Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1886-02-17
SENATOR SHERMAN.
He Claims the Right Of the Senate
to Call for Every paDcr

! IOTe Une NatOnal senate recently, MT. 0nef-
man said that, as to the exchanging Of silver
certificates for silver dollars, he thought ii
proper that the exchange should be made by
the treasury, M banks did not ordinarily
have the accommodation for keeping largo
masses Of silver dollars. If the banks were
compelled thus to hoard silver dollars, 1t
would bring discredit on those coins, II
should be the right of a groceryman or any
citizen TO 90 to the sub-tlcasury and deposit
his silver dollars there and get silver Ger
titicate instead II was not the right of the
government to refuse to give him that ac-
colnmOdatiOn
Mr.. Morril--Can he ask for their reasons"
| if they refuse.
Mr.. Sherman-The question of 'reasons''
does not arise here. We can call for the rea
son for any official act The real question in
that matter is that we cannot call on the
president for the reason why he removed u
person. believe with the senator from Ala
hama (Nlr. Pugh that no senator denies that
the senate, as a legislative body, can call for
the reason for any act Of the executive de-
partment That we have Alright to seek infor.
nation of any department Of the govern.
ment, | do not think there is any doubt
whatever. But for that we could not legis-
late, | have just as much right to go to any
department and ask for any papers affect
ing that department, affecting legislative
business, if go there armed with the power
OF the senate, ms the secretary Of the treasury
or any department of the government, or as
the president of the United States In all my
experience | have never known case where
a department or Il president had refused to
give information contained in the department
upon any act whatever, whether executive or
legislative. Wedo not claim to exercise any
power whatever over the discretion of
the president. We admit even that we do not
ask for his reason, but we have the power to
control our own discretion, and we have q
right to all the information that we can get
from the executive department to enlightcn us.
AT the same time we should he to the president
always courteous, and if he should give any
reason for Withholding Il paper, for example,
because it was marked confidential |
should not object to that If there are pa
pers not for the public eye, aud he should
choose to withhold them as matter of conf
dcncc ] would say that that was probably a
case for the exercise OF discretion Where
are the lrrcrdcntS that enable him to say that
the head of a department shall say what pa
pers shall be given to the legislative depart
ment! That he 'hall say what papers from
the files of 4 dep rtnent, shall be given to the
legislative department of the government
When, in all the hundred years of this coun-
tlys history. was such doctrine preSer led
before. The senator from Alabama mfr.
PugM was a member of the House many
years ago. He will remember that, time and
time again, we investigated the admnistra-
ton of Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan
We called before us all hcpnpcrS, secret aud
public III regard to that administration, and
they were forever denied to us 10y the last
two democratic presidents. They never con-
tended that they could withhold one paper
and Civ" another
Mr.. Pugh-liavc You the right to make
this call on the President for such informa-
tiOn 10 enable the Senate to review his actions
making REMOVAL
Nj Shnrman--1t is not question what we
have a right to review. hut what information
we have a right 10 get from the executive de-
pNrtnrnt What we will do with these
papers, Whether we will steal them or burn
them or destroy them we do not allow the
executive department to put any inquiries to
us. We would not put any inquiries 10 the
President Of the United States, because the
Independence Of that great office demands
that he should not be inquired of for his rca-
sons demands that he should be treated with
respect. But every paper on which Ee acts,
or amy duty whatever, executive or legiSla-
tive, is ours rs well as his. The papers filed
with him 10 induce the removal of an officer
are the very palerS we ought to consider in
the very question of appointment Whether
we should use them for one purpose or
another, is not now a matter of dispute 1t
may come up at another time From the be-
ginning Of this government until now. these
public archives have been ms open to the
houses of Congress as to any other department
Of the government. The laws have been kept
on the books, unbrokCn and lmimpared, by
which the bead of the great department may
N. 4 III.