New-York tribune., 1886-03-13
| DEFENDING THE PRESIDENT.
MR.. KENNA ON THE SUPPRESSED PAPERS.
A SPEECH FULL OF PLEASANT PERsoNALlTlEs-
QUOTING FROM MR.. BLAINEs BOOK.
f,, TrIyGRAPu TO THE TRIBUNE.

w y.
Virginia occupied the floor OF the senate lot ne
three hours today I'm advocacy OF the Presidents rRn
to decide what are official or unothciai Papoi''
and to suppress destroy such Us ho '
see ht Mi. Kenna tho youhges' o"
per OF the Senate Mr spooner, OF "scon'in
being his senior by five years, but the west virgin"
member a good speaker, and he did muoh oetlor 'An
Mr. Pugh who preceded him on that side MI beoh SAT
near him occasionally whispered points 10 hi"''
and IL was reported that other Democrats "ho uiu nov
care TO speak themselves, had offered 70 sssiS. h'
Kenna The speech was a written one, although MI
Keopa rarely referred to his manuscript IL was
principally an attempt to convict Mr. Edmuhds
of inconsistency There were many personal
ausous in the speech which, while they amused Sena
tors had no relevancy to. the issue Quotations were
read from the second volume of Mr. Blalnes history I'D
which he pres sed opinion adverse to the Tenure
ofonice and in which no made some reference 10
Mr. Edmundss part IN the passage OF that act The Demo
Gratis all joined IN the laughter that followed but MI
Ednunds who was reading book, remained unmoVed'
Outside OF his personal points MI kennas
speech was In tho same line that OF Mt
Pugh. II contained nothing new. letter that was
by mistake early in the session by Mr. Morilh'
calling for reasons for making removal. was read 10
support the Presidents statements In his message MT
Kena did explain that that was the only instance
of the kind and from committee and not from the
Senate.
Beginning with reference 10 Mr.. Edmunds as the
father OF the movement o. obstruction to Executive
power, Mr.. Kenna said that the question was
body,as part and parcel-a ordinate branch
OF this entitled TO call upon the Executive
Department OF its forms or divisions for ana
to receive in return such documents and papers as come
within the definition OF public aud official papers as lad
down by the from Vermont II paper were adj
dressed to the President pro tempOre In his ocia ca
pacy. that fact alOne dccOrlEg TO the senator from
Vermont made official paper, to which every de-
parment official of this great Government is entitled
Mr. Elmunds has insisted that the Senate had right TO
Into department OF the Government TO tho
White House. Treasury, War and State Departments
whether acting executive open session, ransaekng
the archives OF these various departments. and
wringng from them papers coming with
in the definition he had read Yet
no sooner had he taken his seat than the Senate pro-
ceeded to the consideration Of executive business
body of gentlemen composing part OF coordinate
branch OF tn Government having steLed to the arsu-
ment which undertook to say that all mankind should
have from the Senate was aimonished BY the
ringing Of bells that the time had come for the Senate
to put on its robes Of royal purple Five thousand brave
men and fair women expelled from the galleries
The eyes OF the American press were closed The doors
ratified and sentnes took their posts and as hitting
testimony the conclusion of the speech OF the Senator
from Vermont the Senate resolved into Its ancient
secrecy aDd the flies marched out aud the officers as
sumed their poses guards of the sacred privileges OF
the and denied everywhere else, the thought
abundantly practices may engsNft themselves
upon the human composition and how little reflection
perhaps members OF the Senate had given TO the TACT
that 100 years the boly mad been the star
Chamber Of the American Republic. Whythe Senator from
Vermont would deny privacy or conf ience TO every
paper in every department OF the Government
In response to a statement OF Senator sherman in his
speech time the effect that the distinction
between public aud private papers had never been made
in the departments Mr. Kenna sent TO the clerks desk
and hal read letter from Mr. sherman when secretary
of the Treasury, declining furnish Senator Conk-
urs request certain papers relative TO tho removal OF
the Collector OF the Port OF NowYOrk Mr.. Kenna said
this would remind the Senator that such distno'
tiOn had been made.
Mr. Kenna quoted from the language OF the majority
report OF the com uee aud from Mr. Edmundss recent
speech the effect that President Andrew Jackson Ike
all his predecessors and like all his until to-
day. felt bound to and did give to both houses OF Con
gress every Information that they ever called for except
the instance OF President Washington who, while treaty
was pending before the Senate called on By the
for papers and Information about It, which Presl
Washington had declined On obvious grounds" TO
furnish. Mr. Kenna denied that the treaty was then
pending and read from the proceedings OF Congress and
Presidents to show that copy Of the treaty
had been sent to Congress March l. 1896 with
nonncement of its ratification while the House resou
tOn asking for Information about 1t was not adopted un-
ill March "a. Besides sald the House resolution
pecaly excepted from the call any particulars. which
under any existing negotiations 1t might not be proper TO
a
SAID, submitted to the House under that treaty.
President Washington In tho executive chair What
was his reply to the call OF the House d" 1t does
not that the inspection or the
papers asked for be relevant TO any purpose under
coguzanoe OF the House OF Representatives except
Of an impeachment, which the resolution has not
expressed There for the first time. the President of
United States solo for the maintenance, dig
nifty and prerogatives OF his high office, declined to aid
proposed intermeddling by the House with something
that did not concern It, Mr. Kenna surprised that
Mr. Edmunds should have said that on the refusal Of
President Jackson send to the Senate papers in the
Writ case there had end Of the matter between
President Jackson and the Senate papers relating
70 appointments Mr.. Edmunds must have forgotten
the bitter fight between the President and Congress on
question papers n the OF the removal of the
Secretary OF the Treasury by President Jackson for the
purpose OF eectnz the removal OF the deposits from the
United Bank. Mr. Clay had then offered resou-
requesting the President TO inform the Senate
whether copy of the paper then gong the rounds OF the
correct the paper being one "purporting to
been read By President Jackson to the heads of
departments relating to the deposits etc., and alleged
to have been published by his authority And the Pres
dent further requested, If the publication was cor
rect, to send the Senate copy OF It, There
had been secrecy about that document 1t had
already spread broadcast the country. But
the attempted interference OF the Senate with matters
not its promptly met by President Jackson,
who in a message informed the Senate that he had yo
20 learn constitutional authority that body had
right to require him to account for anything written,
said the heads OF departments. He declined COM
piance. President Tyler also declined request OF the
Senate for papers touching removal OF al officer OF
course Mr. Kenna said denied the right Of the
Senate call the President for private paper-even
private letter in his pocket-but no rational man
would deny the President the equal right to decline TO
send 1t n he chose so to do.
resolution offered In the Senate in ls49 by Senator
Bradbury calling the President to send TO the Senate
copies Of all charges preferred filed IN any OF the de-
partments against individuals who, in the change OF
q administration, had been removed from Office etc,
cited by Mr.. Kenna. Coming up in the Senate time
after time IL strun through the whole OF