Western Kansas world., 1886-03-06
lEENEY, KANSAS, SATURDAY, MARCH 6, 1886.

But the report of the committee on judi
ciary lately, presented and published; re-
port which censures the attorney general of
the United States for his refusal to trans
NIT certain papers relating to suspension
from Office, and also if correctly interpret
ed it evinces refiection on the position of
the executive upon the question of such sus-
pensions. The situation, therefore,
trust, justifies this communication.
do not suppose that the public offices of
the United States are regulated or controlled
in their relations to either house of congress
by the ''fact that they were created by laws
enacted by themselves" 1t must be that
these instrumentalities were created for the
benefit of the people, and to answer the gen.
eral purposes of the government under the
constitution and the laws, and that they are
unincumbered by any lien in favor of either
branch of congress growing out of construc-
ton, and unembarrassed by any obligation
to the senate as to the price of their crea-
ton. The complaint of the committee that
access to the official papers in the public
offices is denied the senate is met by the
statement that at no time has it been the
disposition or the intention of the president
or any department of the executive branch
of the government to withhold from the
senate official documents or papers filed in
any of the public offices. While it is by no
right in any case to review the act of the ex-
ecutive in removing or suspending a public
officer upon official documents or otherwise,
it is not considered that documents or papers
of that nature should, because they are Off
cial, be freely transmitted to the senate upon
its demand, trusting the use of the same for
proper and legitimate purposes to the good
has been specifically demanded in any of the
numerous requests and demands made upon
the departments, but what, as they were
found in the public offices, they were furnish
ed in answer to such applications. Against
the transmission of confidential papers and
documents have interposed my advice and
direction. This has not been done, as it is
suggested in the committees report,
upon the assumption upon my part
that the attorney general or any other head
of department is the servant of the presi-
dent and is to give or withhold copies of
documents of his office according to the will
of the executive and not otherwise, but be-
cause l regarded the papers and documents
withheld as purely unofficial and private, not
infrequently designated confidential" and
having reference to duty exclusively mine.
consider them in no proper sense as upon
the files of the department., but as deposited
there for my convenience aud remaining
still completely under my control. sup
pose if I desired to take them into
my custody, I might do so with en-
tire propriety. If I saw fit to de-
stroy them no one could complain.
1t will not be denied, suppose, that the
president may suspend a public officer in the
entire absence of any papers or documents
to aid his official judgment and discretion,
and l am quite prepared to avow that the
cases are not few in which suspensions from
Office have depended more upon oral repre-
sentations made to me by citizens of known
good repute, and by members of the house
of representatives, and senators of the
United States, than upon any letters and
documents presented for my examination,
1 have not felt justified in suspecting the
integrity and patriotism of sena-
tors, or ignoring their representations, be-
cause they were not in party affiliation with |
the ma ajority of their associates; and recall |
but a few suspensions which bear the |
approval of individual members identified |
politically with the majority in the senate. |
The pledges have made were made to the |
people, and to them l am responsible for |
the manner in which they have been re-
deemed. am not responsible to the SEN
ate. l am unwilling to submit my actions
and official conduct to it for judgment. |
There are no grounds for an allegation that |
the fear of being found false to my preten- |
sions influence me in declining to submit |
to the demands of the senate. l have not
refused 10 suspend OmclalS, ana |
thus incurred the displeasure of political |
friends, nor yet willfully broken |
faith with the people for the sake of being |
false to them. Neither the discomfort of |
party friends, nor the allurements constant |
y offered of confrmations of appointees |
conditioned upon the avowal that sus-
pensions have been made on the party |
grounds alone; nor the threat proposed in
he resolutions now before the senate that |
no confrmations will be made unless the |
demands of that body be complied with, are
sufficient to discourage or deter me from
in the way which am convinced |
eads to better government for the people.
[Signed] GROVER CLEVELAND.
The message was offered to the judici-
lry committee and ordered printed.