Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-05-30
.sENAToRiAL COURTESY.

An Illinois Appointments That Caused tA5
President to Decide Between the Rela.
tive Influence OF Senators and Repre-
sentatives.
has decided the contest between the llil-
nois Senators and Representative Cannon,
OF that State, in favor OF Mr.. Cannon.
The commission will issue to MIR. Wilcox
for the position of collector OF internal
revenue for the Eighth Illinois collection
district, and he will take charge Of the
Office July 1.
The President has made no change in
bis position. He has simply decided that
the arguments presented by both Senators
have not been sufficient to induce him
to recede from the position that he
had already taken. He had appointed
Wilcox. The Senators have protested that
they consider their prerogative invaded
and that they have the right to name tho
collectors Of internal revenue in the cities
in which they live, or that. at all events,
no appointment of internal revenue coll
lector shall be made in these cities except
upon the recommendation of the Senators
and that because of this claim the Presi-
dent should revoke the appointment he
has made and should appoint DR.. Calhoun,
whom the Senators recommended after the
appointment of Wilcox had been an
nounced. and the President decides that his
original appointment shall stand. In other
words the President has decided that the
Senators have no right" in the matter;
that their constitutional function ''to adj
wise and consent" to an appointment be-
gins when the appointment has
been made, and they have been
asked whether or not they shall
confirm the selection; that as
to the selection of the nominee,
kh4 nd
constitutional function to perform, and
that in the exercise of this furction he
feels entirely at liberty to call upon the
Representatives in Congress from the dis
trict affected for their views.
President Harrison has at least given a
negative definition to what he under
stands Senatorial courtesy" to be. 1t is
that the function of the Senator with re-
spect to appointments does not begin with
the selection of the person to be nomi-
mated; that whatever Senatorial cour-
tesy" may be, it is a quality which at
taches to the Senators only in their capac-
ity as judges; that in the matter of the
marking of a case to be presented to the
Senate for consideration, the voice of the
Senator is to be no more potential than
that of the Representative in Congress.
This is decision that will be welcomed
in the House of Representatives and pos
sibly resented in the Senate.
It is to be stated, however, that the Pres
ident has had no such experience with the
Senators of any other State, as he has had
in Illinois. In the other States according
to the statements made by a gentleman
who is very near to the Administration,
there has.been much greater harmony be-
tween the Senators and Representatives.
This. unhappily, has not been the situa-
ton in Illinois. There has not been much
cooperation between the Senators and
the Representatives., but the Congress-
men, when they care to talk freely, say
that they have had to make an individual
contest for nearly all of the important
things that they have accomplished.