Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-01-28
overwhelmingly 2S, 1885.
The Senate and the President.

The Senate and the President
Beyond q doubt the President Of the
United States has the right to nominate
whom be will TO ell the Offices Of the
General Government which tho law en-
powers him to fill. The Senate has no
risht to demand Of him his reasons for
nominating JONES, or SMITH, or
BROWN. The same is true as to re-
movals and suspensions from office.
The President has the right TO remove
or suspend any officer; and his power
is absolute. He cannot be required by
Law or otherwise to give his reasons.
DIR. EDMuNDs's resolution, as here
tofore printed in this paper, is
Characteristic Of the man Of whom
il has been said that he could not see
barn-door, but he could see fly on the
barn-door. He exercised his ingenuity
as . lawyer, and prohted by his expe-
rience as such, in framing the resolu-
tion to which we refer. He dared not
make direct issue with the President.
His resolution merely directs the At
torney- General to furnish to the Senate
copies Of all papers and documents on
file in his department relating to the
administration Of the Office Of the
United States district attorney for the
Southern district Of Alabama. 1t is
stated that this resolution, adopted in
secret or executive session, was not
debated. 1t was such an innocent re-
solution that either the Democrat
ic senators were misled by its
phraseology or else they we're willing to
try conclusions with the Republican
majority on the points in dispute. A
previous resolution had requested
the Attorney General to furnish the
papers in question. The present one
" directed " him to do it. The papers
were desired by the Senate because
the President had nominated JOHN d.
BURNETT to succeed GEORGE BAsKIN
as district attorney for the Southern
district of Alabama. The Attorney
General, so it is reported, returned the
resolution with the statement that he
had not been instructed by the Presi-
dent to furnish the papers. The con-
sequence was the passage of resolu-
ton " directing" him to do it.
At the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday
this resolution was discussed. The
Of the Cabinet were decided
ly Of the opinion that the President
could not, with a due regard to the dig
nifty Of his Office, furnish the papers
asked for.
II was very ingenious in Mr.. Ed
MUNDs to ask, not for the reasons for
the removal Of an officer, but for the
papers and documents referring to the
administration of the office Of district
attorney. Here was no demand made
upon the President for reasons for the
removal of an officer, but resolu-
ton asking for papers and docu-
ments bearing upon the administration
Of . certain office. Attorney-General
GARLAND, however, is as good and as
shrewd and as sharp lawyer as Mr..
EDMUNDs /; and he saw at once that
Mr.. EDMUNps was whipping the devil
around the stump. The Vermont Sem
ator could not compel the President to
say that be removed BAsKIN because
be was . Republican. Mr.. EDMUNDs
is anxious to get such declaration from
the President because the latter has
professed to be civil.service reformer
and consequently is expected by the
Republicans to remove officers only for |
cause. II, therefore. Mr.. EDMUNDs |
could find in the papers and documents
be asks for evidence that BAsKIN had |
not been guilty Of any sort Of
of duty, he would be
able to make point against Mr..
CLEVELAND; for il there were no
charges Of incompetency or neglect OF
duty against BAsKIS, then he must
have been removed because he was .
Thus, if the Attorney
General had complied with the order
contained in Mr.. EDMUNDs's resolu-
ton, he would have done what the
President is not willing to do--furnish-
ed reasons Why the President removed
BAsHIN; and, Of course. II Mr.. CLEvR-
LAND 10 right, Congress has, under the
Constitution, no power to pass law re-
curing him to furnish to the Senate
his reasons for removals, or suspen-
siops, or nominations. II the two
houses were to pass such bill, the
President would veto it. The Senate |
10 powsrlsss. Il cannot impeach the
President. The power Of impesch. |