Year: 1866

THE DEMOCRATIC Party AND THE PREsI-
DENT.--1n the debate in the House, on Thurs
day, on the bill introduced by Mr. Schenck
of Ohio, providing that Congress should meet
on the 4th of March, the first day of Its term,
Mr.. LIE Blond of Ohio charged that it was a
scheme to keep Congress in perpetual session
and was part of a plan to strip the Executive
of power. Mr.. LIE Blond said:


desire that the gentlemen will come out
and make the thing plain, SO that the people
will understand it, instead of legislating as
they do. want them to say at once that we
have no Executive, but we have tenant at
will IN the White House; that he has no ap-
pointing power, but that the Senate of the
United States, as long as it remains radical,
shall have the appointing powSr. This is not
the only bill looking to that end. There is al
ready proposition pending here whereby the
appointing power is taken from the Executive
and gives to the Chief Justice of the United
States. suggest now that the Secretary of
the Interior should appoint the Chief Justice
of the United States instead of the Chief JUS
tice appointing certain officers in that depart
ment of the government. I can see nothing
but mischief in this whole system of legislation.
1 would much rather, if gentlemen are going
to legislate in that way, that they should at
onee make bold strike and take the head of
the Executive off, [cries of "Goodp'] and let
us understand the matter. [Laughterl We
have no interest in the Executive on this side
of the House; not the lease. Renewed laugh
tel. he is not the man of our choice. We
did not put him there. [Clapping of hands. ]
We do not claim any benefits under him, and
certainly we did not receive any in the late
campaign. Renewed laughter.] We never
took him up, and have therefore no right to drop
him; there was no necessity of our dropping
that which we had never taken up. We new
er took him up and he never took us up 1t is
true whenever he ran into our line of policy we
We're found to sustain him, but we never pre-
tended to shoulder that which this radical par
ty has put into power. To do SO would be to
destroy any party in the world. lRoars OF


"Mr. Schenck-The principal difficulty un-
der which the leader of the opposing party Ia
bors- .a


"Mr. LIE Blond (interrupting)-Not at ALL
We have none--no leader but the Constitution
and the laws.


"Mr. Schenck (res rming)-T gentleman
complains that we have not done something in
such way as to make. it plain to him. Now,
my observation leads me to believe that the
people do not need any particular explanation
and that they have understood, and have re-
Gently proved to the world, that they do
understand the questions submitted to
them by this Congress. I do not know
that we can make this any plainer-
l congratulate my colleague, however that he
will escape from all the difficulties that may
arise under the proposed law as to any sue
ceeding Congress, relieved, as he will be, of
the difficulty Of presiding over the delibera-
tions on that side of the House, and relieved
generally from the charge he now has in the
premises. [Laughter.]


Mr.. Schenck went on to explain the bill and
the matter was in the end postponed till tc-
day, by general consent.