The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-03-20
XLIXth CONGRESS- FIRST SESSION.
SENATE.

WASHINGTON, March 10.
bill was passed for the relief of Victor
Beanboucher for cash advances made by him
to destitute Americans in the east.
Mr.. Coke called up the bill to establish a
national livestock highway and to promote
commerce in live stock between the States.
A bill authorizing the President to appoint
Lieut.. w. P. Randall, u. S. n, lieutenant
commander and to place him on the retired
list with such rank was passed. 1t was then
decided that all private pension cases favor
ably reported from the committee be at once
taken up in their orde4.
The Senate having read and passed all
such bills on the calendar, Mr., Logan's bill
made unfinished business" for the morning
hour of Monday next.
Mr. Blair then called up the bill for the re-
lief of soldiers of the late war honorably dis
charged after six months service.
After some debate as to the wisdom of
taking up this bill in the morning hour the
hour of tive arrived and the chair laid before
the Senate communication from the
Secretary of the Treasury. Its reading was
begun as follows:
To the President pro tenn. Of the Senate;
have received the resolution of the Senate
dated Feb. "a, 1886, adopted by the Senate in
executive session.
At this point something seemed to have
burnt Mr.. Clark's month for with quick
inhalation of breath he stopped short, folded
up luC paper IL UdNh w tilO 4 lSrA-
dent pro tenl., who announced that the COM
munication would be withheld for the ex-
ecutive session. The incident created for
the moment buzz of suppressed excitement
in the chamber followed by a deep silence.
After some discussion as to the proprlety
of reading it in an open session, the Presi-
dent pro tenn. remarked with frmneSs, 1T
is executive business"
The Chair then placed before the Senate
the resolution reported from the Judiciary
committee remarking upon the refusal of the
Attorney General to furnish papers called
for by the Senate, and Mr.. Spooner resumed
the floor and continued his speech in his
support of the resolutions reported
by the majority OF the committee.
He mentioned the constitutionality of the
tenure of office law and cited the.fact that the
President had always stated to the Senate
his reasons for the removal of the director OF
the mint. Even President Cleveland had
STAGED to the Senate his reasons for the re-
moval of the last director of the mint. The
Republicans, Mr.. Spooner continued, eX-
pected to go out on the incoming OF the pres,
ent administration. He (the Speaker) did
not claim to be an orthodox civil service
man; +; he believed the administration had a
right to fill the offices with its friends. This
was called the spoils system but Mr.. Spoon
er denied it. 1t was proper he said that the
administration should be held responsible
for its conduct of public business and it
should properly feel the weight of that, re-
SDOuSlDlllJy. w ldb, UC dohctlf Wdo IlcIc
about politics that should be offensive to the
people of the United States?. He wanted
every man, in an honest proper sense, to be
a politician. Divorce the offices from poll
tics, put machines in office! do not believe
in it myself, said M. Spooner He de-
republic could be ''debauched' by the idea
of an office. Had it not been for President
Cleveland's civil service declarations and his
expression of a purpose not to remove the
f1xc III
ties, thousands of office holders would have
resigned.
But every man suspended had right to
know why he was suspended. He had in
his hand letter from suspended official, a
man who had entered our Mexican army as
oattle field and entered the thickest of the
fight with musket in bis hand. That man
had in our late war risen to the grade of a
major general and now was suspended by
President Cleveland. That gallant man
and faithful soldier and citizen could not as
certain nor could Mr. Spooner ascertain. for
him whether the charges filed against him,
on which he had been suspended involved
his personal honor or not. MIR. Spooner did
not suppose the President meant to submit
his fellow citizens to serious injustice but
the system he had adopted in the matter OF
suspension inevitably tended to cast a
shadow on the honor OF honest men.
MI Salisbury claimed that the matter un-
derfdiscussion was not within the Jurlsdlc-
ton of the Senate. He compared the num-
ber of removals during the eight months OF
Nj. Cleveland's administration with those
during the first seven weeks OF Gen: Grants
and said such magnanimlty as that shown by
Mr.. Cleveland had not been witnessed in pol
itics for so years. He characterized the re-
port of the majority of the judiciary com;
mittee as a most disingenuous, unfair and
unjust presentation of the controversy; He
maintained that the tenure Of office act was
unconstitutional, and that the constitution
could not be overridden by act OF Congress.
Those who looked impsrtially on at the po
sition now occupied by the Senate, he said
and compared it with the Senate OF othel
Mr. Colquitt obtained the floor, but gave
way for motion to adjourn, and at 4.30 p
m. the Senate adjourned to Monday next
HOUSE.
| Leave was granted to Mr.. Hammond o.
| Georgia to file the views of the minority o.
the committee on judiciary on the bank
| r11nfau hill