Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-03-02

Gl)e Eai,faster .Jntelli9e,,ftr.
LAxcAsrrR, MARCH >. Ises.
On Solid Ground.

On Solid Ground.
~ With all the caution, conservatism and
deliberation that have generally character
lied the presidents course in reaching an
opinion upon great public questions; but,
likewise, with all the emphasis and lucidity
that pertain to his enunciation of a policy
thus concluded upon, Mr.. Cleveland gives
to the Senate and the wider audience of
his countrymen his position upon with
holding from the Senate the private papers
touching suspensions from federal offices.
Referring to the repeated calls by the Sem
ate, in one form OF another, upon his vari-
Ous cabinet officers for these papers, he
takes all the responsibility for their denial
Of these requests, and states his position
on the issue thus raised concisely and clear
~ in these words:
Against the Transmission of such papers
and documents / have interposed my advice
suggssted in the committee's report, upon
the assumption on my part that the attorney
general or any head Of department sis the
servant OF the president and is to
IN his office according to the will
Of the executive and not otherwise"
but because I regard the papers and
documents withheld and addressed to me or
intended for my use and action purely un-
official and private, not infrequentiy conf
dental, and having reference to the perform
ance Of q duty exclusively mine. l consider
them in no proper sense as upon the files of
the department., but as deposited there for
my convenience, remaining still completely
under my control. suppose, IL desired
10 take them into my custody, I might do so
with entire prcpriety, and If / saw fit to
destroy them nc one could complain.
Frcm the beginning of this controversy
the lNTELLIeENCER has maintained ex-
actly this view of the case /; it seems to be
impregnable. We perceive by the reports of
some of the newspapers that portion of
the Democratic senators view the message
askance; and it is even said "a majority
of the Democrats who have read it express
the opinion that it is an impolitic and un-
called for expression Of unsolicited views" 4"
This may in some measure be true, and in
large degree it is weak invention Of the
enemy. The Senate is close corporation
its members are jealous Of their preroga-
tives, a considerable number of them on
the Democratic side are not well pleased
with the president, and we do not doubt
the c0olness of some of them to the execu-
tive message asserting his prerogatiye and
denying the senatorial assumptions.
We notice that that hard-headed and
able, albeit impulsive and sometimes
ng-shipped Senator Beck is reported in
advance Of this deliverance to have taken
the same ground, and to have said that the
Senate had no right to ask for, certainly
had no right to get papers that the presi.
dent might, with every propriety, cast into
the fire if he saw f1t.
The president says:
1t will not be denied, suppose, that the
president may suspend public officer In the
entire absence of any papers or documents to
aid his official Judgment and discretion.
am quite prepared to avow that the
cases are not few in which suspen.
sions from office have depended more
upon oral representations made to he by
citizens Of known good repute and by mem.
bers OF the House Of Representatives
and senators OF the United States
than upon any letters and documents pre-
eented Tor my examination. have not felt
justified In suspecting the veracity, integrity
q and patriotism OF senators or ignoring their
representations because they were not in
party utilization with the majority of theiI
associates, and / recall few suspensions
which bear the approval of individual mem
befs Identified politically with the majority
In the Senate.
This forcible illustration seems to bt
conclusive. There can be no question Of
the right of the president to receive orally
private and confidential communication.
s upon suspensions it is very frequently tn,
most satisfactory way. There is no powe
to drag from the president these communi
cations. Why should not letters ant
other documents sent to him, OF
matters in which he alone has
discretion and authority, be considered
In the same light Who will say that h,
has not the right to destroy all such com
4 municati0ns at once, except for considera
4 tions of convenience? ? To file them in hi
bed-chamber instead of in the departments
Indeed it is very much within his provinc
70 dispose of recommendations and paper
touching appointments in the same way
and it is only when he actually puts theI
! on file, and because the Senate must ad
wise and consent to appointments-not t
suspensions-that the papers in this class @
cases are at the Senate's call.
The president goes on broadly and brave
1yto declare that he disputes the right O
ths Senate by the aid Of any document
whatever, or in any way save through thu
judicial process of trial on impeachment, I,
review or reverse the act of the executiy,
In the suspension during the recess OF tn,
Senate Of federal officials. He believes tn
power to remove or suspend such officials
vested IN the president alone by the const
tntion, which in express terms provide
that the executive power shall be yeste
IN . president Of the United States Q
America, and that he shall take care tina
\ ~ laws be faithfully executed"
3he president recalls the historic fac
~ NJ present position of the Senate wa
eoee ehsgstallized into statute Tor the o,
I've paytif n purposes of those bent o
nftng the johnson administration b
pyer.ton Of the constitution; hut eve
~ ~ staeses vsapspsalsA Cor Grants ben
- aud the traces q thn& tenura a. On