Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-03-10

clsely this resolution and applied 1t to all
the districts IN the United States, II the
Attorney General and the President were
right now, they would be right then, in
saying, NO, we can give you no informa-
tion, because il We do you may be able TO
know the reasons why so many of these
Marshals and District Attorneys have
been suspended, and that is purely within
the province of the President Of the United
States.'
THE MESSAGE.
"Fhat was the logic of our good friends,
the minority of committee. and their good
friend and ally, the President of the
United States, who, with courage GER
tainly unique, had inteTiected his supple.
mentary report to the report of the minor
lty cf the committee before the Senate
had even considered it. Was it possible
TO carry on the government in that wayp
He Mr.. Edmunds) thought not.
"Ihere was about fifty years
ago, very celebrated Senator from
a Southern State, who on similar Occa-
sion in an executive session concerning
the Panama Mission, Mr.. Hayne, OF South
Carolina, discussing a resolution which
it was proposed the Senate should adopt
for the purpose of getting possession Of
all the facts relating to an assembly of
Congress of the South American and
Central American States, and the United
States.
NOT ACTING ON FAITH.
''Some very Jealous friends of the Presi-
dent, apparently opposing the resolution,
said: However the gentlemen may be
enamOred of this new doctrine of conf
dence in rulers, it is not ground, appre-
bend, on which the Senate ought to act in
fulfilling their constitutional duty OF
giving advice to the President.
If we are 20 act by faith,
and not by knowledge, we have
10 business to be herep' He Mr.. Ed
munds) thought so too. The knowledge
was denied, and if the Senate'Acted in the
direction that the Attorney General and
President desired it to act in putting
through these 643 or $50 removals and APP
pOintments by faith and not by knowledge,
then he agreed with Senator Hayne that
we have no business to be here"
PREVIOUS TO 1867.
He would say in fairness to the gentle
men on the other side, the minority, as
they say in their report that there had
been no instances of calling for papers in
such case as this that had been Obeyed
until 1867, that it was true, because until
1867 there was no statute authorizing the
President TO suspend any official at all. 1t
was therefore to him perfectly easy and
safe proposition that until 1857 no case of
call for papers had appeared In which
the President, or head ofthe Department,
had acceded to the demand.
CALLS FOR REASONS.
Perhaps the minority had simply meant
to say the Senate had never with success
called on the President for mis- reasons for
a removal. In 1885 President jackson
removed a Surveyor Geaeral, a man
named Wirtz. AS he had a lawful right to
do. He had not suspended him. There
was no law for suspensions. He appoint
ed to fill the vacancy a man named VIII
Hanson. The Senate called on the Presi-
dent for papers and information regard
ing the removal OF " irtZ. The
President replied in a characteristic
message, saying in substance that that
was one Of the numerous calls made on
him by the Senate which he had hitherto
complied with, but he was going to stop
now that he had removed Wirtz, as he
had a right to do, and the reason was
none of the Senate's business.
WILLIAMSON REJECTED.
The Senate the next day without di-
vision rejected Williamson, although in
the very message in which the President
said he would not tell anything about
what Wirtz bad been doing, he took par
ticular pains to say that Williamson was
one of the best qualified and most Valua-
bic personages he had ever known. That
was the end of the affair between Presi-
dent Jackson and the Senate on the
subject OF papers about appointments.
The minority Of the committee had
said truly that no such spectacle as
this had ever been witnessed during the
time the Democrats had control of the
Senate from 1879 to 1881, and the President
in his supplementary minority report to
the deliberations OF the Senate had stated
with fulness Of rhetoric, which was as
charming as It was unique, that these
statutes of the United States aud the
practice under them had now for many
years fallen into a state Of ''innocuous
desuetude."
THE PRESIDENTS DUTY.
If that we're true it ought to be one of
the missions of the President in discharg-
ing the duty that the constitution impuUes
to him TO take that statute OF disuse (ifhe
might use a shorter and hum bier phrase /
and as he was sworn to do put it into
faithful execution. The minority OF the
committee said that no such spectacle as
the Judiciary Committee was now pre-
senting to an astOnished world and
to an astonished and injured Presi-
dent and Attorney General had been
presented in Democratic times. LET us
see" said Mr.. Edmunds. 'sOn March 4.
1879, the Democrats had majority of this
body. Their Committee on Judiciary was
Messrs. Thurman Chairman, Mcdonald,
Bayard, Garland, Lamar, Davis, Ed
munds, COnkling and Carpenter"
READING THE LETTER.
Referring to the committees letter
book, Mr.. Edmunds said; 81 do not know
but that it is private and confdentlal,'
but / will take the liberty OF reading it
laughter, even il It gets TO the ears OF
the Attorney General and the President
Of the United States" Mr.. Edmunds
then read copy Of the letter from Mr..
Thurman, as chairman OF the committee,
20 the Attorney General dated March "a,
1879, calling for ''such inform alton as may
be in possession Of your department con-
cerning the following nominations, to-
gether with any suggestion you may be
pleased TO note"
HORSE or A DIFFERENT COLOR.
son the 7th OF April,v continued Mr..
EdmuDds, "tbere came in a horse of diff
ferent cOl0r-the same kind of an animal
that we have here now. lLaughter.l Ac-
cOTdingly on that day this letter was writ
ten to the Attorney General;
'"T'o tie Att0rneV General offhe United States:
'"sIR-Under direction OF the judiciary COm-
mittee OF the Senate, have the honor 70 re-
quest that you Will com municate 70 the COM
mittee any papers or information in your
possession touching the question OF the pro-
priety Of the rsmODni femphasis By Mr.. Ed
munds OF Michael Shaner. Chief Justice Of
ftaftaN Nf.F