Year: 1871

Secretary of State on the one side, and


he Senator from Massachusetts on the


sther side, are uhkindly. Sir, suppose


nat 70 be so, is the action of the Amer


can Senate to be governed and deter
mined by the occasional personal bick-
/ 2rings which may occur between 4
member of this body and a member oi
the executive department of the Govern
ment?


Is not this Government divided into
three very distinct branches, each oi
which has IT'S separate duties assigned to
IL? DO we not move in an independent
sphere? Must we. before assigning any
.iuties to any one of our number. first
ask the President or the Secretary Oi
State, or. for aught know. any otheI
secretary appointed by the President.
how he Looks personally upon thai
choice, whether the gentleman we selecf
would be pleasant company for dinner ?
Is it. indeed, necessary that they shoulu
be in close. anlicable. and confidential
relations concerning questions simply
appertaining to the intercourse of social
life? No. sir; what is necessary is thai
the channels of official communication
be open that the President, or bis Sec
retzries. shall be at liberty to communi-
cafe to the Senate, through the medium.
of committees. if not directly, those
propositions which they desire to sub
mt And | ask the Senate is not this
at the present moment the case? !
there the least obstruction


Il has been said that the Senator from
Massachusetts has refused to entertain
personal relations Of any kind with the
President and Secretary of State.
pronounce this untrue. He has not re-
fused to do that. On the contrary, on =
very noted occasion. he has most en-
phaucally declared that in spite of all
that may have passed between them he
was al any momenf ready to regard ana
receive the Secretary Of State as an OLD
friend. and TO transact with him sucl
official business as might claim their CO.
operation. And | am sorry the Senate
from New Hampshire Mr.. Patterson is
not now in his seat. On an occasion 0
some importance he was asked by Ihc
Secretary of State whether he knew how
the Chairman of the Committee on For
eign Relations would receive him. Tht
Senator from New Hampshire put th.,s
question formally TO the Senator from
Massachusetts, and received the reply
that he would receive MIR. Fish as al
old friend, and would be not only will
ing but would be glad to discuss sucl
matters and transact such business will
him as might happen to be up for con
sideraUion.


Sir, is that not all that is necessary
Is it indeed required of the Chairrnen o
our committees that they should fawn
upon the members Of the executive de
partment Of this country? Are they
not to entertain any feelings of thei
own even as to their social intercourse





And now, the question that presents
itself to US is this: is it our duty, are We
in our consciencess are we as members
of the American Senate. called upon 10
disgrace any member of this body, one
of our own, one who has stood higl
among US and enjoyed the confidence o.
the country in a rare degrees is It on
duty to take him from position which
he has filled so long and with so mucl
ability and honor, when some membeT>
of the executive department drop into
personal relations with him
Or is It not time at least that we. Aneri !
can Senators. should maintain tie dig
nifty and privileges of our Office Is !
not time that we should assert our right It
settle our own differences and our owI
affairs for ourselves ? Can we afford
with a question Ike this before Us, 10 le
the questJeR of suaa5l social civilties eas
erclse an Ipfluence upon the great inter
ests of the country


/ repeat, sir, tn L in my opinion thi,
pretense of disturbed personal relation
is SO flinsy a pretext for making thi
change, for which, as is generally ad
mitted, there can be no reason spring
ing from the joint qualifications-abili
ty, services. and integrity--it is 50 films,
a preten that it fairly vanishes into thii
air. will not speak of the consequence,
which acts like this are likely to have
but, sir, it is perhaps time for the Re
publican party of this country to con
slider whether they are quite ready Il
sacrifice their cause 10 the whims of oLt
single man