral and legal duty 10 y con-
spicuous place before the people wfsAEut
degradation Of the material morals AMI
general suspicious dlstrust among tAe
people which are IN themselves demorsl.
izlng, "Eyery senator Knows said Sem
ator Plat Ia the late debate. nthat very
largely through this country the idea Is
that we bargain with each other about con-
/ armaaous TO oaloe that through some idea
OF senatorial courtesy ever fail to OPP
pose men whom I'VE ought not 60 oppose
or favor men whom we ought 10 APP
point - The establishment OF the oour-
tesy naturally made senators ten times
more anxious than before for secret ees'
sious. The speeches and votes for eniorc.
ing II, II made st open session, would ex-
pose the courtesy 10 the people, Publicity
would be as fatal 20 II as Il would be 20
all the abuses which 1t greatly aggravated
Senator Logan, In that debate said
"Lel the doors Of the senate chamber be
open when mems names come before the
senate and combinations through tho mys'
terous agency Of senatorial courtesy
I will give place 10 the honest man whose
| fair record boldly courts public inspec-
TOM The vicious influence OF this oour-
tesy was by no means confined 20 confirm
ations or even 10 national aftairs BY
uniting all the senators together In com
mon bond OF selfish interest aud mutual
aid for increasing the patronage and the
! political power of each To the utmost
/ against the president and all rivals, IL
made senator's political protantstes IN
their states as well as at Washington It.
made the senate moro than ever before
an arrogant and aggressive body. Every
senator, la no merely formal sense, SPOKE,
under the Courtesy, If not for tho whole
senate, at least for his party in that body.
Senators we're then enabled ~ dictate
nominations TO the president, and they
long used that power successfully. az
think the history OF the senate will show
said senator Gibson in that debate, "that
great many OF the leading senators have
In times past regarded their wishes 10
the executive rs omnipotent
The public patronage has been consid-
cred, IN large measure, as tn political
right Of senators from the state IN which
the appointments were 80 be made
When the stern reform sentiment OF the
country gave President Garfield courage
TO resist such demand, Senators CDnk-
ling aud Platt still itlt sure that senA-
torlal courtesy would confirm any oandl-
date they could force him TO nominate.
That usurpation OF power secured by The
senate through the tenure OF Office act Of
1867, which uestroyed the counterpoise OF
the government had its motive and it's
strength In the courtesy of the senate,
When the senators Of state could thus
control the selection OF all the high fed
eral officers to serve within It's bodies,
they inevitably became the purveyurs gen.
: eral aud lords paramount OF federal pat
ronage. IL was easy Tor senators To con.
ditiOn the recommendations for an APP
pointment or votes for a confirmation OF
collector, postmaster, or any other uili-
Ger upon the henchmen and iiunkles OF
! senators being made clerks, messengers,
and chimney sweeps under such officers.
I have seen sew, -al letters from senators
Enthusiastically limiting UGH terms Tor thell
Influence or votes. Thus senators became
almost as much political despots and pat
ronsge. mongers as they were legislators
: thereby degrading the senatorial Office II
self Hence in large measure the power
intrigue, and corruption which, partly
causing anu always INihAbiNlhk 'AiHNAI W
money, has been one Of the causes of ~
many scandals attending the election o.
o senators within the present decade,
The aggressive spirit iostered by The
courtesy, the tenure OF office acts and The
g irresponsibility OF secret sessions dldlng
: each other, have emboldened senators &c
a claim authority over removals as well es
appointments The danger Of offending
a senator, who has not the least moral OF
j. legal right 70 interfere with themi had
a been Tor many years before the oivll ser
Q vice act the terror OF the clerks IN the DC
I partments and custom houses.
This senatorial courtesy was naturally
= initiated by the senates of states and the
= aldermen OF cities, where secret sessions
> have been as much desired and the abuses
: of secret combinations have been as great
: az AT Washington, There is not probably
! a corrupt legislator 10 Ohio nor an To.
n dicted alderman IN New York who would
: not az much AS the most partisan aud
venaI member Of the nstional senate re-
. greet the abolition Of secret sessions and
the suppression Of the courtesy.
We need not nicely inquire when the
courtesy was first established at Washing.
|, ton: nor bow fsrit has yleldcd--thougb
: am sure II has yielded very much Of iate--
. TO the DOlO htNlllutHh httlluhblh- RNAhihf'-
: trative reform. It's foundations were GER
: tainly well laid In 1882, when Senator
Marcy dared declare, at a secret session
! Of the senate, that Ito the victor belongs
:, the spoils.p II was apparently In, full
I, force, when IN 1877 MFR. Garfield declared
! that the "president could remove no ON
: Ger without the consent Of the senate, not
often given unless the appointment OF the
, successor Is agreeable to the senator In
whose state the appointee resides" Az
I IL was still later In full force, apparently,
: when senator Hoar cautiously, but not
less significantly, said hat SIN this way
. the executive may be subjected 70 smother
!. branch ~ the government" 10 Wonld
4 seem not TO have wholly disappeared
! when, less than five years ago, Senator
4 PendIeton, speaking Of the prevailing avs
ten declared 10 the senate that at drlyFl
. gena,ors into the neglect OF
: their chief duties Of legislation,
ana too often makes the support OF an al
:, minisiratlon conditioned upon the OBTAIN
, t,,,, q oiraq for their friends ~ and Senator