New-York tribune., 1886-03-10

Tn. ouas,,on was therefore, said Mr.. Edmunds,
whether official papers in the Department VI '"S"
hearing on the administration OF the ocer the oehao
was asked to remove should be sent to the Senate on s
call There was but answer to that The relevancy
M uoners On led for must be matter for the decision OF
the Senate and nobody else. He did not thhK thd no
yarmes, Administration would say that IL was any
mart of the duty of the President head OF auePart
mani IN determine whether official information III the
department which required by either house ot Con
ress was 10 be furnished withheld according 20 'he
opinion Of the officer called that II would OF "o'
not be "useful" TO them In their dclpoI"V''"N "'
papers called for in the case wero papers h'ou ~
the Department Filing technical term
q term OF art in law aud in the administrator oI Jaw
To st,t,e read TO the Senate male the AttorneyGeh
eraI and not the President, the custoulah VI luo'o
papers and he should preserve them Inc poopi'
who made the statutes hal been liDorng uhusr' per
hans the delusion. Mr. Edmunds thought not that
papers that in public department must OF neeo',
sity be public papersOlc papers, and certainly thaV
would be true IN respect TO papers "h'ed
Mr. Edmunds asked ''What is an official paper ana
whether the presiding officer Mr, Shermanl WOuId coi
slider "ofcial" letter addressed to him as president
pro tempore the senate" relating to measure penn
ing before the Senate 81 take it, said Mr. EdmunaS
that there would be but answer to that question:
You would hardly think 1t within the fitness oil tAihs
take it, to carry your house or put 1t In your pocket
or put 1t the fireplace and destroy IT, luis auure9
70 YOU in your official character, and that Is
uba, rives character to paper of whatever
kind il is-whether official or private As l" '"o
suspension of officer" he continued "the IroS
an the minority OF the Judiciary Committee saU " "'
an act solely within the discretion OF the President 60
also said the M ,rity OF the committee But was
not an official act The statutes said 1t was the rre
dent said IL was and of course it was an ociai ac'
Every paper, therefore addressed TO tho o'heer eNo
cisng that official function upon that TOPIC must DC an
official paper matter how vile or false 1t may De'
did not belong to thc whether President or A"r'
Deycen,raI hat TO the officer his character as an
officer The Attorney.Gcnera gave no hint that
any part Of the papers called for were prVaIe OF u
official or even confidential Pubic paperS-oIncil
pspers--were called for and such papers only were
spoken OF in response. Did those papers relate 10
the motives of the President in suspendinS OusKlh
Did anyboiy suppose that the President or any OF HIS
friends had flied a statement OF his motiyesf By no
means. That would be absurd. The papers, 'her"Io'e
stated facts on statement OF the Attorney -Genera
fnat they related exclusively to the sSpenslon stated
facts or alleged to the conduct OF tho ohcer S
nended since the Senate called upon to assist the
President In dischargng this man permanently every
paper existing there relating to him. on the
admission of the Attorney General related TO tue con-
duet of the office while in possession OF DusKn' hu
the papers refused because they would not Only
Give facts but would enable us 10 understand the rea
sons of the President for exercising his oIhcia act
Therefore the proposition was that the senate oeIhE
called on in the OF its jurisdiction to judge OF
the official conduct of Duskn the President having
already been called within his jurisdiction TO pro-
nouuce in cment q similar question about the same
man-,he senate could not have the papers because II IL
did they would disclose the grounds on which the Pres
ident acted. If that s not proposition which Wouu
stagger creduty ana amaze the Understanding oI
any intelligent in government of law or In gov
ernment of reason | am quite unable to comprehend
what would be-
COMMANDED By THE CONSTITUTION
All the operations Of the Government, Mr. Edmunds
continued were Executive and had come to THIS that
because the President was the cif executive ocer o
the Government CONGRESS could know nothing as to the
facts and circumstances relating to the execution OF the
laws because they did they might he able TO coinpe'
hend the motives reasons OF the President III carving
out the Why, such statement was shocAhg' 1eI
that was the logic OF this whole thing The Attorney
General had said that the "pnbhc interest
would not be subserved by sending tho papers
TO the Senate According to this, the public IN
terest woud not be subserNed by telling the
S.N9tev.i, rh was asked 10 nelp remove Oiicer-
what The trath Was lest the truth should disclose TO the
Senate aud possibly the public. wnat the lIesldehl
reasons we're in exercising oiicia act Reasons must
be tremendously sacred" if facts 10 be re-
vealed lest the reasons might be revealed lhere must
Mr. Edmuuds said. he Official REPORTS OF ehamers Tt"
on lille department relatiDE 10 the manner OF per
G1eS IcaSe S 0l y Tenor 70 be filed pcriodicaS 1t might
be tnat they would show that he had been guilty OF
gross violation OF important official trusts such as pro
inoting unjust Indictments or packing Jutltsi yer II
might interfere with the sacFedness oi the IteslueIt
"reusOms il the papers were sbO WI 10 tue senate ne
, ps,demI o His was executive powsr Con
nands lin 70 Civ Congress information the state Of
the Union" II says that he "shail" -" do IT, That
had reference to universal power OF knowledge OF
The houses Of Congress Ia respect to every operation
OF the Government ana every one OF Ilo 2iceIS nst
is the state OF the Union lie exclaimed "Ihe state
OF the Union s made mp OF every 'drop IN tne
OF the execution Of every law lhd tle petorh@nce OI
every officer under the law. There IS nothing no one
subject that represents the state Of th' CniOl IL Is
the condition o! the G"VerhhehI anu eloIy Par. -
not only its legislative parts-about winch the frcsl-
Sses sn5 for a ha @
two houses to regulate themselves - but ne
ia To
iiively commanded to do. 50, from time 10 time
the slate of the Union ana that rs Re
cause Congress entitled TO have II every ume called
for And he violated positive copnani Oh tne con
sutOn when on CONSTITUTIONS can III 'lie 'tu"t &
way he omit cd TO do T. lhai was tie Irasoh h MY
house in seeking for information, supposed mat theIe
might be question as to the prOprley Of an niue ds
titled know, had usually LETT 1t to the PresIent 20
send the Information just then or not according TO us
Judgment And so MAINTAIN that either house OF Con
gress has right know everything that IS III the exec
utlye departments OF the Government caso ro,s,be
and that is either house. e1ng atn t on nformaton
ns to the disbursement Of the contingent fund for the
payment OF the OF foreign e6GouTS eTe M
money Of the people "a of i6e e
States should evidence to the accounting officers OF
the Treasury that the money mad been pr0pery, , tx
remained which showed tho money had been expended.
Now them suppose some Iesdr6 IWo or % Gn S's s
ago when we appropriated SlOOOOO or S%oO'oOO lot
the contingent expenses OF the department just preceu
Ing election should have turned INTO In" ht
fhe next meeting OF the Senate and House OF RepreseD
tatyes they should be of opinion that the security o
good government and guard against any corruption
improper use of that money II was nGGe.saIy lG
they should know what became Ofit Would 1t be wiIh
I'm the mower OF Secretary OF state the President
of the United states not II had better be
extremely careful hereafter to how much money we
put into the contingent fund for foreign intercourse
IMPOSSIBLE TO GO on IN THIS WAY.
"The improve ment in public methods. so far as VIZ
have yet gone would to be chiefly and most con
spicuously the suppression and cOucealment OF public
papers, with the best intentions undoubtedly; but
will repeat that time in forty or more
80 far as have been able to discover has either house
Of Conrress fnd the Information has asked fO