Mr. COWAN. Presidential appointments. Now, sir, there is the sum and substance of all this matter, and what does it amount to? What is there alarming in it? Nothing alarming to anybody except to somebody who is afraid of being turned out of office; that is all. Then the question rises, how long are these people to remain in office? Is any dominant party in this country willing to put itself upon the ground that they once in, shall remain and continue in? I am very free to say that if I understand the feeling of the American people, it is directly against that system of perpetu ating one man in office. It has been said here that the ballot educates; we ought to give the ballot to men and women to educate them. It is clear that offices educate, too, and hence the old doctrine of rotation in office. One of the merits of this Government is, that the offices are within the reach of every man; but if when a party gets in and gets control of the offices, gets a dominant majority, they determine that the President. not remove unless with their consent, what is that but saying, “We have the key in our hands and will lock the door and keep ourselves in and every one else out.” Again, sir, a large number of officers were appointed in 1861, when the Administration of Mr. Lincoln came in. I believe the outgoing party did not grumble a great deal about it. t was what they expected and what every body expected. was only carrying out the doctrine of rotation on a great scale. So they went out with a good grace and others came in. In the meanwhile, however, a new state of affairs took place in the country. We have had a terrible war. 1000s and 100s of 1000s of men abandoned their business, their homes, and their means of live. lihood, and they went out in defense of the Government and its Constitution and laws. They have come home. Are they not entitled to some consideration at the hands of the Executive? Take a civilian who during the war sat at home in his office; a good officer I have nothing to say about that; I suppose that to be true doing his duties well, receiving from one to 10,000 dollars a year for it, who has had his office for 5 years. Is there any very great hardship in saying to him, “Sir, you have had your turn; offices here are not to be hereditary; they do not belong to anybody by divine or especial right; you must go out, and here is a soldier with one leg well qualified to do the duty, and he has a right to have his turn.” In a great many instances such men have been rewarded. I think that wherever they could be found well qualified they were appointed, not altogether because civilians were not entitled to their share and soldiers were the whole people; but they were entitled to their share, and it was the only way they could receive that recognition at the hands of the President.