National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-02-20

Breakfast Table Letter to the President

Breakfast Table Letter TO tho President.
Mr.. PRESIDENT: The plain people don't take
much stock in technicalities. They think that
the President has no right TO treat the public
records as private papers, or keep his legal nd
visers in the dark, especially body like the
Senate, clothed by the constitution with execu.
tive duty ns advisers and containers of the acts
of the President in making appointments. The
exclusive right to select is the duty conferred
upon the President The reasons for selec-
ton you can withhold, or do as Washington
did-volunteer to furnish them. The suspen.
sion Of an officer makes q temporary vacancy;
If You had the sole power of removal you
would not suspend, but make the act Of re-
moval complete. The trainers of the funda.
mental law deemed II wise to divide the power
and the responsibility between the President
and the Senate.
Both parties should have good reasons for &c.
ton. The moment you transmit a nomination
to the Senate to fill a vacancy caused by sus.
pension the Senate, by such an act, is called
upon to confirm or reject. Senators necessarily
require information. Shall they have free access
to tho public records If so, what are public
records The people understand the great de-
partments of the government are the custo'
dams of the public records The Diplomatic
and crafty letter of Secretary Lamar giving the
impression that he was tho personal custodian
OF the Presidents papers, as well as public rec.
ords, is IN evasion and special pleading that
the people will despise.
The fathers of the republic were jealous OF
the great powers conferred upon the President
by the constitution, and therefore limited the
term to four years, that the people might have
an opportunity to pass judgment, and also sur.
rounded him with the benefits and the re-
straints incident to the exercise by the Senate
Of the power of approval. Again, the civil
service law was made as IN additional check
upon the power of the President. In an issue
like the present that your Attorney General has
shaped you cannot stand before the people.
The Department of Justice is not in good
condition to give you advice upon the funda.
mental law, or the civil service law, or what
twill promote the public interest,"" as private
interest appears to be in the ascendency.
1t is impossible to serve two masters no one
can serve God and AIammon.
IT will be conceded that the six lawyers who
signed the majority report of the Senate have a
fair knowledge of law; one Of them has been
Attorney General, and most OF them are capa-
bic to fill the Office of chief justice of tho STU
prcmo Court of the United States, and all of
them would scornto sign such a report for mere
partisan advantage.
Under all the circumstances would II not be
well for you to ignore the advice that the
Senate cannot be trusted with the papers be-
longing TO the public archives, that II would
be detrimental 10 the public interest for the
Senate TO see them? Don't you think, Mr.
President, that when the people place the ex.
ample Of Washington and the opinions Of tho
great lawyers of the Senate on the one side,
and the declarations of your Attorney General
on the other, your administration will
suffer in the comparison? You have stated
that you would not hesitate to change, If you
found you had taken n wrong position. The
present occasion appears TO be a splon'
did opportunity TO put the declaration
into practice By public announcement,
in the shape Of special message to
| the Senate, that you have decided to adopt
the. practice of the Senate and reconsider
the letter of your Attorney General. Lincoln
did so, on memorable occasion, concerning
Grants campaign against Vicksburg when hi
wrote Grant "youwere right and was wrong
Grant made similar acknowledgment in the
Fitz.John Porter case.
Frankly tell the Senate and the country thai
you were embarrassed by the pledges of Cor
man, Manning, and other Democratic chief
made TO obtain the Mugwump vote and the aid
of Wall street, to such an extent that you were
obliged, first, TO write your celebrated silver
letter, second, TO invent that odious dogma
"oGtnsirp pdHisdaslip" as an outlet TO make
suspensions of good officers, that time has per
mitted the chickens to como home to roost
and that 1t has tainted the administration a
much as the expelled oficeholders that thu
long.headed senators had clearer vision o
the future than your limited experience per
mitted you to have, as most of them have ha(
q second term, and 1t sometimes requires sec
ond term to make good President.
THE NATIONAL REPUBLICAN,.