Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-03-17
F0RTY-NIgTH CONGRESS-.
First Session,
SENATE.

80 i"''"oueeu uf Mr. ManOne to allow draw
pacKs on imported tobacco when manufscr-
urea IN TINS country and afterward exported.
Ii was placed on the calendar.
On motion of Mr.. Van WICK the Horse
Dill increasing the pensions of soIdiers'
WIDOWS was taken up
AN amendment was offered bv Mr.. Man
derson, at the request, he said, of Mr.. Haw-
ley, which was agreed to, providing that the
adJutant general of State may be recognized
as representing claimants under the bill when
the laws OF the States requires those officers
30 10 DO without expense to the claimants or
government.
MI. w lson moved the reconsideration of
the Senates action agreeing to the amend
ments already adopted
ms motion was made so that the adoption
OF the entire bill would not be endangered in
the House because of the Senate amend
ments.
Alter some discussion all the amendments
that had been agreed to by the Senate were
then formally disagreed to and the bill was
passed IN the form in which it came from the
House and now needs only the Presidents
signature to become law. The bill in
creases the So per month wages of widows
and dependent relatives to Sl2 month and
prohibits any recognition of claim agents or
attorneys in connection with the bill and for
bids any compensation to be paid to agents
or attorneys by reason of any action or SER
vices in relation to the increase of pensions
provided for by the bill.
MIR. Hoar called up the new electoral count
bill and it was read
At 2 o'clock the judiciary committee reso-
lutlons were taken up.
Senator Cullom took the floor, but gave
way to Mr.. Morrill,.
The senator from Vermont said that the
senator from West Virginia (Kenna), in his
speech had read letter signed by Mr.. Nor
rlll as chairman of the committee on finance,
and had stated that this letter was the begin
ming OF the present controversy. When the
Senate assembled in December it was promul-
gated that this administration and especially
the treasury department was to be conducted
on business principles. Therefore the com
mittee on finance pursued its usual routine
of business and sent the letter to the secre-
tary of the treasury in identcally the same
terms as the one read by the senator from
West Virginia. 1t related to the suspension
of Il collector nf internal revenue at (here
the senator seemed to remember that the
subject was an executive matter) no matter
where, and received from tie secretary of
the treasury response stating THAT the off,
Ger IN question was suspended because the
president and secretary of the treasury were
satisfied that he was not discharging the
duties of his Office in accordance with the
proper business methods There was no
other cause for his suspension.
Mr.. Morrill, continuing, said that the pa
pers and reasons given were so satisfactory
that the committee unanimously reported
hum but he believed that he was trespassing
again. The policy pursued by the committee
was the same it had pursued ever since he
(Morrill) had been a member of the COM
mttee, and the committee had never had a
refusal until recently. Mr.. Morrill, read a
portion of the law creating the Office of the
secretary of the treasury, which defines the
duties of its incumbent to make a "report and
give information to either branch Of the leg
islature in person or in writing as he may be
required respecting all matters referred to
him by the Senate or House of Representa-
tives." and said that it was perfectly clear
that the Senate had right to call on the Sec
retary to come before any committee or fur
nish papers.
Mr. Cullom then resumed the floor. He
said the refusal of the attorney general to
furnish the papers called for by the Senate,
was denial of the right of the Senate to
inquire into the management of public office.
The attorney general was an officer of the
law. His duties were defined by the law and
it was his duty to obey the law. The senator
stated in his minority report that from 1889
to 1876 there could not be found single
case like the one under discussion
The truth was that in the hundreds of calls
that had been made there could be found
yerv few instances in which the information
asked for had not been furnished to either
house. A prominent fact was that when
either branch of Congress had called for any
information it usually had been furnished.
Mr.. Cullom discussed at some length the
constitutional questions involved in the
presidents power of removal. He was will
ing to allow large latitude to the president
in that matter, but as the very hungry and
very thirsty were clamorng for seats at the
official feast there was danger that falsehood
or even perjury might DE resorted to. If the
president had acted in good faith he had been
d. ceiyed, for, said Mr.. Cullom, persons have
been removed in Illinois than whom no more
faithful public servants could be found, and
against whom no charge of official miscon-
duet could be sustained
Mr.. Maxey followed Mr.. Cullom. He said the
real object of the Senate was to ascertain the
presidents reasons for suspensions or remov-
Ais of officers 1t was An attempt to do Indirect
lv what confessedy couldn't be done directly.
He ouoted from the recent speech of Sherman
in the Senate, in which it was stated that
..nobody proposed to control the discretion
of the President" and insisted that the action
ot the Senate in the matter under discussion
was an attempt to control the discretion of
the President, an attempt which would fail
however.
Mr.. Dolph then took the floor in support
of the majority report. He would not dis
cuss the questions raised as to the right of
CONGRESS TO be informed how the laws had
he.n executed or as to the state of the union.
ITnon that branch of the question he content
ed himself by saying he concurred wholly
With what had been so ably said by the sena-
tor from Vermont. (Edmunds.) The provis-
IONS of the law. he said. intended for the
rrotection of scs red and disabled veterans sf
the Union armv, had been dlsregardeo by
This administration. Mr. Dolph sent to the
desk and had the clerk read the report OF the
ennloymept committee of the G A. X. de-
nartment of the Potomac for the past year.
Thi. report, among other things, stated there
had heen an s.otficer" for the class which the
committee represented; that greater part
of choir labors had been directed 10 securing
rho reinstatement of comrades to places un-
dor the government from which they had
been discharged. Seventy-eight Grand Army
comrades had been discharged during the
mast wear as we'll as large number of ex-
ff1n;on soldiers and sailors not affiliated with
the Grand Army.
At 4.45. Mr.. Edmunds understanding that
fNR