Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1871-04-07

In his speech in the Senate, March 18th,
In repfy to Senator schurz of Missouri,
Mr.. Edmunds spoke as follows:
He MIR. Schurzl undertakes to declare
that we are removing and disgracing the
Senator from Massachusetts for some cause
or other. That is not true, sir. The rules
of the Senate have carefully provided that
every official station in this body held by
Senator shall terminate once in two years,
and that at the expiration of two years, no
man, however respectable, however long
his period of service, shall have any right
to any office in this body whatever. He
ceases to hold it by the regular provisions
of the law Of this body, its rules, which I
hold in my hand.
Therefore, when we are called upon to
make fresh selections of members of a
committee, we are not disgracing or re-
moving or displacing any person II we
happen to choose, in the Encouragement of
committees, to transfer one person from a
place he may have held before to some 9TH
er sphere of usefulness. This is the point.
Ii was in order that Senators should under
sta nd that no man here has right to any
craftsmanship, TO any membership of any
committee as his right, that the rule has
provided that once in two years the right
of everybody should terminate, and that
fresh departure should be taken in the Sc
lection of the agents of this body tor the
performance Of its business. This is the
ground upon which we stand, to begin
with.
Then the question is, In the selection of
agents, what Is tit and convenient for the
discharge of our public duties not as my
friend has truly said, what is fit and con-
venient to the wishes of the President of
the United States. They are nothing to us.
Certainly, so far as i know, the Presftieuf
OF the United States has not expressed any
wish to me. Perhaps it was for the reason
that my friend from Missouri would sug-
gest that I disagree with The President
about San Domingo. On that my friend
and would fall in the same category
Perhaps that is the reason. But, sir, as II
Is our duty to do the public business in this
best way we can, it is our duly in per-
forming that public business to appoint
committees who shall he most useful in
max ing us acquainted with the subject.
upon which we are to act. Can anybody
dispute THAR
Then, sir, II that be true, where is the
great fuss that Is TO be made where a ma.
jcrity Of the Senate, or majority of some
party in 1t, according to the usage OF the
selection OF committees, have thought nt L
select as chairman of the Committee OF
Foreign Relations for this session some
other person than tho one who had held Il
before, and whose right to it had terminal
ed? As TO other committees, that Is done
every session and every day without fus,
being made about II. 1t has even beer
done on this very occasion, to the distastC
and dissatisfaction OF gentlemen concern.
ed aside from this one; and yet no mar
thinks of asserting that he has a right ia
a Craftsmanship he has held before, or to
place on committee he has held before
because he knows that If he does max,
abat assertion he is asserting an untruth In
Ahe face of the rule which has terminated
Ibis Office.
Then. sir, II 1t is fit for us TO select quiet
lly and calmly, agents whom we suppose
best calculated under all the circumstance:
TO perform their duties to us and nobody
else, are our motives to be arraigned by MS
,serting that we are "bending the pregnant
hinges of the knee" to the Executive o.
the nation, because we have thoSght 1t de
sirable that this committee should hs SC
constituted as that 1t could be the medium
in doing its duty to us and to the country
Of confidential communication between
those departments who In respect to for
eikn affairs with ms are tho goyernnasnt 81