The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1886-02-20
WAsmTweroN IlETTER.
WAsHrNeroN, Feb. ~, 1886.
ON our Rennilar (.nrrasnonasnt.

: {
Il Arrangements for the great tele
Iphone suit are still in progress. Tx
Senator Thurman arrived in the city
to-day to assist in preparing the pa
lpers. Thereis something like poetic
lIjusticc in Mr.. Thurman's retention by
1.-THE tGovernmentii in the telephone suit
His friends allegc that he has been
kept 10 retirement because he fought
iseurporations, and now he returns TO
Epublic life to do more lighting of the
same kind.
You remember about two weeks
since, a Congressional committee was
empowered 10 investigate the PAN
Electric and Bell Telephone affairs.
The Republican members of the com
mittee put on their war paint and
Threatened to make some startling
discoveries. Their first step was to
ask the Secretary of the Interior and
the Attorney General what money had
been expended by their departments
in the Telephone suit. MIR. Lamarre-
plies, after careful inquiry, that thir-
.tytfive dollars for printing, ETC., was
the only money expended in his de /
partment, while Mr.. Garland says no
money has yet been expended in his.
Counsel has been retained for the
Government suit, but no money has
yet been paid the counsel
In an executive session of the Sen.
ate yesterday, Mr.. Edmunds presented
a protest signed by citizens of Yer
mont against the confirmation of a.
collector of customs in that State.
The objection to him was that he had
appointed deputy whose reputation,
it was alleged, was not the best. Sen
ators Beck and Butler thought that
was tiimsy pretext and said if every
Republican official had been held re-
sponsible for all his deputies, there
would have been many reflections.
Senator Sherman male an attack in
open session upon the Presidents at
titude with regard to giving ''reasOns"
and Senator Edmumds expects TO do.
the same next week. Senator HUar
and others who are candidates for the
Presidency in 1888 are only waiting
for the semblance Of an excuse TO.
score the Administration in public.
They feel it is high time to arouse the
Republicans to the fact that they are
actually losing the post offices. 1t is
true this is not a great Issue, but there
is nothing greater on hand Just now.
Either wiGuIly Or ignorantIy the
real Issue in the pending controversy
between the Senate and the Executive
has been mistated by certain Senators,
and certain partisan papers, The at
tempt has been made to place the Ad-
ministration in position which it has
never taken. 1t has been assumed that
the President is DESTROYS of concealing
his reasons for removals; that he desires
to make distinction between private
and public papGrS-betweGn eXecutiVel
and Legislative papers. From his Off
cial replies TO the Senate through the
members of the Cabinet, the clear in
ference to be drawn is simply this. AS
the Chief Executive of the Nation he
has in his possession certain papers
which public interest demands him to
withhold.
Expressions Of opinion on the sub
ject Of the relations between the Pres |
ident and Senate are drawn now on
very strict party lines among Sen
ators and Representatives. Both sides
appear to recognize the fact that the
battle can be indefinitely prolonged. .
There is growing opinion that tbs
time to consider Presidential nomina-
tiOns in open session. Some say a
great step towards true civil service
reform would be taken in this way.
Nominees can he assaulted in secret
session without.being allowed to know
the names of their accusers, while on
the other hand, unworthy nominations
can be confirmed without making any
one answerable for the offense. They
claim open sessions will remedy both
grievances by compelling the best APP
pointments, and by assuring them of
a fair hearing before the Senate. 4
And indeed it is an open secret that
most unworthy nominations have been
confirmed in the past on personal COM
sideration andby foulIbargains. There
is an unwritten law of so-called cour-
tesy allowing Senator to decide the |
fitness of any nominee from his State
who had already been dictated by his
desire. In this way, a crowd of per
jurers, forgers, lbaIlnt-box suffers,
thieves, and all manner of infamous
characters received high offices under
Hayes, asirewards forjthe great fraud
of 1876. And in the public service
under Grant, and his Republican snc-
eessors many Others, equally corrupt,
were conspicuous.