Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1886-03-10
Wednesday, March 10, 1886.
The Senate Repulsed in its Attack on
President Cleveland.

The u. >. senate Is controlled ny
the Republicans, and, for political
effect, they recently commenced q
sort of guerilla warfare upon the adj
ministration, The dispute originated
as .fcllows:
President Cleveland has the power
conferred on him by law, of removing
certain officers and appointing other
persons to fill the vacant positions
In the exercise of that lawful power
he removed certain Republicans from
office and appointed Democrats in
their places.
The President is indebted consider
ably to the civil service reformers for
his election, and, in fact, would not
have been elected President but for
the votes of such men in New York
State. He pledged these men that
he would observe the civil service
regulations, and would not remove a
Republican from Office until his term
of office expired, unless for cause.
This declaration did not apply to
members of the cabinet, ministers to
foreign countries and heads of de-
partments, but to those persons who
had stated terms Of office, and to the
subordinate clerks in the offices at
Washington, who were under the SUI
pervision of the civil service depart
ment.
Certain Republican officials were
removed by the President, who, no
doubt had good reasons for so doing.
Part of the evidence he obtained was
verbal and part was private written
communications.
The 40 members of the Senate com.
posing the majority of that body. and
who appear to be under the delusion
that they have supreme authority in
everything that concerns the govern
ment of this country, ordered certain
of the cabinet officials to produce
those private communications so that
they, the majority Of the Senate,
could judge whether the reasons were
sufficient for removing the Republic
can officials. The Senate thus claim
ed for itself the power of removing
officials, and kept up fusilade of
resolutions at the administration in
regard to the matter.
Now the Senate has nothing what
ever to do with removing officials.
Its claim was an unlawful one as can
be seen by section 1,76S of the re-
vised statues of the United States,
and which is as follows:
During any recess Of the Senate,
in his discretion, the President is au-
thorized to suspend any civil officer
appointed by and with the advice and
consent of the Senate, except judges
of the courts of the United States,
until the next session of the Senate,
and to designate some suitable per-
son, subject to be renewed, in his dis
erection, by the designation of another
to perform the duties of such sus-
pended officer in the meantime. y
The President shall, within thirty
days after the commencement of each
session Of the Senate, except for any
office which in his opinion ought not
TO be filled. nominate persons in place
of all officers suspended, and if the
Senate, during such session, shall re-
fuse to advise and consent to the APP
pointment in the place of any sus-
pended officer, then, and not other
wise, the President shall nominate
another person, as soon as practical
BILE, to the same session of the Senate,
for office.
This law gives the power to the
President, and to him alone, to make
removals. The Senate has no more
to do with removing U. S. officers
than has the Common Council of
this city. They claimed an unlawful
power, believing that their orders,
no matter if unlawful, were invinci-
BILE.
President Cleveland, however, is
not the kind Of man who is easily
inundated, and, a few days since,
sent his celebrated communication to-
the Senate which took considerable
conceit out of that body.
In that communication President
Cleveland drew attention TO the law
which gave him, and not the Senate.
the power of removing officials. and
also gave the Senate his ideas on the
subject of their unlawful demands, in
manner that can not help hut please
Democrats, and who, we believe, will
willingly support the President in the
lawful stand he has taken.
We regret to be unable to publish
the entire communication on account
Of its length, but give the concluding
part, which is ms follows:
The requests and demands which
by the score have for nearly three
months been presented to the differ
emit departments of the government,
whatever may be their form, have but
one complexion. They assume the
right of the Senate to sit in Judge