The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-03-10
its duty to find out how Duskiu had ad
his office,

tl9 IuulClhty OOulmltlte, tub CAAe NJ ~
stands Ia that the President has asked the
Senate to consent to the removal OF Dus.
kin and the appointment oi Burnett, Be-
side It was not for the President to deter
mine what papers were relevant that was
discretionary with the Senate.
Mr. Edmunds did not think the warm
eat administration man would say that It
was any part OF the duty Oi the President
or head Of department tO determine
whether official Information In the de-
partment, which was required by either
House Of Congress, was to be furnished or
withheld according tn the opinion OF the
officer called on that it would or would
not he useful to them In taslr delibera-
tiona. The papers called for in this case
were papers tied Ia the department, and
the law made the Attorney General and
not the President the custodian
Of those papers and required
him topre5erve them. Every paper ad.
dresRedto the officer exercising the official
function Of suspension upon that topic
must be an. official paper NO matter how
vile or false 1t may ba. 1t did not belong
to the man whether Presidsntor Attorney
Genera, but to the officer in hta character
sS an officer. The Attorney General gave
no hint that any part OF the papers called
ior were private or unofficial, or even con-
lidential public papers. ON .ial papers
were called for and such papers only were
spoken OF in the reapOnse.
AN AMAZING PROPOSITION,
But the papers were refused because
they would not only give the facts but
would enable US to understand the reason
vf the President for exercising his official
acts, therefore the proposition was that the
senate being called onin the exercise Of its
Jurisdiction to judge Of the official conduct
II Duskin, the President having already
oeen called on within his jurisdiction to
pronounce u Judgement Oh u similar q ques.
ion about the same man, the Senate could
not have the papers, because II it did they
would disclose the grounds on which the
President acted. "llthat," said Mr.. Ed
munds, 'lsRot proposition which would
puzzle tho Credualty and amp29 the un-
lerstanding OF an Intelligent man in gov
srnmsnt Of law, or In a government Of rea-
son, am quite unable to comprehend
what would be-"
All ot tue Government functions, Mr..
Edmnnds continued, were executive, and
.hat 1t came TO this, that because tho Pres
dent was the chief execution officer OF
The Government Congress could know
nothing as to the facts lnd circumstances
relating to the executive Of the laws, be.
cause II they did they might be able to
comprehend the motives or reasons Of the
President In carrying out the laws. Why,
iuCh statement was shocking, yet that
vas tho logic Of the whole thing. The ju.
rlsdiCtion Of Congress was infinitely broader
han that Of the President His was the
executive power. Congress made the
laws and when. the Constitution command
ID him to give Congress information on
The state OF the Union it says he ''shalW
10 II. That had reference totheuniYersal
power Of knowledge Of the two houses Of
Congress in respect TO every operation Of
he government and every one oil Its otli-
,ers. "rhat Is the 'atatU OF the Uniou.'
rhe stateoi the Union is made up Of every
drop in the bucket Of the execution Of
4vary law and the performance OF every
officer under the law"
WHAT WAS DONE IN oLDES TIMES.
Mr. EdmundS then read copy OF a
.etter from Mr.. Thurman as Chairman ol
the Committee to the Attorney General
lated March q, 1879, calling for such in.
ormatiOn as may be in the possession Of
your department concerning the following
nominations, together with any suggestion
you may be pleased TO do" "On the 7th
Of April, " continued Mr.. Edmunds, there
came In horse Of q different color-the
same kind Of an animal that we haVs here
now. [Laughter.1 Accordingly on that
day this letter was written to the Attorney
General:"
The Attorney General ofhs United STATES:
SlR:-Under the direction Of the Judi.
ciary Committee OF the Senate, | have the
honor to request that you will cpmmunl.
,ate 10 the committee any papers or ins
formation In your possession touching the
question Of the propriety Of the removal
1emphasis by Mt. EllHundsl OF Michael
shaelier, Chief Justice OF the Supreme
Court Of the Territory Of Utah, and the
appointment Of David L. Corbln to the
office. Very respectfully,
your 0DeQlenL SERVANT
ALLEN Il. THURMAN, Chairman.
Alas for the Democracy OF these days
llaughter). Think, Mr.. President of the
infinite idioGy, tho unpatriotism, the
usurpation OF that number Of Eve Senators
Of the United States OF the Democratic
party aSsailinE Republican Attorney
General and a Republican President with
the insulting and impertinent inquiry
as to papers and information touching a
suspended officer whose successor was
nominated 10 accomplish his removal.
And yet those men were In their day, In
those times, among the headlights Of
the Democratic locomotives (lAughter).
There was Thurman his light Is
put out ireneSed lsughter)-the greatest
Democrat ia the United States tapplause
in the gallery and the best one and the
noblest one and the braveat one, for. he
had the courage not long ago In your
State, (0hio) sir, TO dononnce the Demo-
cratic frauds at the ballot. There was
Thurman and there was "Ioe" Mcdonald
"a name familiar In the West as 10 the
East as the embodiment Of upright Demo-
cratic pluck and constitutional law.
AND GARLAND, TOO.
And there was Garland, whom we all
knew hers as tie lesder on tue Demo-
cratic side Of the Senate, full and running
over with constitutional aud reported law,
knowing hjs rights as q Senator, and aH a
member Of the cola nittoe, and knowing
his duties, and Lamar, and then oil the
rest Of us On this side, joining In what the
President Of the United States calls an i'm
pertinent innovation Of hlsrlghtsl In asking
for papefa.
rhetorical / Should say just there, "0h
shame where IL thy blush2' But that
was not the only instance, Mr.. Edmunds
said. The same chairman on many oc'
cssions had called lOr the same ClaSs oi In
formation aud got 1t. Iu conclusion 1t
did not sReip 10 Nj. Elmunds that the
Senate could lall 10 get the papers on the
ground that the statute on the subject
had become obsolete or gone Into a state
OF "lnhocuous desuetudB.n Laughter ]
The President himself had sent 10 the
Senate O43 instances Of obedience to that