never have been thought of had the Republican candidate
for President been elected. A feeling that the Senate was not playing
the game fairly to refuse the Democrats their innings was felt even
among Senator Edmunds' own adherents. A spirit of comity traversing
party lines is very noticeable in the intercourse of professional
politicians. Their willingness to help each other out is often
manifested, particularly in struggles involving control of party
machinery. Indeed, a system of ring rule in a governing party seems to
have for its natural concomitant the formation of a similar ring in the
regular opposition, and the two rings maintain friendly relations behind
the forms of party antagonism. The situation is very similar to that
which exists between opposing counsel in suits at law, where the
contentions at the trial table may seem to be full of animosity and may
indeed at times really develop personal enmity, but which as a general
rule are merely for effect and do not at all hinder cooperation in
matters pertaining to their common professional interest.

The attitude taken by the Senate in its opposition to President
Cleveland jarred upon this sense of professional comity, and it was
very noticeable that in the midst of the struggle some questionable
nominations of notorious machine politicians were confirmed by
the Senate. It may have been that a desire to discredit the reform
professions of the Administration contributed to this result, but the
effect was disadvantageous to the Senate. "The Nation" on March 11,
1886, in a powerful article reviewing the controversy observed: "There
is not the smallest reason for believing that, if the Senate won, it
would use its victory in any way for the maintenance or promotion of
reform. In truth, in the very midst of the controversy, it confirmed the
nomination of one of Baltimore's political scamps." It is certainly true
that the advising power of the Senate has never exerted a corrective
influence upon appointments to office; its constant tendency is towards
a system of apportionment which concedes the right of the President
to certain personal appointments and asserts the reciprocal right of
Congressmen to their individual quotas.

As a result of these various influences, the position assumed by the
Republicans under the lead of Senator Edmunds was seriously weakened.
When the resolutions of censure were put to the vote on the 26th of
March, that condemning the refusal of