Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1886-03-12
The President and Senate.


lH6 ISSUE DeJWctH inc IFeSluenI
and the Republican majority in the
Senate has eliminated in breach
which should rally to the earnest
support of Mr.. Cleveland not only
every Democrat in the country, but
every fair-minded citizen who de-
sires to preserve the Constitutional
limitations placed upon Legislative
power in its tendency to eBcroach
upon the prerogstives of the Execu-
tive.
Under existing law the President,
while having the unquestiOned right
to fill vacancies which occur by re-
signation or expiration of term of
service, can only suspend the occu-
pants of other offices requiring Sena-
torial confirmation.
If he appoint others to fill their
places, unless the Senate confirm, the
new appointees cannot hold any
longer than until the close of the
session of Congress. About six hun
dred such appointments have been
made and are held up by The Senate,
the Republican majority under the
lead ofEdmunds declining to confirm
unless the President will answer their
interrogatories, and give his reasons
for the suspension Of the officers dis
placed. The issue was made by a
demand for the letters 10 the Presi-
dent in the case of one Dustin, Re-
publican District Attorney for Ala
bama, who was removed and Dem
ocrat appointed.
In response to this demand the
President has sent a message to the
Senate in which he discusses at
length his rights in the premises, and
denies the authority of the Senate to
make any such demand. The docu-
ment has a Jacksonisn ring about il
which cannot be mistaken. Digni-
fed and sustained throughout, il
bristles with indignant cOmbative-
ness and defiant resentment at the
assumption of partisan majority to
encroach upon his personal or official
rights. lie tells them, while he will
communicate in answer TO their re-
spectful request any official papers in
keeping, he will neither submit to
their catechising him as to his rea-
sons for making all appointment, nor
permit them TO inspect his private
papers; that if he makes an appoint
mcnt which they do not like, to re-
ject it, and he will not task the rea-
sons for the action of the Senate, nor
question its determination" He tells
them plainly that their rights and
duties are exceptional as independ-
ent but coordinate branches of the
government, and while he shall re-
spect their functions, he demands
equal respect for his.
In this position he is right, taking
identically the ground assumed by
Washington under somewhat SINH
lar demand Of the Senate, and in
language not dissimilar.
Concluding, the President says in
words which ought to make Ed
munds and his followers hang their
heads in shame:
The pledges l have made were
made TO the people and to them am
responsible for the manner in which
they have been redeemed. l am not
responsible to the Senate, and am I'M
willing to submit my actions and
official conduct to them for judgment.
There are no grounds for
an allegation that the fear
of being found false to my pro-
fessions influences me in declining to
submit 10 the demands of the Senate.
| have not constantly refused TO sus-
pend officials, and thus incurred the
displeasure Of political friends, and
yet wilfully broken faith with the
people for the sake of being false to
them.
Neither the discomfort of party
friends nor the allurements constant
ly offered of combinations of APP
pointees conditioned upon the avow-
al that suspensions have been made
on party grounds alone, nor the
threat proposed in the resolutions
now before the Senate that no confir-
nations will be made unless the de-
lnands of that body be complied
with, are sufficient to discourage or
deter me from following in the way
which | am convinced leads to better
government for the people.