The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1886-03-24
AN HONEST PAPER.
The Bomb Which President C1eveian
Has Thrown into the United States Sen
ate-Senator Edmunds' COnsternation

The Bomb Which President Cleveland
Has Thrown into the United States Sem
ate-Senator Edmunds' CONSERVATION.
For three months the Republican ma
jority of the United States Senate has
been strutting around in executive ses-
sions with a large number of Presi-
dental nominations in its pocket and a
chip OF defiance of the Presidential
prerogatlve on it's shoulder. Yester-
day the President took notice of the
challenge and threats of his would-be
tormentors in spirited and decisive
message that fairly startled poor Sen.
ator Edmunds into the belief that he
was back in the days of his younger
manhood when Charles I. was King.
Visions Of Runnymede, the magma
charter, the bill of rights, the ship tax
and Patnch's essence of Parliament
danced before his seniscent eyes. But,
notwithstanding Senator Edmund ire,
the people of the United States will be
thoroughly gratified at this new proof
that they have Il man in the White
House who within the fair lines of his
office is determined to be every inch a
President. There is ring of honest
courage about the manner in which
Grover Cleveland states his convictions
that adds weight to the blunt logic by
which he sustains them. He does not
wayer a hairs breadth from what he
considers his constitutional right to
mo lya fnr IN itnc
the Senate to exercise its constitutional
supervision of the nominations submit
ted to it and asks fair scrutiny of his
appointees. That he has made mis-
takes he is willing to admit. He ac-
knowledges the binding force of his
ante-election pledges and challenges
the Senate to show wherein they have
been disregarded. He stands manfully
by his years record, made in the face
of disatfected Democratic friends and
malignant Republican foes, and prom
Uses to continue to fulfill the promise Of
good government upon which he was
elected
1t will bother the Republicans of the
Senate nightly to reply to this mes
sage. The record of their party on the
Tenure of Office act is such that it Writ
ually estops them from consistent crit
icism of the Presidents position. When
Lincoln was inaugurated removals of
Democrats from office were made with
rapidity and without interference. 1t
was not until johnson began to re-
place Republicans with Democrats that
the Tennre-of- Office act was passed.
The first bill introduced in the Senate
after Grants Inauguration was one to
repeal this act, and the second was one
by Senator Edmunds to amend it.
March 9, 1869, Ben Butler introduced
and rushed through the House, under
suspension of the rules and the pre-
vious question, repeal of the act, and
on every division in accomplishing this
lightning feat Congressman (now Sen
ators) Allison, Conger, Hale, Cullom,
Dawes, Logan and Hoar voted with the
candid Ben. The Senate amended this
bill for repeal, but after conference it
was passed in shape that emasculated
the original Tenure-of- Office law into
the present simpotent conclusion.
When the conference bill was before
the House Mr.. Logan made spirited
speech concerning it that should range
him in the ranks of the President
supporters in the present struggle
| Chicago Ne,Us.