at the very height
of its Constitutional power. It was, I think, a more powerful
body than ever before or since. There were no men in it,
I suppose, who were equal in reputation or personal authority
to either of the great triumvirate--Webster, Clay and Calhoun.
If we may trust the traditions that have come down from the
time of the Administrations of Washington and Adams, when
the Senate sat with closed doors, none of them ever acquired
the authority wielded by the profound sagacity of Ellsworth.

But the National authority itself, of which the Senate was
a part, was restricted by the narrow construction which prevailed
before the Civil War. During the Civil War everything was
bowed and bent before the military power. After the war ended
the Senate was engaged in a controversy with Andrew Johnson,
during which there could be no healthy action either of the
executive or the legislative branch of the Government. It
was like a pair of shears, from which the rivet was gone.

With the coming in of Grant harmonious relations were established
between the two departments. But the Senators were unwilling
to part with the prerogatives, which they had helped each
other to assert, and which had been wrenched from the feeble
hand of Johnson. What was called Senatorial Courtesy required
every Senator belonging to the party in the majority to support
every other in demanding the right to dictate and control
the executive and judicial appointments from their respective
States. So every Senator had established a following, like
that of the Highland chieftain--"Vich Ian Vohr with his tail
on"--devoted, of course, to the party, but devoted more completely
and immediately to his political fortunes.

President Grant in the beginning undertook to break down this
arrogant claim. He recommended the repeal of the Civil Tenure
Act, the establishment of a system of competitive examinations
for appointments in the civil service and, under the advice
of Attorney-General Hoar, made the nominations to the new
Circuit Court without regard to Senatorial dictation. But
he very soon abandoned this purpose, and formed a close friendship
and alliance with the most earnest opponents of the reform.

While, in my opinion, this claim of the Senators was untenable
and of injurious public consequences, it tended to maintain
and increase the authority of the Senate. The most eminent
Senators--Sumner, Conkling, Sherman, Edmunds, Carpenter, Freli