The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1893-06-28
Washington Post.l

Sl!tueuE SeuaLOr buller mas gwen hlS
ideas about the Presidents course in
dispensing Federal patronage. He
things the Chief Executive is fully ca
.pable of naming people for the Offices,
and shows the authority with which he
is vested to do so. While he holds
himself ready TO give the President his
opinion of constituents fitness for office
he does not understand how Senators
or Representatives can expect Mr..
Cleveland to abdicate his constitutional
duties and delegate them to Congress-
men, and says he has never been able
to understand why they should expect
or desire to assume them. His letter to
his constituents is as follows:
UNITED STATES SLNATE, !
Washington, D. c., June II, '93.
My Dear Sir: have received your
letter in which you criticise the action
Of the President and his Cabinet in re-
gard to the so-called "South Carolina
patronage" and ask my opinion.
{. It is no part of my business to defend
the Presidents official conduct. He is
abundantly able to take care of himself;
but may say that I believe he Will be
sustained by the great Lody of the pee
pc, who are much more inter sttd in
an honest and wise admins tration Of
their government than in the doing
out OF patronage"
Let US see what some Of his duties
are under the Constitution. am quite
cure thata better understanding in that
regard will aid very much in clearing
up the political atmosphere and recall
to the minds of Senators and Represen-
tatives land to the people, their proper
constructional relations to the Execu-
tive branch Of the government. In
Section 2, Article II, of the Constitu-
ton, it is provided:
1.-The President shall be commander
in-chief of the army and navy, etc.. and
he shall nominate, and by and with the
advice and consent Of the Senate shall
appoint ambassadors, etc, and all other
officers of the United States. but Coz
gress may by law vest the appointment
of such inferior officers as they think
proper in the President alone, in the
Courts of law, or in the heads of de-
partments."
This is the authority, and the only
authority, under and by virtue ofwbich
appointments are made. If anybody
can find in this provision any right or
power in Senator or Representative to
dispensespatronage, I should be glad to
have itpointed out. 1t may be said in
reply to this that nobody has claimed
such 3 right or power in a Senator or
Representative. but that, being repre-
sentatives OF the States and people, they
have the right to recommend, and their
recommendations should be potential
with the Executive.
That they have the right to recon-
mend nobody denies-any citizen Of
this country hss this right, but that
Senators and Representative have the
right to dictate appointments, or that
their recommendations should he con-
elusive and unquestioned is denied.
That their political favorites and friends
shsuld be selected in preference to the
political friends and favorites of other
people is also denied.
The recommendations of Senators
and Representative are entitled to con-
sideration and respect and weight so
far as they are judicious and wise. Why
any Senator or Representative should
complain that their recommen lations
and endorsement of applicants for office
are not adopted by the Executive [
cannot understand. The theory Of our
Government is that the legislative, ex-
ecutive and judicial department, while
coordinate, should be kept independ-
ent of each other. The trainers Of the
Constitution wisely determined that
the preservation of the whole could
only be secured by the independence OF
each branch.
The Executive is held responsible
under the Constitution for "all Off
csrs,' ,''sand should, therefore, be allowed
the fullest latitude in making appoint
uients. The Legislative is held respon-
sibie for "all laws" and should, there
fore, be exempt in the fulles: degree
from the dictation of the Executive.
This independence aud responsibility
can only be maintained by the freest
exercise Of their respective constitu-
tional functions.
Take for instance the postoffices. It
is assumed, in some quarters, that
Senators and Representatives have the
right to control and dictate the appoint
ment of postmasters. Where do they
getsthis right? Certainly no: from the
Constitution or any laws that I know
Of. OF all of the departments the post
ONCE department IS nearest the people.
It may be asked who is better qualified
10 select postmasters than the represen-
tatives OF the people. l answer, the
people themselves. They are more in
terested in the proper conduct of their
respective postoffices than anything
else. -:
"HonIe rulen is the fundamental
principle Of our government, and al
though the President is not bound TO
consult anybody in making appoint
ments, I am quite sure he intends to
observe this priciple as far as practical
BILE in making his selection of postmas-
ters. He certainly ought to do so.
Subject to his constitutional right and
duty to make appointments, the pa