National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-03-13

until the Judgment nf tine senate cOulu De
taken in respect OF bis removal aud the APP.
pointment OF successor, The President
took pains, as he should, In his order OF
suspension and IN his order of designation,
TO state that both were subject to all the
laws applicable thcreto,n and sections OF
the Revised Statutes forming part Of the
law Of 1867 aud 1869 declared in explicit
terms that this man should not be removed
except by the advice and consent Of the
Senate When the nomination OF Burnett
came to the Senate, therefore, Dusliin was
the attorney Of the United States for Ala
bama, and the proposition was that he
should be removed by the appointment OF
the gentleman selected as his successor II IL
should meet the approval OF the Senate.
Therefore the Senate, II itwere even jury,
and had to submit TO the Judgment OF the
President us u Judge as TO what evidence
should be laid before IL, connected with the
case, and its relevancy, II would have been
relcvnnt-on the very issue submitted by
the Judge TO the jury-to know what was
the conduct and management OF that
office in the hands Of the person whom the
President asked the Senate to assist him In
displacing by the new appointment. That
question had arisen before-not between
the President and the Senate, but inithe
Cabinet councils Of the President.
Mr.. Edmunds had the clerk read long
opinion Of Attorney General Akerman,
dated Aug. 4, 1870, relating to the case of
George ii. Yeaman, commissioned minister
to Copenhagen, IN which Mr.. Alderman,
among other things, says that the word
"supension," when applied to an office,
never signided final removal OF an officer;
also an opinion Of Attorney General Devens,
dated Oct. 4, 1877, in which that officer,
among other things, says that Tan Office the
incumbent Of which is only suspended is in
no case placed In allegiance"
Mr.. Edmunds cited and commented on
large number Of instances gathered from
the journals of Congress, in which. by reso-
luton and otherwise, Congress had called
on the President or heads of Departments
for information aud papers respecting
great variety OF topics and got what 1t
called for.
Mr. Edmunds then read a copy of letter
from Mr.. Thurman, as chairman Of the COM
mittce, to the Attorney General, dated March
"a, 1879, calling for "such information as
may be In the possession Of yourdepartment
concerning the following nominations, to-
gether with any suggestion you may be
pleased TO note.n "On the 9TH of April,n
continued Mr.. Edmunds, "thcre came In a
horse Of a different color-the same kind OF
| an animal that we have here now .n.st Laugh
teri Accordingly on that day this letter
was written to the Attorney General:
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TIT. uSrTED
| 1
dietary committee of the Senate | have the
| honor 10 request that you will communicate
to the committee any papers or Information IN
| your possession touching the, question OF the
| propriety of the memorial emphasis by Mr.. Ed
| munds) of Michael Shailer, chief Justice of the
supreme court Of the territory Of Utah, aud the
appointment Of David I. CGrbin to the Office,
| Very respectfully, your obedent servant,
ALLEN q. THURMAN, Chairman.
Alas for the Democracy of those days.
| Laughter Think, Mr.. President, Of the
infinite idiocy, the unpatriotism, the usurpa-
| ton of that number OF five senators Of the
| United States Of the Democratic party as.
sailing Republican Attorney General aud
Republican President with the insulting
and impertinent inquiry as to papers and
information touching a suspended officer
| whose successor was nominated to accom-
| plish his removal. And yet those men were,
In their day-in those times-amOng the
| headlights Of the Democratic locomotive.
| Laughter There was Thurman-his light
| Is put out renewed laughter THE greatest
Democrat In the United States Applause in
| the galleries. and the best one and the no.
blest one and the bravest one-for he had the
| courage not long ago in your state, sir, to
denounce the Democratic frauds at the bal
lot. There was Thurman, and there was
"Joe" McDonald-a name familiar In the
| west as In the east as the embodimento OF up
| right Democratic pluck and constitutional
| law; and there was Garland, whom we all
knew here, the leader on the Democratic
side of the Senate, full and running over
| with constitutional and statute and reported
law, knowing his rights as a senator and as
q member Of the committee and knowing
his duties; and Lamar, and then all the rest
OF us on this side, joining In what the
present President of the United States calls
an impcrtinent innovation Of his rights in
asking for papers. Mr.. President, II were
going 10 be rhetorical | should say Just
there, "Oh, Shame, where Is thy blush ?"
But that was not tie only instance Mr..
Edmunds said. The same chairman on
many occasions had called for that same
class Of information and got II.
In conclusion, II did not seem to Mr.. Ed
munds that tue Senate could fail to get the
papers on the ground that the statute on
the subject had become obsolete, or gone
into state Of 'innocuous desuetude.'
Laughter.
The President himself had sent TO thu
Senate 6i3 instances Of obedience to that
law-643 nominations made under i.-ant
Mr.. Edmunds therefore took 1t that the Law
was still in force.
Mr.. Harris then moved an executive SEES
sion, and the motion being agreed to- thu
Senate at 4:27 p. IN. went into executive
session.
About 5 o'clock the doors were reopenet
and the Senate adjourned.
The speaker laid before the House the re
spouse OF the Secretary Of the Navy to tn
Boutelle resolution calling for information
in regard to the Norfolk navy yard.
Mr.. Boutelle, of Maine, asked unanimou
consent that the document be Ordere
printed and laid upon the table, In orde
that he might, at some future time, submit
some remarks upon 1t. He believed tina
the substantial allegations made In his reso
luton were sustained by the document.
Mr.. Beach, Of New York, and Mr.. Eden
of.Illinois, objected to the request, and tn
communication was referred to the com
mittee on naval affairs.
On behalf Of the committee on labor
Mr.. James, of New York, called up tn
bill to prohibit any officer, servant, or agen
of the government to hire or contract on
the labor of prisoners incarcerated for vi
olating the laws Of the United States gov
eminent.
Mr.. James said that the bill was In tn
Interest of the honest mechanic. The sys
TEN which prevailed at some OF the peni
tentiaries OF the country Of hiring out con
/ Wet labor had worked great hardship ant
injustice to the honest mechanic. In hi
own district great industry-the manufaC
ture Of bats-had been entirely crushed ou
because II could not compete with conyiC
| labor.
The bill was passed-yeas 249, nays s.
Inc Rouse tnen went INTO committee
the whole (Mr. Townshend, of Illinois, 1
the chair on the Indian appropriation bill
Mr. Wellborn, Of Texas, briefly ran owe
the appropriations made by the bill, an
compared them with those made for til
current year, summing up with the state
ment that the pending bill carried $500
562 as against S5,777,45l appropriated 70
the current year.
Messrs. Nelson, Of Minnesota, an
Throckmorton, of Texas, continued the d,
, bate, and pending further discussion tn
committee rose, and the House, at $3.50 I
m. ,sadjourned.
Again Wednesday the Senate gallaries wer
unable to receive all OF the hundreds Q
people who went to the capitol for the puI
, pose OF listening TO the continuance Of th
| dehota unnn the judiciary committeeis rae,