Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-03-17
SENATORIAL PAUL PRYS.
MIR. CULLOM SETS UP THE STAR
CHAMBER sCARECROW.

MIR. Maxey CIeverly Points Out That
There fs no Work for a Cromwell at
This Time-Mr. DoIph Fishes for the
Soldier vote-ExpOsing the Republic
can Animus.
WASHINGTON, March 16.--In the Sem
ate this afternoon at o'clock the Judi
ciary Committee resolutions came up and
Mr.. Cuilom took the floor. He yielded,
however, to Mr.. Morrill,, who wished to
reply to Mr.. Kenna. The latter, in his
speech, had read letter signed by Mr..
Morrill, as Chairman OF the Committee on
Finance, and had stated that the letter
was the beginning Of the present contro-
versy. Mr.. Morrill, said that when the
Senate met in December the Finance
Committee had pursued its usual routine,
and had written to the Secretary OF the
Treasury letter identical in terms with
the one read by MIR. Kenna, calling for
information in regard 10 the suspension
OF an official under the Treasury, which
information had been given promptly,and
was so satisfactory that the Senate had no
hesitation in confirming the successor TO
the suspended official.
NO NEW POLICY.
MI Sulu lnG HVAtAy PAAa0SA W
the committee was the same it had pur-
sued ever since he MIR. Morrill) had been
a member of the committee, and the COM
mittee had never had refusal until re-
GENTLY. In his statement Mr.. Morrill,
found great difficulty in avoiding a be-
travail Of executive session secrets. lie
stated a hypothetical case as being one TO
which the above circumstances applied,
and there was no difficulty IN recognizing
n 1ntawpa1 RaUa-
nue. in the interior OF the state of New
York.
MIR. CULLoM's INTERPRETATION.
MIR. Cullom then resumed the floor. He
said the refusal of the Attorney General
to furnish the papers called for by the
Senate was a denial of the right of the
Senate to inquire into the management Of
a public office. He Mr.. CullOm denied
that the question was ''mOOt question:"
as characterized by Mr.. P.ugh. No ques-
ton could be ''moOt question" Mr.. Gull
lOm thought, that was directed to ascer-
tanning whether an American citizen had
been unjustly treated by having false and
slanderOus charges and secret assaults
made against him and filed in public
department to blacken his character and
iniure his good name, as this opening
paragraph indicates. Mr.. CullOm's argu-
ment was based upon like premises with
that of MIR. Wilson, of Iowa, and 1t fol-
lowed upon a similar line.
LOSS OF OFFICE.
The Senator from Alabama had said the
| Attorney General, III refusing the papers,
| had acted under the orders OF the Presi-
\ dent, and had seemed TO think it would be
a great calamity tor the Attorney General
| TO disobey Presidential orders, as it might
result in the loss of his Office. The SEN
atOr was doubtless right. IL might be
that Democrat could imagine no greater
calamity than loss of his office, but the
law should be obeyed, whether such dis
aster was averted or not. The Attorney
| General was an officer Of the law. His
| duties were defined by law and it was his
| duty to obey the law, whether it cost him
| his Office or not.
SIMILAR CASES.
The Senator stated IN his minority re-
port, that from 1889 to 1867 there could
not be found a single case like the one un-
der discussion. The truth was that IN
hundreds of calls that had been made,
there could be found very few instances
in which the information asked for had
not been furnished to either house. There
might not be another case exactly like the
present one in all respecte, but there had
been hundreds substantially like it in
principle, if not in all the facts.
USUALLY FURNISHED. ul
A prominent fact was that when either
branch of, Congress bad called for anY M
| formation i6 had usually been furnished,
| and that in the exceptional cases ~
| which it mad not been, the refusal was
not based on the constitutional preroga-
tive Of the President. When the Presi-
| dent suspended Mr.. Duskin, he did 1t
under the tenure OF Office act. So the
case stood that the President proposed to
obey the law in getting men out Of office,
! but questioned its cOnstitutioDality
when the Senate, under that law,
said it had a right 10 inquire into his act
| OF suspension and 20 do that inteilge ntly
needed all the papers on hle. Ihe Presi-
dent used the law in suspending men from
office. and then I'm a volunteer message
intimated that the Senate was attempting
TO interfere with his high and mighty pre-
rogative as Chief Executive. Verify, con-
sistency was not a jewel consplcuOusly
worn in these days Of "JehersOnian sim
plicity."
FORGED DOCUMENTS.
Following Mr.. Kenna's idea Mr.. Cul-
lOm suggested q hypothetical case in
which an ofIice-seeker forwarded forged
documents in the semblance Of bills OF
Indictment against an incumbent. II
might, perhaps, be assumed that the
| President had right, as he claimed, TO
consider such communications as private
papers, but after he forwarded them 10 a
denartment and placed them on the files,
they certainly became public papers. II
the President has removed no officers ex-
cept for cause. some such papers must
have been filed.
DECLARED INVALID.
Indeed, such documents had been in
Vited by the present administration, in
evidence of which Mr. CullOm read the
celebrated confidential letter OF Post
master General Villas, showing that dOcu-
mentary evidence would be required in
making removals, In which circular the
Postmaster General stated that he spoke
for the President. II such papers were
now on file the Senate was entitled to
them, and the President ought In good
faith 10 produce them. II there were no
such papers on file, let him say so, and
the country could judge how well he mad
redeemed every pledge he bad made 10
the people.
PROTESTS AGAINST SECRECY.
Mr.. CullOEh disclaimed any intention 20
keep his friends In Office. but protested
against secret or "star Cbamberv pro-
eeedings that reflected on the personal
character Of honest men. Men should not
be allowed 70 come sneakinRly to the
Post Office Department at The invitation
of the Postmaster General and lodge Sc
eret complaints against honest men. A
refusal 70 produce the papers would be an