The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1886-03-09
The PRESIDENTS SPECIAL MESSAGE,
A Knock DownArgument.
Senator EdmundS and Republican
Senate Driven tO the Wall.

WAsHINaToN, March l.--At2 40 p. m.
the Chair laid before the Senate leng, b,
message from the Presidei {, bearing on
the rls bt Of the Senste or Senators t.
have access to papers, etc, in the Ex.
ecutiye Department, relating {, suspen.
sions from off e.
The following is
THE MESSAGE:
To the Senate of the United States:
Ever since the beginnlng oi the pres.
ent session of the Senate the different
heads f the departments attached To- the
executive branch of tie Government
have been Piled with various requests
and demands from commi ties Ot the
Senate, from members OF such commit
tees, and ct last from the Senate itsell
requiring tie transmission OF reasons
for the suspension of otficeh 0lders during
tie recess of rat 5ndy or FIR the paper.
touching the conduct Of such Officials
or for all papers and documents relstine
to such suspensions, or for documents
and papers filed in such departments in
relation tn the management and conduct
OF the offices held by such suspended
Off isls The different terms from time
to time adopted 10 making the requests
and demands the order In which tbey
succeeded each other, and the fact thai
when made by the Senate the resolution
for that purpose was passed in the ex'
ecu;ive session, have led to presump.
ion the correctness of which will, | sup
p Sc, be candidly admitted ,hat from
tirst t, last the Information thusr sought
and the papers thus demanded for Us by
The Senate and it's committees, and con.
81 guently the property OF the suspension
tre'erred to, though these suspensions are
my executive ACTS, based upon consider.
ations addressed to me alone and for
which am wholly responsible, have
had no invitation from tie United St,t {
Senate to state the position which ] have
felt and st ived to assume in relst'on e.
the same or to interpret for myself nv
acts and motives in t,e premises In
this condition OF affairs have forborr
addressing the Senate upon the subject
lest might be accused Of Trusting my
self unhiiden upon the attention Of taa
body. Bat the report of the Committee
on the Jadiciary of the Senate lately
presented and pnblished, which censares
the Attorney General OF the Unt,d
States for bis refusal to transmit certain
papers relating to suspension from OF.
fee, and which also, correctly inter.
pref 1t, evinces misappreheusion of the
DOS tion OF the Executive upon the qles.
tion OF such suspensions will. hope
justify this communication. The Presi.
dent refers to the resolution OF the Sen.
sta relating the Dustin papers and repl,
OF the Attorney General thereto, and
says: ~
THE DUSTIN CASE. a;Tg i,e
"Upon this resolution and the snswel
thereto, the issue is thus stred by tht
Committee on the Juaiciarysat the dutstt
I { thu report: 'The imporiant question
ktaen, is whether 1t is within the con
sti'uti NAL comps tance of either H .ust
f Congress to have, accessible the, off; ;is
papers and documents in the various
public offices Of the United st tss., ere
sted BY laws enacted BY themselves.
do mt suppose tlst "tbe public Offices
! of the United States are iegulst d CT
controlled in their relations to either
H"use of Congress by the fact that the,
we're ''crei ted BY laws enacted by them
selves" The lit er of the Attorney
General in response to the resolu i,r
Of the Senst in the particular mentioned
in the commit ee report was written a
nv suggestion and ny my direction
There hal been no official papers or doc
umen,s iled in his department rel ting
TO the case within the period epecifitd il
the resolution. The letter was intended
nv its description Of the papers and doc
uments remaining in Gus tody Of the de-
pal tment to convey the idea thtt they
we're not official, and IL was assumed
that the resolution called for irformstion
papers and documents Of the same char
ater as were required nv requests anC
demands which preceded it.
THE PAPERS PRIVATE PROPERTY.
Everything that had been written ol
done In behalf OF the Senate from the
beginning pointed to all letters and pa
pers of q private and unofficial nature
as Objects OF such, IL they were TO be
found in the department and provided
thev bad been presented TO. the execn.
tive with view to tbtir consideration
upon the question Of suspension from
office. Against the Transmission OF such
papers and document, Ihave interposed
my advice and direction. This has n.
been done as il suggested in the com.
m ktae's rpnn n;,0n tho aaan m nj ion On