The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-03-24


New York Times:
The confirmation of Dement, has dis
closed to all men the inconsistency of
the Senate, the hypocrisy and insincer-
ity of certain Senators, and a new use
for Senatorial courtesy"
The Senate committee on public lands
had unanimously reported against con
firmation, because1ts members had been
convinced that Dement, was unfit to hold
the Office of urveyor-General in Utah
or any other Territory. The members
of this committee voted against con-
firmation. Therein they were consist
ent. The contest with the President
has been carried on with great vigor by
the members of the judiciary commit
tee, and the republican members of
that committee have been fore
most in advocating the policy of
refusing to confirm the nominal
tons of men for the suspension of
whose predecessor the President should
refuse to submit reasons. Dement'S
predecessor is said to have been a
worthy officer. He was suspended.
The President has refused to give his
reasons for that suspension. Mr.. Hoar
and Mr.. Mcclellan are republican MEM
bers of the judiciary committee. They
voted for the confirmation of Dement,
This is the measure of their conSis-
tency. In star chamber session the
disguise is thrown off. 1t was very
easy for them to be consistent in this
case for Dement, was unfit to hold Office,
but they preferred to show by their
votes the lnsincerity of the attack on
the President, simply because Senator
Logan desired to pay political debt.
But what of Senator Logan's consis
tency? A little more than month ago
the Senate committee on public lands
reported in taYjr of the confirmation of
a man nominated to be Register of a
land Office in Arkansas. This report
was submitted, of course, to a star
once discovered that this mans prede-
C ssor had been suspended Gas Dement'S
predecessor had BEEN, and he protested
in vigorous language against the con-
trmatIon Of that nomination. or of any
other made under such circumstances.
He declared that the Senate's position
in the contest with the President must
be maintained, and had a great deal to
say about the danger Of establishing
precedent by confirming this nomina-
ton. Senator B Try argued in behalf
of the nominee, and Senator Logan is
said to have become angry because one
of his Republican associates reminded
him of a violation of the rule in the
case of the new postmaster at Chicago
He called Messrs. Edmunds and Sher-
man to his aid, and succeeded in pre-
venting the adoption of the committees
report.
but when Dement'S case came up
Senator Logan's ardor in support of
the caucus rule had cooled. He was
ready to vote for Dement,, and be
begged other Senators TO vote with him
as a matter of Senatorial COURTESY
the same Senatorial courtesy that
causes a costly public building to be
erected in a village of 800 inhabitants
because a Senator lives there. The
character of Dement,, his lack of quail
fications for the office, and the policy of
the Republican majority in the war with
the President were all ignored by the
Senator, who was determined to pay
Dement, for the work which he had
done. for him. And Democratic SEN
ators displayed their courtesy" al
though Col. Morrison says that De-
ment's work was that of traitor and
spy in the Democratic camp at Spring
field.
Some weeks ago Senator Logan de-
ciared through the newspapers that be
was opposed to secret session. II am
in favor, said he, "of open sessions, land
the fullest discussion of every case on
its own merits" Would he have ap-
pealed to his associates for votes in
supl ort of Dement, in open session, as
he did in secret session. Would he
have displayed his incon is ey SO
recklessly in open session? Probably
the Senator is in favor of open sessions
when nominations to which he is OPP
posed are before the Senate, and of,
secret sessions when the Senate takes
up the names of men like Dement,, to
whom he is indebted.