Mr. BUCKALEW. There is only onefeat. ure of this amendment in which I feel any particular interest, because, as already stated, it involves a question which is involved in the general bill the question of the power of re. moval from office. The Senate will remember that one feature in the amendment is that all the existing officers of this description, that is pension agents, are to be removed from office by this law. It is declared that their commis’sions, which have been issued pursuant to former statute, shall expire upon a particular day. That feature of the bill applies to a very few officers; it may not be to one dozen. think we ought to reconsider this vote in order to reach that question and to remove thatfoa. ure from the present bill and let it be involved in the measure which has been befo the Senate for its consideration, and whichwill be regularly in order at the expiration of the morning hour. Under one clause of the Constitution, it provided that the appointment of subordin” officers may be vested in the President alone, in the heads of Depts, or in the cour of law; and in pursuance of that provision former law provided that one of the Secretano being the head of a Dept, shouldappo these officers. That was a constitutionalls", a very proper law. Under it the $o. exercised the authority conferred upon, ” he has made appointments; he has issued commissions. The constitutional provision hasboo executed by the legislative dept. by the Secretary. Now, sir, what is po A thing entirely novel in the history of the Government, that the 2 Houses by a legislative act shall dismiss these officers from 9 i shall vacate their commissions. Whether is done instantly upon the passage of.” or done 30 days hence makes no i. It is an attempt to remove from office of x Legislature alone, by Congress. It is go t ious to all the reasoning which upon this. was educed in the discussion of the 3. bill; and as it applies to so very few o: and as it applies only to the period 9 which has elapsed since the last, 1st of October as I think it ought to be removed from this ". ure, and the bill ought to stand as it stoodw it went from the Senate, before it was subo no to amendment by the House. The objection, to the passage of the bill, originally reported by our ComPensions transferring the appointment of these officers from the SecyInterior to the President by and with the advice and consent of the senate; but if we pass any measure carrying out this idea it ought to be prospective altogether; it ought not to involve the larger and more important question of the removal of officers by the Congress of the U.S. by a direct enactment of theirs, assuming to the 2 Houses this power of removal. We have had a grave argument in the general debate upon confer ring this power upon the President and Senate conjointly in most cases.