Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-03-10
papers-and certainly that would be
true In respect to papers" filed.

true in respect to ''papers" filed.
NATURE OF AN OFFICIAL PAPER.
Mr.. Edmunds inquired ''What is an
official paper" And asked the presiding
officer whether be Mr.. Sherman would
consider an ''Official" letter addressed to
him as ''President pro tempOre of the
Senate, relating to the measure pending
before the Senatep' 81 take it, said
MIR. Edmunds, ''that there would be but
one answer to that question. You would
hardly think it within the fitness Of
things, take it, to carry it to your house,
or put 1t IN your pocket, or put it in your
fireplace and destroy it. 1t is addressed
to you in your official character, and that
is what gives character to paper of
whatever kind it is, whether official or
private.
SUSPENSION AN OFFICIAL ACT.
GAS to the suspension of an officer, the
President and minority of the Judiciary
Committee said it was an act solely with
in the discretion of the President. So,
also, said the majority of the committee.
But was 1t not an official act? The stat
utes said it was. The President said it
was, and OF course it was an official act.
Every paper, therefore, addressed to an
officer exercising that official function
upon that topic must be an official paper;
no matter how vile or false it may be. 1t
did not belong to any man, whether the
President or Attorney General. but to the
officer in his character as an officer.
NOT CALLED PRIVATE.
"The Attorney General gave no hint that
any part OF the papers called for were
private or unofficial. or even confidential.
Public papers-Official papers--were
called for, and such papers only were
spoken of in response. Did those papers
Ts,4y, So -, ,F -,
suspending Mr.. Dusking Did anybody
suppose that the President or any OF his
friends had filed a statement of his mo-
tives? By no means. That would be abb
surd. The papers therefore stated facts,
on the statement Of the Attorney General,
that they related exclusively to suspen-
sion; stated facts. or alleged facts, as to
the conduct Of the officer SUSPENDED.
ALL BEAR ON THE SUBJECT.
"Sinee the Senate was called upon to as
sist the President in displacing this man
permanently, every paper existing there
relating to him on the admission of the
Attorney General related to the conduct
of the Office while in possession Of Mr..
Duskin. But the papers were refused be-
cause they would not only give facts, but
would enable us to understand the reasons
Of the President for exercising his official
act. Therefore the proposition was, that
the Senate being called on in the exercise
of its jurisdiction to judge of the official
conduct of Mr.. Duskin-the President
having already been called on, within his
jurisdiction, to pronounce judgment on
similar question about the same man-the
Senate could not have the papers, because
if it did they would disclose the grounds
on which the President acted. ''lf that"
said Mr.. Edmunds. sis not a proposition
which would stagger the credulity and
amaze the understanding of any intelli-
gent man in a government Of law or in
government Of reason, l am quite
unable to comprehend what would be.
ALL OPERATIONS EXECUTIVE.
All the operations of the government,
Mr.. Edmuuds continued, ,"were executive,
and had it come to this, that because the
President was the chief executive officer
of the government, Congress could know
nothing as to the facts and circumstances
relating to the execution of the laws, be-
cause, if they did, they might be able to
comprehend the motives or reasons Of the
President in carrying out the laws. Why,
such a statement was shocking. Yet that
was the logic OF this whole thing"
Mr.. Edmunds continued that the At
tOrney General had said that public in
teresV would not be suOserved by send
ing the papers TO the Senate. According
to this public interest would not be sub
served by telling the Senate, which was
asked to help remove an officer, what the
truth was lest the truth should disclose
to the Senate and possibly to the public
what the Presidents reasons were in ex-
ercising an official act.
TREMENDOUSLY SACRED.
'sThe reasons must be tremendously
sacred il the facts were never to be re-
vealed, lest the reasons also might be re-
vealed. The jurisdiction of Congress was
infinitely broader than that Of the Presi-
dent. His was executive powers. Con-
gress made the laws, and when
the constitution commands him to
give Congress information on the
state of the Union it says he
'shalP do il. That had reference to the
universal power Of the knowledge Of the
two houses of Congress in respect to every
operation of the government, and every
one OF it's officers. THAT is-tbe state Of
the UniOn--the state OF the Union is made
up OF every drop in the bucket-Of the
execution of every law, and the perform
ance Of every officer under the law. There
was no one thing, no one subjected that
represented the state Of the Union'
A CONDITION OF THE GOVERNMENT.
s'It was condition of the government
and every part OF it., not only its leglsla-
tive parts-aDOub WHICH Ine GFeslOent
could communicate no Information with
out impertinance, for the constitution mad
declared that the two houses were to reg
ulate themselyes-but be was to give Con-
gress, and was positively commanded TO
do so, from time to time information on
the state Of the union, and it is because
Congress was entitled TO have IL every
time they called for it, and he violated
the positive command OF the constitution
when on a constitutional call in the regu-
lar way he omitted to do it,"
THE DEFICIENCY.
Referring incidentally to the fact that
deficiency of SlS5,000 in the Department
OF Justice TOR the fees Of jurors and wit
nesses WAS pending before the House, Mr..
Edmunds said "there must be added for
this current fiscal year ending June 30
next, covering year OF purely Demo-
cratic control, deficiency OF $lS5,OOO. II
the case Of Mr.. Duskin was fairly Illus
tratiye Of the circumstances of all the
District Attorneys and Marshals Of The
United States-everytbing that went 10
make up the autonomy OF the administra-
ton Of Justice-then we have drawn In
the question, what has become Of the
money that was appropriated AZ the regu-
lar session TO carry on the administration
OF justice through the Department Of JUS
tice in the United Statesg
DUsKIN INVOLVED.
"Mr. .Duskin was one OF the persons who
we're 10 draw upon that fund. In that