National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-03-13

resolution calling for the papers I'm the
Duskin case, and then asked "what was
that information sought by the Senate
OF the Attorney General. The majority Of
the committee stated distinctly the .pur-
pose for which these papers were sought.
Here the senator read from the maj ority
report the passage ending with the decla-
ration that "tho public interest and the
public duty would require that the facts be
made known in order that the Senate may
understandlngly and promptly advise their
removal.n1
1t was useless Senator Pugh continued,
FOR him to read other passages In the report
making the same statement, that the use the
Senate intended to make Of the documents
and papers sought from the Attorney Gen
eral was to enable the Senate to exercise
the power Of revising the act OF removal Of
Duskin by the President What was the
character Of the information sought by the
Senate from the Office Of the Attorney Cen
eral2 The resolution spoke for itself on
that subject
RcsoitCd That the Attorney General OF the
United States be and he hereby IS directed to
transmit to the Senate copies OF oil documents
and papers.
Not public documents, not official docu-
ments, not public or official papers, but
private documents and private papers re-
lating exclusively to an official act of the
district attorney. The inquiry proposed by
the Senate was to be made with q knowl-
edge OF the fact that more than four weeks
| before the resolution was offered to the
| Senate the term of Duskin had expired.
| Then what possible use could be made OF
the information sought In that caseY II
was pure fiction. Why the report Of the
majority declared that the information was
| wanted to enable the Senate to discharge
the great duty imposed upon II Of making
on inquiry as to the propriety OF
an official act by the President,
| the power to do which was expressly
conferred upon him by law, to be
exercised within his discretion. IL they
had decided the removal was improper or
unwise, what would have been the effect Of
| the decisioni Could II have restored Dus-
| KIM Was he still a suspended officer await
| ing the adjournment of the Senate to be re-
stored 10 the duties Of his office? The Senate
| was to-day engaged In an inquiry about a
matter from which there could be no posi-
| BILE practical result IL was moot ques-
ton merely, lana the Senate was turned into n
moot court to discuss q purely abstract
proposition.
The President had stated that the papers
were private and unofficial and related to
nothing over which the Senate had juris-
diction. The majority of the judiciary
committee and its distinguished chairman
the senator from Vermont-said that,
although private and unofficial, they would
enable the Senate to discharge duty 1t had
to perform-a powerit claimed-of revising
the official act OF the President in suspend
ing George NJ. Duskin las district attorney.
That was the undisputed basis Of the claim
to these unofficial papers. 1t was the
power Of the Senate to exercise the same
control and revision over the act OF sus.
pension or removal that was claimed and
exercised aud given to the Senate expressly
by the constitution of advising and consent
ing to appointments.
~ indorse all that the senator has so well
said about Allen G.. Thurman. Yes, Mr..
President, Allen G. Thurman is the great
est and the wisest and the purest American
statesman now living" Applause In the
galleries, whose occupants were notified by
the occupant Of the chair (Mr. Harris) that
any further demonstration Of applause
would result in the galleries being cleared. /
81 was surprised that the great senator
from Vermont, in this great lawmaking
department of the government, should In
woke the name and fame and authority OF
that great statesman TO sustain the claim
now made on the Attorney General for
those documents"
On motion OF Mr.. Allison the Senate took
up the urgent deficiency appropriation bill.
An amendment recommended by the COM
mittee on appropriations was agreed to, APP
propriating 100000 to defray the expenses
of Gen. Grants funeral.
Mr.. Beck wanted the bill held over till
to-day, so that he might look into 1t, but a
majority Of the senators wanted 1t passed
at once, and II was accordingly passed.
The Senate then adjourned, leaving the
Edmunds resolutions the unfinished bust
ness for 2 o'clock, Mr.. Wilson, Of Iowa,
having the floor.
Wednesdays session Of the house was
occupied in the discussion Of the Indian
appropriation bill.
Thursdays session Of the Senate was de-
voted to q continuation Of the debate on
the resolutions as to the right of the Senate
TO papers on file in the departments. The
resolutions were supported by Senator VIII
son, Of Iowa, who made strong aud ef
fective argument against the position as
sumed by the President.
The House on Friday considered the In
dian appropriation bill until 5p. M, when
without action, an adjournment was had.