Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-03-10

eral and not the President custodian of those
papers and that he should preserve them. In
regard TO ''oficial papers" Mr. Edmunds de-
ciared that any communication addressed TO
an official in his capacity, whether marked
private or not. was an official paper. Both
the minority and majority of the judiciary
committee and the President, himself, agreed
that the suspension of an officer was an off
eial act, and Mr.. Edmunds claimed that
therefore any communication addressed to an
officer. with whom the power of suspension
rested, In regard to such suspension, no mat
ter what the character of that communication
might be, whether marked private or not, no
matter how false or vile. must be an official
paper. 1t did not belong to the man, W neither
the attorney general or the President, but TO
the office in his official character
The attorney general gave hint that anv
part of the papers called for were private or
unofficial or even confidential public papers
Oflcial papers were called for and such
papers only were spoken of in response. Did
these papers relate to the motives of the
President in suspending Duskin? Did any
body suppose the President or any of his
friends had filed a statement of his motives?
by no means. That would be absurd The
papers, therefore, stated facts on the state
ment of the attorney general that they related
exclusively to the suspension, stated facts
or alleged facts as to the conduct of the Of
ficers suspended. Since the Senate was
called upon to assist the President in dis
charging this man permanently every paper
existing there, relating to him on admission
OF the attorney general, related to the con-
duct OF the office while i'll the possession of
Duskln. But the papers were refused be-
cause they would not only give the facts but
nnid h1o h. e
the President for exercising his official act
Therefore the proposition was thai the Sem
ate being called on in the exercise of its
jurisdiction to judge of the official conduct of
Duskin, the President having already been
called ON within his jurisdiction to pronounce
Judgment on similar question about the
same man. The Senate could not have the
papers because if it did they would disclose
the grounds on which the President acted.
"If that" said Edmunds, sis not propo-
sition which would stagger credulity and
amaze the understanding of any intelligent
man in the government of law or in the gov
erument of reason, l am quite unable to
comprehend what would be-"
All the operations, of the government, Mr..
Edmunds continued, were exclusive, and had
it come to this, that because the President
was the chief executive officer of the govern
ment Congress could know nothing as to the
facts and causes relating to the execution of
the laws, because if they did they might be
able to comprehend The motives or reasons
of the President in carrying out the laws.
Why, such statement was shocking. Yet
this was the logic of this whole thing. Pub
lie interest would not be subserved by tell
ing the Senate which was asked to help re-
move the officers what the truth was lest the
r,th a nln tn fha
sibly the public what the Presidents reasons
were in exercising the Official act. The rea-
sons must be tremendously sacred" if the
facts were never to be revealed lest the rea-
sons, also, might be revealed, The jurisdic-
ton of Congress was infioitely broader than
that of the President. This was the execu-
tive power. Congress made laws and when the
constitution commanded him to give Congress
information on the ''the state of the Union"
it says he ''shall' do it. That had reference
to the universal power of knowledge of the
two houses of Congress in respect to every
operation of the government and every one
of its officers. There is no one thing, no one
subject that represented estate of the Union"
1t was the condition of the government and
every part of it, not only its legislative parts,
about which the President could communi-
cate no information without impertinence,
for the constitution had declared the two
houses were to regulate themselves, but he
was to give to Congress, and Was positively
commanded to from time to time, informa-
ton on the state of the Union, and that is
because Congress was entitled to have it
every time they called for it, and he violated
the positive command of the constitution
when on constitutionary call in the regular
way he omitted to comply with it. MIR, Ed
do hat nnhllp
methods as far as we have yet gone would
seem to be chiefly and most eonspicuously
the suppression of public papers. He refer
red to appropriations to cover deficiencies for
expenses in the department of justice, and
asked if Congress had not right to ask for
information as to how that money was ex-
pended Mr. Duskin, he said, was one of
the men who handled this money and was
Congress not to know anything about it,
merely because such information might dis
close the Presidents reasons for making sus-
pensions? The speaker stated that the Pres
ident, with courage very unique, had inter-
lected his supplementary report to the re-
port of the minority of the committee before
the Senate had ever considered it. Mr.. Ed
munds didn't think it possible to carry on
the government in this way. He thought
that if the Senators were 20 act by faith in
stead of knowledge they had no business
here. Mr.. Edmunds cited a case between
President Jackson and the Senate, in 1885,
similar to the present one between Presiden:
Cleveland and the Senate, in WHICH the Sen
ate asked Jackson's reasons for making re-
moval The President replied, business. The
Senate thereupon refused to confirm the Sec
cessor nominated by the President and that
ended the contest. From that time to the
present all species of information had been
given to the Senate when called for. Infor-
nation in regard to suspensions or removals,
President jackson, like all his predecessors
and all his successors until today, felt bound
to give this information to Congress MIR.
Edmunds cited an instance where in 1873
when the Senate was democratic, the chair
man of the committee on the Judiciary had
bv resolution called on the attorney general
| for information as to the removal of terri
torial officer and the appointment of his sue
cessor and got it On other occasions in'
| formation had been called for and received
The President himself had sent to the Senate
| 643 instances of obedience to that law, GA
nominations under it and Mr.. Edmund,
therefore took it that the law was still il
| force.
| Mr.. Pugh rose to reply to Mr.. Edmunds
but gave way for a motion to go into execu
tive session.
At4. 81 the Senate went into executive
session and half an hour the doors were re
opened and the Senate adjourned.
HOUSE.
| The speaker laid before the House the re
sponse of the secretary of the navy to Mr.
I r 81 A.