The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1886-04-14
HE DEALT WITH FACTS.
The Dignified Senator from Vermont LAID
on His Back by the Energetic aenels-
man from Kentucky.

The Dignifed Senator from Vermont Laid
on His Back by the Energetic Gentls- |
man from Kentucky.
Senator Edmunds has never appeared
to more disadvantage since the organl-
cation of the spoils-mongers' crusade
against the Administration than he did
in his little bout with Senator Beck, OF
Kentucky. Senator Beck has the habit
of calling a spade a spade, and in a
scrimmage his favorite weapon is the
club. He has very little respect for
Senatorial tradition, of which the
Green mountain statesman is the SELF
constituted guardian, and none at all
for the absurd notions OF Senatorial
dignity and consequence with winch
that eminent person is so tremendous
" inflated. The stalwart Kentuckian
| laid about him right and left with his
bludgeon, knocking Senatorial dignity
and Senatorial tradition into smith
Greens, exploding the gauzy fiction OF
| Senatorial secrecy, and filling the proud
Senatorial soul of the Vermont oracle
with profound disgust. Senator Beck
showed, by plain statement OF facts
the utter humbug and hypocrisy
of the pretensions put forward by SEN
ator Edmunds and his colleagues in sup
port of their demand for the papers in
the Duskin case. He declared that
Duskin was VIGOROUSLY an unfit man
for the office from which he had been
suspended by the President, and that
the fact of his unfitness was known to
no person better than to Senator Ed
munds himself; that Duskin had been
rejected by the Senate when originally
nominated in March 1881, and thai
when again nominated in October o.
the same year Senator Edmunds, az
chairman of the judiciary Committee
had refused to report his name bacl
for confirmation; that he had beer
nominated in all three times, and tina
there were papers now IN the hand
of the Judiciary Committee which
abundantly justified Duskin's dismlssa
from the public service.
Senator Edmunds WINGED under thl
| exposure of disagreeable facts, AM
made several unsuccessful attempts t.
choke off Senator Beck on the plea tina
he was violating the rules by betray
ing the secrets of the executive ses
sion. A pretty plea, indeed, to com
from the man who has commended, 1
, fine set phrase, that ''there is no roor
for secrecy in the operations of fire
Government" But it had no etfet
, upon the Kentuckian, who proceede
, to demonstrate the absurdity OF tn
theory of Senatorial secrecy by show
ing that all the facts as to the action {
, the Senate upon the Duskin case in e.
executive session had been published
+ the newspapers of the country at tt
). time of its occurrence. He conclude
a his onslaught upon the Edmund
+ cabal with the remark that "fort,
- parson power would not do justice
# much Of the hypocrisy that is now pr
4 sented to the Senate in the pretenses
a a desire to establish public justice.
. Subsequently in ''secret session Il
~ Senator moved that all the proceeding
g of the Senate (relative to the Dusk
"a appointment) in March, 1881, Octobe
: 1881 and December, 1881, all pape
:. before the Judiciary Committee, al
all the proceedings of that commit
"A be made public.
:" In the meantime it would be int
!. esting to know what Senator Edmun
really and honestly supposes the cou
q fry thinks of his performances regal
ling the Duskin matter, in the light
p. Senator Beck's astonishing revelatio
7 on the subject.-Chicago Times.