Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1889-01-23
PARTISANSHIP.
THE STATE AUDITOR AND
TREASURER.
should tho Senate Reject Nominations
Merely.for Political Iteasons9
Constitutional Rights
and Privileges.

The trainers of the Constitution OF
Delaware never intended that IL should
be used In partisan sense, as 1t is now
being controlled by the Senate Of the
State, In its refusal TO confirm the ap-
pointees of the House to the Offices OF
State Auditor and State Treasurer A
refusal TO do go merely because they differ
politically in sentiment, the most rad-
cal politician on either side should be
ready to admit Is not justltiAble in .
calm, dispassioDate view of the case.
Nobody will dare say that the present
| incumbents OF those Offices are not ca
pable and honest, fer II is q matter Of
fact that they have been more so than
some of their predecessors, but that 10
not exactly the thing TO be looked at In
| this contest. The gentlemen who wero
named yesterday by the House. OF Repre-
sentatiyta are equally as honest and
capable. The Constitution gives the
| House the right to name these officers,
and the House has complied with the
Constitution in that respect. The terms
of the old officials who performed their
duties faithfully and well, expired by
Limitation, but are permitted TO ho,d
over until their successors ara duly
qualified. They have no further claim
upon the offices; indeed, 1t Is well known
that II the Democrats were In power IN
the House, as trey are In the Ser ate,
other Democrats would lie chostn.
| Is It not then the plain duty Of the
Senate to confirm the appointees If the
House? The precsutlon Of referring
these appointments to the senlte for con.
lrmat'on was to guard against placing
persons Ia important p sitIoDs who do
not bear the best Of charact re, for hon
| esty and morality, not TO ioje,t them Sim
ply because they were Republicans or
Democrats as tha ease might be.
1t might so happen that the House and
the Senate would be opponents In pollt cs
for many years TO conie. What would be
the consequence then If the action com
menced by the ScDate yesterday was car
ried outl
Why, simply that the lncumbcnts of
those could hold on to them until both
the House Snd the Senate would be the
same in political sentiment, whether 1t be
four years, twelve years or evtn more
This action nullltles the very plain pEoVl-
slons OF the constitution, aud is only ad.
mlssAble upon technical construction of
that instrument.
AS well might the Senate of the United
States have refused to confirm the al =
pointmen's Cf President CleVoland TO the
Cabinet and other high offices OF the Ma
tional Government, simply because the
appointecs were Democrats, as for the
State Senate OF Delaware TO refuse TO
confirm the appointment Is to the offices of
| State Treasurer and Auditor, simply be-
cause they are Republicans.
True, the United States Senate some.
1 tfmf a hnGiiataA IN nHr nH t.,,
| ally rel c,ed some OF Preeident Cleye-
lahd's appointees, but IL was for other
reasons than that they were Democrats.
| Character and ability should always be
considered In making public officials, and
the presaution exercised by Republican
Senate only related to these. Ii the ap-
pointments made by the Delaware House
OF Representatives are anyways lacking
in character and ability, then the action
OF the Senate was justifiable, but under
no other considerations.
No doubt 1t will be said that the Sen
ate has acted generously in permitting
the election OF Republican United
States Senator, when the regular ballot
law of the State would have justified
them in refusing TO seat Republican
Senator from Kent Company. This Is
true and the Senate Is eer:ain' y entitled
10 cfeulI IOr putting no obstruc Ions In
the way of the Republicans reaping the.
full fruits of their victory 80 far as the
election OF United States Senator was
concerned. There were various ways by
which they could have thwarted the will
OF the p ople but they did not do 1t.
They could rave adopted high handed
measures as the Democrats of West Yir
ginia have been doing and are still doing
TO reverse an honest decision at the ballot
box, but they did not resort to those tao
tics.
They could have hired train, and like
the Democratic side of the Legislature of
Ohio four or tye years ago, have gone on
junketting tour, paying informal visits
to the Legislatures OF other States, but
they did not do that. To be short, they
| could have caused much trouble had they
been so minded, but they put nothing In
the way. For all this they are entitled to
the courtesy oil the Republicans In the
Legislature and the praise of the people
In general througout the State
The opposition of the Democratic SEN
ate to the appointments OF the House Is
| the first instance of extreme partisan
action ON the part of the Senate. No
| body will say that 1t has not the right to
reject nominations made by the House,
for it has, but these reflections should be
for other causes than for political opinion