Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1886-03-04
GEO. WILLIAM CURTIS
The Relations of President and Senate
Defined by the Mugwump
Head Center
New York telegram.l

l1NoW AOhh boieBruul.l
The New York Herald prints long in
terview with George William Curtis, In
regard to the dispute between the President
and the Senate. Mr. Curtis said that per-
haps the President was justified in refusing
TO make confidential communications pub
lie; but lis refusal should Only apply 10
such as had dlready been made TO him. He
should give the people to Understand that
in the future all papers would be open for
inspection. Then any one who had any
information to lay before the President
suffer by such an Arrangement. 1t would
serve to =, make people more careful
of what they said Hnd f9r WHOM they
signed. And that Certainly was cesIrapie;
The signing of petit ons for ,6fice had
grown TO absurd proportions. Many prom
inent men will sign anything, and Gov
ernor of this State, Mr.. Cnrtis said, had
told him that he signed every petition that
was presented to him. But whenever he
signed sach papers he wrote to the appoint
ing power to say that the signature meant
nothing dt all, and that If he really wanted
TO help an applicant he would write In
private way. This wds not fair TO those
who had secuted the appointnieiit. Presi-
dent Van Buren's practice was SIMILAR. III
Martin said or wrote such and, such d
thing, it would not do to rely upon
it; but if Mlrtin's son said or
wrote it, why then il was perfectly
reliable. These were tricks of politicians,
to be sure, but they showed how great this
abuse was capable of becoming. Mr.. Cur
tbs said that he agreed with Senator Sher-
man on the right of the Senate to see the
Recommendations for appointment. The
Senate was d part of the executive power.
The Constitution said that the President
should nominate; and by and with the Con-
sent of the Senate appoint certain officers.
AS part of the executive power the Senate
had the right to know what influences, con-
siderations, and information had decided
the President in making nomination. Its
action could not be thoroughly intelligent
Unless it had such information. The
object of the Senate In demanding
these papers was twe-fold. First, 1t
wanted to defend the character OF
the men who had been, removed
In the second place. 1t wished,
if possible, to throw discredit ON the Presi-
dent, and to show that he had violated his
pledges. This latter was its prime object.
The Senate belonged to the opposition
party, and it had the right to attack the
| Presidents position if its warfare was hon
orable. The President could block the
Senate's game by furnishing it with the in
formation asked. The Senate has said that
the information was wanted as secret infor-
nation. It was pretty certain, however,
that if anything likely to injure the Presi-
dent was obtained In this way it would
speedily become public. Let the
President try the Sehate's secret-
session plan. If the information thus
aIU1I Irpi, NS,.1u ,SO....Ye ., ,4OIu~d5 ~ Say
ing! II shall give you the information you
ask, but shall also give it to the public at
the same time" The President, Mr.. Curtis
thought, had nothing to fear... Suppose
that his reason for removing POSTMASTER
was that he was drunk would the publica.
ton of that fact hurt the President? Would
not such action deter other Postmasters
from like offenses? In conclusion, Mr..
Curtis said that he was compelled to differ
with the President rs to his prerogative.
Mr.. Cleveland was, perhaps, right in de-
Ginning TO make his action retroactive and
in refusing to turn over commune
cations intended as confidential and II
many cases so marked. But his course II
the future was clear. He should place al
communications OH record, and the writers
should know that letters to the President
are letters TO the country Mayor Lows
idea was praiseworthy. He let the people
know that he felt at liberty to make anything
public, as he deemed best. Mr.. Curtis saic
that demand of this sort had never beer
complied with by any other President from
Washingtons time to the present, but Mr.
Cleveland was elected under peculiar cir
cumstances, under movement intended Il
reform politics. great step for reform
would be his putting an end to secrec.
that was not supported by reason OF thu
Constiut