The Washington critic., 1886-01-14
WASHINGTON. JAN, IT, 1886.
PRESIDENT AND SENATE.

PRESIDENT AND SENATE.
The Senate committees which are
sending circulars to the President and
heads of the Departments asking the
reasons for which removals have been
made, cannot be very proud either
of their circular or its results.
The Senate had not authorized them
10 pursue such course, and II Il cN-
trcmcly doubtful even If a majority
were in It's favor whether there is any
authority for it. 1t Is certainly
rather grotesquc and somewhat disrc-
Spectful thing for the President to find
in his mail printed circular signed by
81 clerk of the Senate Committee on
Postoilices, asking him why he removed
John Jones as postmaster at Podunk,
and appointed in his stead Il Democrat
in the person of Benjamin johnson,
What curious spectacle, such de.
mand Us this is coming from com.
mitiee of the L. s. Senate--a body
which pridcs itself upon its courtesy
and no member of which can go over
10 the less formal end of the Capitol
and watch the proceedings of the
House for few minutes without Il
shuddcr.
There is no doubt of the right of the
Senate by resolution to call upon the
President for the reason why he makes
particular change. There are num-
ber of preccdcnts which sustain that
right. The most recent, we believe,
was the resolution passed by the Senate
in executive session, upon the motion
of Senator Conkling, asking Mr.. Hayes
his reasons for removing Chester A.
Arthur from the position of collector
of the port of New York and Alonzo
b. Cornell from the position of naval
officer of the same port. In that case
Mr.. Hayes, in answering the resolu.
tion, sent to the Senate all the official
papers in connection with the subject,
but did not make any general eXplana-
tion. Such an explanation was, how
ever, made by Senator John Sherman,
who was then Secretary of the Treas.
nry, and it accompanied Mr.. Hayes
communication This is as far as the
precedents go.
If any committee wants to know why
particular man has been removed
from office the Senate can pass, if ii
desires, n resolution calling upon the
President for his reasons, but there is
nothing which compels the President
TO reply to il in general terms. He can
simply content himself as did Mr..
Hayes by transmitting all the official
information on the Governments files
bearing upon the subject inquired into.
1t is argued that there may be so many
removals into which the Senate might
wish to inquire that the passage of sep
aratc resolutions in each case would be
waste of time. That may be, bu
while there is neither law nor prece
dent for doing otherwise it would seen
but clear that the Senate should contint
itself to what has been established aS
right and consistent with common
sense, and maintain toward the Presi
dent an attitude of decent respect. Il
would be no doubt great convenience
for Senate committee TO tel
its clerk TO fill out the blanks in n cir
cular, asking for the information tina
may be desired and put it in the mail
But il is not courtesy, neither is it au
thorized by the Senate as whole nor
as we have said, is there any preceden
or authority for the Senate to gran
such an authority. The matter as i
now stands is in a very unsatisfactory
shape, and something should be don,
TO straighten it out and arrange it def
initely for the future.
In the meantime the Senate commit
tees should burn their little circular,
and put a check-rein on their clerks.