St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-03-13
1t Demands the Presidents Secrets, But
Carries on Its Own Work in Secret
as Usual.
The Senate to be Made n Court and the
President Common Pleader
Before II.
Weaver OF Nebraska Aims n Resolu
ton at the Head OF the House
Crank.
Iu Defense of the President.

yOe AlAO AoAOA Va q lAdNI NAl NA4C NhAAAAAAbNNS
OF the Judiciary or even on any other of the
leading committees, and who, as becomes a
young man and a young senator, rarely
takes part i'm the debates IN the
senate. John L. Kenua, the junior senator
from West Virginia, is only So years old,
or rather he will attain that age next
month. He is now just in the midst OF the
middle of his first term in the senate, but
before entering the senate mad been MEM
Der of congress six years, and had been
elected TO congress four times. He is
known TO be strong and
GRACEFUL ORATOR,
but he does not often speak. \ couple of
years ago. when he was very new in the
senate. he offended Senator Edmunds and
other old martinets by making a half-hour
speech on the Blair educational bill,
which was one of the best speeches
made during the debate. Since that time
he has rarely said anything and has made
no regular speech up TO to-day. 1t is un-
derstoOd that tonight Senator Edmunds is
more than ever persuaded that young SEN
atOrs should be seen and not heard. The
artistic manner in which Mr.. Kenna stripped
the disguise off the senator from Vermont,
and the mercilesS way IL which he applied
the argumentum ad hominum to both Ed
mundS aud Sherman has not been surpassed
/ III lllC SCllGNC lOl q lOils NlAAiO- LhNA olAANO
this controversy began il has been repeat
edly said that while John Sherman was sec
Tetary Of the treasury he wrote
LETTER TO ROSCOE CoNKLING
refusing to send papers that was desired
from the department files. Mr.. Sherman
! has been several times twitted about this
letter, and has replied that he remembered
no such letter and that he always furnished
/ the papers that were asked for. To-day
/ Mr.. Kenna refreshed John SheTman's bad
memory by sending TO the clerks desk and
! having read the identical letter. Mr..
Sherman, in his speech three weeks
ago. disclaimed for all senators on
his side any claim to know the presidents
reasons for suspensions; they only claimed
the right TO see the documents on tile. Mr..
Kenna disposed of this by sending to the
clerks desk and having read the letter from
the finance committee, of which Mr.. Sher-
man is a member, TO the secretary OF the
treasury asking for the reasons or for the
papers containing the reasons for a certain
suspension.
THE ADDRESS OF SENATOR KENNA.
WASHINGTON, March 12.-The senate
! passed the bill to forfeit part of the lands
! granted to the state of Iowa in aid of rail-
roads. The judiciary resolution on the Tela-
| llOllS VI NuG plCSlhCliN eAllN NilC NuNiA
came up. Mr.. Kenna of West Virginia
took the floor. He contended that the SEN
ate was not entitled TO call for and receive
such documents and papers as come within
the definition of public papers as laid down
by the senator from Vermont, and said:
If paper were addressed to the presi dent
| pro tempore in his Official capacity, that fact
a o re, according TO the senator from Vermont
made IL an official paper, TO which every de-
| partment official of this great government
was entitled. IL might come from Potta-
wattamie Indian, signed in his native dialect,
involving remote contingency OF the scalp
ing of the officers and members Of the senate,
and yet according to the definition ii was an
ffcial document. The senator from Vermont
had proceeded to demonstrate his theories TO
be correct, that the senate had a right TO go
into every department of the government,
20 the White House, treasury, war and state
departments, whether acting in executive or
open sc sion, ransacking the archives of
these various departments and wringing from
them papers coming within the definition
he had read, and yet
VERY MoCKERY
of this situation seemed by some providen-
! tial interposition 10 exhibit itself within 3
moment after he had concluded. No sooner
, had the honorable senator taken his seat
than, as is customary in the senate, some
senator moved that the senate proceed to the
| consideration of executive business, and the
bells, which were arranged for the conve-
nience of members of the senate, began "a
tingle throughout the capitol. party OF
gentlemen composing part OF a coordinate
branch of the government having listened Il
, the argument which undertook TO say that al
> mankind should have no secret from the
senate was admonishei 10y that ringing OF
bells that the time had come that the senate
would put on its robes of royal purple. Five
thousand brave men and fair women were
expelled from the galleries. The eyes of the
American press were closed. The doors rat
tied and sentinels took their posts and, as
fitting testimony at the conclusion of the
speech of the senator from Vermont, the
senate was resolved into its ancient secrecy
and as the files marched out and the officers
assumed their posts as guards of the sacred
privileges of the senate and denied every
where else, the thought came how abundantly
practices may ingraft themselves upon the
= human composition and how little reflection,
perhaps, members of the senate had given tc
the fact that for q hundred years or more the
body had been
= THE STAR CHAMBER
of the American Republic. Why, the sen.
i ator from Vermont would deny privacy o.
1 confidence TO every paper in every depart
ment OF the government. The issue after al
: was whether a Democratic administrator
! should appropriately perform its functions il
: the face OF a negative obstructive majorit!
on the other size of this chamber. lApplaus
= from the galleries, which drew from the oc
S cupant of the chair. Mr.. Blackburn, the ad
| monition that evidences Of approval or dis
! | approval were not allowed. The peopl
q were unable to change their officials excep
n | through the executive. When the peopl
elected Grover Cleveland to the presidency
/ was for the purpose of effecting such
change as would make the government con
9 form to the public will, which was that tn
J, | former marshals, and collectors, and post
J; masters and consuls, and ministers shoul
: 60 so far as necessary, and that, If necessar
to carry out the purposes Of the governmen
n in good faith, that they should all 60. Th
senate might approve or disapprove a sus
pension, but il was powerless as the stars {
effect the question. The man was suspende
until the end OF the next session, and wha
= did il matter IL at the end of the session b
!, resumed his Office, since, by a stroke of hi
pen. the president could suspend him again
e Yet the proposition was that in all these mat
:, ters the president must submit without lal
% to every degradation and
h EVERY HUMILITY
L and every demand by the senate. The repoI
"a of the judiciary committee said that IN
!, president Notwithstanding his civil servic
utterauces. had sent in within thirty day
after the senate met 643 suspensions.
would have been at least fair if the committe
had stated that these 64S suspensions cover
], period of eight months. But in 1853 whe
n Gen. Grant assumed the functions of IN
, 1 executive Office he sent TO the senate $50 II
movals within seven weeks. and during 81
20 weekssof that time the original act of lsG
e was still n force. In eight months PresideI
3 Cleveland had made 643 suspensions.
IS seven weeks Gen. Grant had made ESQ. an
m they didn't go fast enough. The popular d,
n mand TO carry out the policy indicated by Nj
- - Blaine's letter was so overwhelming that
~ gentleman. now member OF the senate. the
~ member of the house, offered q
Is amendment which he would res
as a matter of history. Mr.. LoEan OF mino