The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1903-03-07

CnleI justice, out there was DUET 0p@
nFition, Finally Secretary Of State
hersQnally to the senate and
letter from Gales
March 20, 1861, to "JehersO
President of the Confederacy," rec
ommending Archibald Roane, and say
ing: she resigns his position il the
attorney generals office from senti-
ments of devotion to that which alone
he can feel to be his country, namely
the confederate states. I most heart
lily commend him as a gentleman to
your confidence and esteem
And that ended Cushing,s nomina=
ton. Senator Conkling had been.
championing Cushtng's cause but he
quit, promptly. The nomination vas
at once Withdrawn,
Twenty years later President Cleve
land experienced similar difficulty. He
nominated William B. Hornblower to
be associate justice, but Senator Hill
prevented his confirmation. Then
Cleveland nominated Wheeler la. Peck
ham, and Senator Hill made an awfuny
bitter fight, claiming that Peekham, as
well as H~ornblower, had been instru-
mental in defeating state tickets; so
this nomination was defeated. Then
Cleveland nominated Rufus w. Peck
ham, and he was confirmed.
While the corridors are aSvesome
with dignity, the senate in executive
session sometimes becomes q turmoil.
This is especially SO when friends OF
the administration T urging the con-
frmatiOn of some nomination which IS
particularly Objectionable TO an indi-
viduaI senator. It is narrated that
when a man whom Senator Pettigrew
had cause to dislike, if not hate, was
nominated to be postmaster at Sioux
Falls, SenatorP ettigr wresorted to the
use of language SO forcible that some
of the older senator's stopped their
ears in dismay. But that was PETITE
Crews hardest fight; and he won out.
Then, after Stanley Matthews had
been "a senator for six years, and his
name was sent to the senate for a pO-
sition on the supreme bench, all of the
enemies of a lifetime began buzzing
like bees in a tar barrel, and Matthews
only squeezed through the executive
session by a majority of one. It was 8
close call. He had been a good soldier,
a good senator and he became a good
associate justice.
During the Mckinley administra-
tions and during the present admins
tration there have been no conflicts
between the executive and the senate.
Mckinley and his successor seem to
have found it not difficult to ascertain.
in advance, something concerning the
views of the senate, and respected
those views as some other presidents
have not done. One of the older sena-
tors says: '"There seemed to be no
need Of the conflict which arose over
the removal Of Conkling's friend, Ches-
ter A. Arthur, from the eolleetorship
Of the port Of New York. That called
forth the greatest speech + ever heard
in all my life; the speech of Senator
Conkling in defense of Arthur; d
speechf four hours long, holding the sem
ate i'm rapt attention during all Of that
time; a speech begun in the sunlight
and concluded in the moonlight. That
conflict was needlessly precipitated.
and produced tremendous conse-
guences.
Until the close Of this session Of the
congress, atnoon Of March g there via
be many executive sessions OF the sen-
ate, for the president must make nus
merous nominations, an Of which win
require senatorial concurrence. The
red lights will be shining over thedoora
and the uniformed officials will BE
there, and what is said in executive
session we viii never know.
There is at least p u~ntarnishea
free masonry which cannot Be IS.
trayed, And the red lights will cons
tinue to shine. SMITH d. FRY.
TaIk Of the Haraware
RurolRr 70 Ace0mwVnp-gnrasu 81.