Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-03-11

slo W uhIeBafu POSITIVE oIuci
OF the President and thereby make
himself liable to instant dismis-
sal from the Cabinet. On the
terms Of that relation, as stated by the
Senator from Vermont himself, the
President could not, with self-respcct,
have held that Attorney General in his
Cabinet single moment after obeying
the resolution Of the Senate. Was that
the way for one coordinate department
Of the Government TO treat another:
Was not that request from this great
law. making power to the Chief Magis-
trate or his Acknowledgement such that
would result in breaking up their rela-
tons Of confidence and trust and max
ing the Attorney General liable to in
slant dismissal from the Cabinet? What
did the President say about the action
Of the Senate in asking the Attorney
General for these papers? Mr.. Pugh
read at length from the Presidents
message, among other things, the state
ment that there had been no official
papers or documents filed in his the
Attorney-General's) department refat-
ing to the case within the period named
in his resolution. Here, said Mr.. Pugh,
is the statement Of the President OF
matter of fact within his personal
knowledge, and the Senator from YER
mont cOntradicts the truth OF that
statement, having no foundation what
ever for denial. There is square
issue made in the report Of majority
Of the Judiciary Committee with the
President upon a matter OF fact that is
within his personal knowledge.
Are these papers called for from the
Acknowledgement such as this Senate
has a right to have in the discharge Of
its duties
The President had stated that the
papers were private and unofficial and
related to nothing over which the Sen
ate had jurisdiction. a majority Of the
judiciary Committee and its distin-
guished chairman, the Senator from
Vermont, said that, although private
and unofficial, they would enable the
Senate to discharge the duty it had to
perform-the power it claimed-of re-
yising an official act of the President in
suspending George NJ. Dustin as dis
trict attorney. That was the undis-
puted basis Of its claim TO these pri-
yate and unofficial papers. 1t was the
power Of the Senate to exercise the
same control and revision over any act
Of suspension or removal that was
claimed and exercised and given to the
Senate expressly by the Constitution Of
advising and cOnsenting to appoint
montS. There was no mistake about
TIA; being the claim asserted by the
majority Of the Judiciary Committee,
and there was no mistake that the reso-
luton reported condemned an oii-
cial act Of the AttOrney-General
for the reason that he had withheld,
on an order Of the President, informl-
ton that he stated was private dOcu-
ments and papers that he said were
unofficial and private, and withheld
from the Senate on the President posi-
tive order, first, because they were
private and unofficial, and secondly,
because they related to no duty that the
Constitution or law imposed upon the
Senate. Is there anything, said Mr.
Pugh, in the history Of the Govern
ment to support this claim: The dis
tingushed Senator from Vermont has
presented long array Of what he calls
precedentS." | undertake to say,
and | challenge a denial, upon the
fullest test, that there is no case in
the history Of the Government for
eighty years where any such documents
as those called for in this resolution
were ever transmitted TO the Senate in
executive or public session on the order
Of the Senate upon an AttOrney-Gcne-
raj or a President. Ny honorable and
distinguished friend paraded in a man
ner that indicated that he was about to
achieve a great triumph over the Presi-
dent in the production of the letter
sent from the Judiciary Committee, and
signed by Allen q. Thurman as its
chairman, to the Attorney-General. |
endorse all that the Senator has so well
said about Allen G. Thurman. Yes,
Mr.. President, Allen q. Thurman is
the greatest and wisest and pureSt
American statesman nov living. APP
plause in the galleries, whose occupants
were notified by the occupant of the
chair that any further demonstrations
Of applause would result In the
galleries being cleared | was
surprised that the great Senator from
Vermont, in this great law-making de
paItment Of the Government, should
use the name and fame and authority
of that great statesman to sustain the
claim now made on the Attorney
General Tor these documents. What
had Senator Thurman said on the floor
Of this Senate in relation to this power
of removal Mr. Pugh read from Mr..
Humans speeches in the debate on the
tenure of-otce act, in which he eX-
pressed the conviction that the power
Of removal was an executive power eN-
clusiyely, residing in the President
alone. Yet the Senator from Vermont
invoked an order, signed by Mr.. Thur
man as chairman of the Judiciary Com
mittee, addressed to the Attorney
General, which Mr.. Pugh would read
to the Senate. Mr.. Pugh then read
the letter, which was read yes
terday by Mr.. EdmundS, call
ing for the papers bearing on the
removal of Judge Shailer, Of the Terri
tory Of Utah. That person, Mr.. Pugh
sid, had been a judge Of Territorial
court, aud in the provision comforting
the power Of suspension on the Presi
dent there was an express exception Of
Judges Of the United States. The qUes-
tion was whether a Territorial Judge
was embraced in that language. The
Senator from Vermont knew that the
question was now before the Judiciary
Committee. lie knew that the great
Senator and lawyer from New York
MIR. EyartS) was a member of that
subcommittee, with that splendid Law
yer, Jackson, from Tennessee, and that
after two weeks or more Of considera-
ton they had made no report on