Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-03-11
REMoKALs rRoM oryIoE.
Some Interesting Reference to ''Offi-
cHal', Documents.


| Editorially the Boston Herald says: The
special message of President Cleveland to
| the Senate, upon the question OF removals
| from office, Is calculated to carry the people
| with him on the issue raised. II appeals to
| their go d sense and their love OF justice.
1t is as candid and convincing In style as
one OF Lincoln's best letters, and as sturdily
courageous in defence OF the executive pre-
| negatives as Andrew Jaekson's messages on
| the same subject. The people like man
| who stands up for his rights.
| The question at issue Is little more than a
bubble upon the surface. The judiciary
| committee, speaking tor the Republican
| majority. maintains the right Of the Senate
| to all "offlcinl facts and information, as dis
tinguished from private and unofficial
papers, views, reasons and opinions" bear
ing upon removals from office, as well as
upon nominations. The President, In reply
to this, says that, "while it is by no means
conceded that the Senate has the right in
any case to review the acts Of the executive
in removing or suspending public officer,
upon official documents or otherwise, 1t is
considered that documents and papers of
that nature should, because they are Off
cial, be freely transmitted to the Senate
upon its demand" The Republicans, rpre-
sented by Mr.. Edmunds, are not satisfied
with this. They bubble over their own word
"offlcial," and demaud inspection of every
thing ION flle." To this the President
responds that letters and papers OF a private
and unofficial nature will not be furnished,
because they are mot infrequently conf
Dental, and have reference to the perform
ance of a duty exclusively mine" He
declares that he considers them in no
proper sense as upon the files of the de-
partment, but as deposited there for bis
convenience, and still completely under his
control, subject to removal or destruction
at his will
That this is an incontrovertible position
is proved by the course of the Republicans
themselves while in office. During the last
20 years thousands OF removals and suspen-
sions were made by Republican Presidents
upon the information conveyed in letters
and documents sent to the White House or
to the departments. If they thereby went
upon file, became public property, and sub
ject to the call of the Senate, they should be
there now. Does anybody believe that such |
correspondence waS preserved, and passed |
over from one Republican secretary to an |
other2 Could Senator Edmunds procure |
from the files, for example, the "inforIna-
ton" upon which Collector Merritt was sus- |
pended, to make place for the man who |
made Garfield's nomination possibls2" The |
letters and kilograms that passed from the |
lieutenantS of Mr.. Blaine in New York, |
urging this removal and number of others |
in that city would have been Of great in |
terest to the Senate while MIR. Conkling was |
makins his fight. But 1t never occurred to |
him, ur TO MIR. Edmunds, that these doeu- |
mcnts were subject to the call of the Senate. |
lhe p,,ision of the judiciary committee is |
wholly Cutenable, and in conflict with the |
practice of the Republican party during its |
entire term of power, save for brief period |
under Andrew johnson, when the unemas- |
eulated tenure of office act was in force.
President Cleveland however, goes farther |
than this. He denies the right of the |
Senate, "by the aid of any documents |
whatever, or In any way save through the |
judicial process of trial or impeachment, to /
review or reverse the act of the executive In |
the suspension, during the recess of the |
Senate OF Federal officials" He maintains |
that this power Is vested in the President |
by the constitution, and confirmed by the |
tenure of office act, which in plain terms |
him to suspend officials sin his |
discretion" Mr.. Edmunds, in his brief |
comments upon the message, accused the |
President of striving to change the issue, |
and said that the majority of the Senate has
not assumed the right to question the Presi- |
dents reasons or motives, or to interfere |
with his right of removal. 1t simply wants |
certain official papers," But this is giving |
the whole case away. Ii the Senate has no |
business with the Presidents reasons, and |
does not claim the right to prevent a re- |
moval, or the power TO restore a suspended |
Ollcldl ~ his pldco, why noou ~ coheofu
itself to obtain the information upon which |
the President acted? Its partisan animus |
could not be more clearly revealed than by |
this confession.
President Cleveland's firm, but dignifled, |
assertion of the executives Independence |
and his declaration that his responsibilities |
to the people, not to the Senate, coupled /
with the purpose which he avows of adher- |
ing to his reform policy, cannot fail to |
him with the country. The
Republicans have Numbered, and nothing |
remains for them but to back down as |
gracefully as possible.