Weekly commercial herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1884-18??, 1886-02-19
The War on the President.
picayune Special.

The War on the President.
Picayune Special.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 15.-Mr. Edo
munds did not make his report to the
Senate, to-day, from the Judiciary
Committee on the Duskin case, in Ala
bama, although there was an impress
sion that he would do so.
Mr.. Pugh, of Alabama, has drawn
up a minority report, and when the
majority report is presented he will
make his. 1t is said to be a very strong
document and will be a surprise to
some OF tle Republicans.
Precedents and judicial decisions
are cited TO show that several of the
earlier Presidents and Cabinet officers
not only positively refused to deliver
certain papers asked for by the Senate,
but that President Tyler actually de-
clined to respond on n occasion when
the House demanded papers.
That particular case related to a re-
quest from the house for letters and
other documents that members had
filed in the several departments in ref
erence to securing offices for their
friends, removals and suspensions hav-
ing been necessary.
Among the presidents cited are ALSO
the action of Presidents Washington
and Monroe, who would not submit to
anything that looked like coercion on
the part of the senate regarding what
they held to be the prerogatives of the
executive clearly defined in the consti-
tuition.
1t is also said that Mr.. Pugh's re-
port will include a mention of the fact
that when John Sherman was secreta-
ry of the treasury he refused to give
up certain papers demanded by the
senate.
1t will be remembered that during
the debate of last week on this ques-
ton, Mr.. Pugh asked Mr.. Sherman if
he did not refuse to comply with a
request for papers, and the latter then
hesltatingIy replied that he did not re-
member having done so, and went into
a long recital of the many times he
had appeared before the senate finance
committee and the information he had
always willingly given.
MIR. Edmunds' delay in making the
report is attributed by many to the
fact that possibly he fears the conse-
quences after the minority report shall 4
have been made public.
1t is learned from sources deemed
reliable that Mr.. Cameron, of Pennsyl-
vania, has said to Mr.. Edmunds, with
in the past week, that he was making
a fatal mistake. Mr.. Cameron is a
practical politician and knows full we'll
that the Republicans cannot maintain
the position that Mr.. EdmunJs wants
them to take.
Mr.. Ingalls,, of Kansas, does not ap-
prove it either, and it is also said that
while Logan, on account of being a
Presidential candidate, has been drag
ged in, it is in reality against his
wishes.
He is not that style of politician, but
is forced to Keep up with the process.
sion if he thinks Edmunds is in this
fight to make political capital.
When Logan was a member of the
house, he offered a resolution in that
body, giving Gen. Grant power to re-
move any government employees APP
pointed 10y Andrew Jonson. This is
on che records, and if the threatened
fight is precipitated it will be brought
up against Logan. y
Mr.. Aldrich, of Rhode Island, is
another Republican senator, WHO, it is
said, regards Mr.. Edmunds' attempt as
a failure, and predicted more thantwo
weeks ago that it would soon .'fzzle."
R~iddleberger, the junior renegade
senator from Virginia, has been snub-
bed so often of late by MIR. Edmunds
and other prominent Republicans that
it is said now that his vote cannot be =
counted upon by the Republicans, not
even in a case of emergency. The
other day several of the leading Re
publican senators were heard to discuss
R~iddleberger's action in Offering his
resolution, which Mr.. Morrill,. as a
stroke of mere policy moved to refer.
One of the senators said: "What right
has that fellow to interfere with our
plans?"
Similar remarks have reached Rid
dleberger's ears, and it is reported that
he has become soured and Indignant.