Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-08-10

Congress. To this bill an amendment was
authorizing the President to sus- |!
pend all pretended OF real State laws that
he may deem unjust and oppressive" 1t is
n notable mark of Senator E.imunds's indie
peudence and craftsmanship that he strongly
opposed this amendment. He pronounced
it "a thing entirely uniu:tiGablc; IN au-
thotity that ought not 10 b. delegated 10 any
fuuctioniry." 1T this "a in thousand
other instances, Senator Elmundss course
gives the lie to the charge often brought
against him that he is Il bitter and unscrupul.
Gus partisan.
Senator l. lmunds's feeling toward the
South is well shown by the following ex-
tract from one of his speeches on the adms
sion of Georgia (Forty-iirst Congress, second
session.:
mo man who believes az we believe In
the reality of Democratic government will
ever vote to receive any people into the fam
lily Of States until hG is convinced by the
most conclusive evidence that that people
arc themselves by their own local and do
.mestic institutions and by the spirit they ex-
hbit entitled to that admission"
Later In the debate he said
ave are cndcavoring TO restore ORDER to
secure private rights 10 the rebels as well as
to the Union men. We are not undcrt king
to set up one law for one class of people and
another for another, but we are only endcav-
oring TO maintain equal security and equal
privileges in those States
"Our hope is not In oocrcivc legislation.
1t is not 10 disabilities. 1t is, now that the
war is over, and now that the rights of this
race and of the whole race are secured, in
appealing to the principle of equal rights in
all States. Standing upon that and legislat-
ing in accordance with that tho Republican
party will have long reign before the DEM
ocrats come in"
These, surely, are the words Of u patriot
and statesman, not of the mere partisan or
time server.
Near the close Of the session Senator Bay
ard-to his discredt be it remembercd-in
troduccd bill taxing Government bonds /;
and Senator Edmunds opposed ii us both dis
honorable and unconstitutional.
At the third session Gen. Grants pet
scheme of the annexation of Sauto Domingo
came before the Senate, aud Senator Ed.
munds opposed it with vigor.
Especially noteworthy at this tune is Sen
ator Edmundss attitude Oh the question of
civil service reform. In the carly part OF Mr..
Edmundss Congressional career that dislin.
guislcd Vcrmonter the lion. Robert 5. Hale
introduced in the House Il bill for tic reform
and regulation of the civil service This in
due time went 10 the Senate and was referred
to a committee of which Senator Edmund:
was member. The committee, after in
vcstigation and deliberatlon, drew up bill
which was introduced in the House by the
| late Hon. Thomas y. Jcnckts of Rhode
IsanI and which is generally known
as the Jenckcs bill. This bill was twice
put upon its passage and failed each time
At the opening Of the second session of The
Forty-second Congress De. 4, 1870,
Senator Edmunds reintroduced the bill, sly
ing that he desired - provision Of the law
which shall secure, so lar as we may wisely
and rgntly do, the same permancncy aut
the the same method of asceGtaining merit il
the civil administration that We have in thu
military and naval" la the debate upon til,
bill which followed he used the following
noteworthy language
can inquiry iuto the methods Of excluding
public patronage from being used in the
operations Of politics is very proper subject
of lu4uitJ. L hav1 ond1.vorud eino>
l have been in Congress to accomplish tina,
thing. The very theory Of that civil serve.
reform is invested in the tact that 1t is II
withdraw from executive CT congtcssiona
patronage--and the patronage is much nor,
largely Congressional than il is executive
the offices OF the Government. The
bill withdraws IRON Senatorial and repre-.
sentative and executive patronage the Of
ficels of the Government, because it puts
those officers in position of independence
above Senators aud Representatives and
executives, and makes their title to their Of
flee ard their continuance in it for given
or an indttl length of time, as may be
wise, independent OF thc will OF any man
and dependent ouly, as ii is in the Amy and
Navy, upon the fidelity of the performance
of their functions"
And later IN the session. defending prcsi.
dent Grants Civil Service O. mmission, Seua.
| tor Edmrnds SAID
If there is anything in this country which
the people have been taught to believe is OF
value, ii is education as the foundation of
morality, as the ally Of religion, as the firm
hope and basis of progress. If that be true
Of education, OF that general information
touching human affairs and that general cul-
| tivation and discipline OF the powers of the
human mind which we are taught, us have
said, to believe in, and it is to be denied or
ignored 10 the selection of public servants,
then lei us understand it. If, on the other
hand, this education that we all 50 much
speak of, and boast Of, and desire, is thing
which is essential end vqqabl e in the admin
istration of affairs, there must be some way
of bringing il into the public service; aud
we do know that now, in Il large sense, it is
Now should hope that wherever
there is public duty to be performed which
does not require political administration,
great political principle, or political
policy, but only requires the ildelity
| OF the citizen best known for his virtue aud
his education and his capacity to fill that
trust, we might, as in the early days of the
Republic, select him without asking him
| whether he believes in this or that particular
political policy Could we do that, | think
that the tone Of tho two Houses Of Congress,
the tone of the ciyi! administration OF the
government aud the progress OF he country
would be very largely enhanced"
At the third session Senator Edmunds op-
posed the infamous back-pay grab (at the
next session he tried to obtain repeal of the
law under WHICH il was made), spoke lin favor
of ant-polygamy legislation and took IN
active part in the debates upon Arkansas and
Louisiana affairs. In the course of 40 elabo-
rate speech upon the latter topic he used
these words, which fairly represent his at
titude toward the South.
''As far az any act Of mine has ever gone
or ever will go, shall never stop to inquire
| M Ihn rnnI snni MI un Irnm nuN SnuI Ia.