Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1886-03-11
THE PRESIDENTS RE-
PLY.
The Controversy Between the Execu
tive and the Senate Concerning
Suspensions from once.
Special Message from the Former De
Tending His Course i'm With
holding Certain Papers.
He Declares that He is Not Response.
BILE to the Senate, but to the
People, for His oficial
Actions.

Actions.
WASHINGTON, March lat 1:40 this
afternoon the Chair laid before the Sen
ate lengthy message from the Presi-
dent, bearing on the right'of the Senate
or Senators to have access to papers,
ETC., in the Executive Department re-
lating to suspensions from office. The
following is W
@E THE MESSAGE:
To the Senate Of the United States:
Ever since the beginning Of the present
session of the Senate the different heads
of the departments attached to the ex-
ecutive branch Of the Government have
been piled with various requests and
demands from committees ofthe Sem
ate, from members of such committees,
and at last from the Senate itself, re-
quiring the transmission of reasons for
the suspension Of certain officials DUR
ing the recess of that body, or for the
papers touching the conduct of such
officials, or for all papers and docu-
ments relating to such suspensions, or
for all documents and papers filed in
such departments in relation to the
management and conduct of the offices
held by such suspended officials.
The different terms from time to
time adopted in making these requests
and demands, the order in which they
succeeded each other, and the fact that
when made by the Senate the resolu-
ton for that purpose was passed in
executive session, have led to pre-
sumption, the correctness of which
will, l suppose, be candidly admitted,
that from first to last the Information
thus sought and the papers thus de-
manded were for use by the Senate and
its committees in considering the pro-
priety of the suspensions referred to.
Though those suspensions are my
executive acts, based upon considera-
tions addressed to me alone, and for
which am wholly responsible, have
had no invitation from the Senate to
state the position which have felt
constrained to assume in relation to the
same, or to interpret for myself my acts
and motives in the premises.
In this condition of affairs l have for
borne addressing the Senate upon the
subject lest / might be accused Of
thrusting myself unbidden upon the at
tention Of that body.
But the report of the Committee on
the Judiciary of the Senate, lately pre-
sented and published, which censures
Attorney General of the United States
for his refusal to transmit certain pa
pers relating to a suspension from office,
and which also, i'll correctly interpret
it, evinces misapprehension of the
position of the Executive upon the
question of such suspensions, will, l
hope, justify this communication.
The President refers to the resolution
of the Senate calling for the Duskin pa
pers and the reply Of the Attorney Gen
eral thereto, and says: Upon this re-
solution and the answer thereto the
issue is thus stated by the Committee
on the Judiciary at the outset of the
report:
1.-THE important question, then, is
whether it is within the constitutional
competence of either house of Congress
to have access to the official papers and
documents in the various public offices
of the United States created by laws
enacted by themselves"
do not suppose that "the public Of
'fces of the United States" are regulat-
ed or controlled in their relations to
either House of Congress by the fact
that they were "created ky laws enact
ed by themselves" 1t must be that
these instrumentations were created for
the benefit of the people and to answer
the general purposes of. the Govern
ment under the Constitution and the
laws, and that they are unincumbered
by any lien in favor of either branch of
Congress growing out of their Constitu-
tion, and unembarrassed by any obliga-
ton to the Senate as the price of their
creation. The complaint of the COM
mittee that access to official papers in
the public offices is denied the Senate
Is met by the statement that at no time
has it been the disposition or the inten-
tion of the President or any department
of the Executive branch of the Govern
ment to withhold from the Senate Of
fetal documents or papers filed in any
of the public offices. While it is by no
means conceded that the Senate has the
right in any case to review the act OF
the Executive in removing or suspend.
ing a public officer upon official docu-
ments or otherwise, 1t is considered
that documents and papers of that
nature should, because they are official,
be freely transmitted to the Senate up
on its demand, trusting the use of the
same for proper and legitimate purposes
fhoueh no such naner or docnment has
heen specifically demanded in anv ot
the numerous reonests md demands
modn nnon tha danartmants vat ne Of.
fen M thew are fonnd in the Snhlic of.
ticas thav have hear fnr,ishad in
answer To such onnlicat;ons
The letter Of the Attornav Ganerar in