Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-03-19

| W ASllINGION, M0rCn lS.-Ine CnHlf
placed before the Senate u resolution re-
| ported from the judiciary committee on
! relations between the president and Sen
ate as to the right of the Senate to have
! papers and information relating to suspen-
sions from Office. Kenna took the floor
and addressed the Senate in opposition to
the report of the majority of the commit
| tee. Kenna said he would take the issue
as the senator from Vermont had stated
it is this body as II coordinate branch of
the government entitled to call upon the
executive department, in any one of Its
forms or divisions for, and to receive in
return, such documents and papers as
come within the definition of public and
official papers, as laid down by
the senator from Vermont That as the
primary proposition was the issue in
volved here to-day. The country knew
that the senator from Vermont was law
yer of ability and Il senator of ability.
Edmunds himself knew that after long
years of service and the prominent posi-
ton he had occupied, the press would give
respect to utteranees from him, which the
people would have Il right to receive and
respect as in the nature of judicial decla-
tons. Who would undertake to say that
any citizen would question the statement
Vermont. kenna then quoted from
Edmunds's recent speech, to the
effect that President Andrew Jack
son like all his predecessors, and like
all his successors until to-day felt bound
to and did give to both Houses of Con.
gress every information they ever called
for, except President Washington, who,
while a treaty was pending before the Sen
ate, was called on by the House for papers
about it, which President Washington
had declined ION obvious grounds" to
furnish. Kenna denied that the treaty was
then pending, and read from the proceed
ings of Congress to show that fact.
President Washington's reply to the call
of the House was: ut does not occur to
me that the inspection of the papers asked
for can be relevant to any purpose under
cognizance of the House except that of
impeachment which the resolution has
not expressed" The president in order to
maintain the dignity and prerogatives of
his high office, declined to aid the pro-
posed intermeddling of the House, in
something that did not concern it.
kenna was surprised that EdmundS
should have said that on the refusal of
President jackson to send to Senate, the
papers in the Writ case there had been
an end of the matter. kenna presumed
Edmunds must have forgot the bitter
fight between that president and Congress
on this question of papers in the removal
dent jackson, for the purpose of effecting
the removal of deposits from the United
States bank. In this case, papers were
asked for and President Jackson informed
the Senate that he had yet to learn on
| what constitutional authority, that body
could require him to comply. He de-
clined compliance. OF course, Kenna
said, no man denied the Senates right to
call on the president for even private
letter in his pocket, but no rational man
would deny the president an equal right
! to decline to send it, if he chose.
kenna quoted also from message of
President Grant to the House of Repre-
| sentatives, dated May 1, 1876, declining to
| furnish certain information which he said
related exclusively to the executive func-
| ton. He also read from letter of Sher-
man, when Secretary of the Treasury, re
lating to the removal of Arthur from the
collectorship of New York. In that letter,
| Sherman said to make an official reply
would compel him to disclose matters CON
tanned in papers of II confidential charac-
| ter filed III the department. kenna said
| he believed that the true question at issue
here was whether the President should
| be allowed in the fulhllment of
| his obligations to the people, to administer
the government through agencies of his
own choice, or be compelled by the OBJ
structiVe power of the ma ority of the
Senate to administer and be responsible
for the government through agencies not
OF his own choice and not only So but
agencies lacking his confidence, and in Il
| multitude of cases, actually interested in
bringing him and his administration into
dlSrepute. The issue, after all, was
whether the Democratic administration
should appropriately perform its functions
in the face of a negative obstructive ma
lOrty on the other side of the chamber.
Applause in the galleries.
In conclusion kenna paid an eloquent
truth l,A e Lst.l. ~
Cleveland, and said This Senate may con-
tinue, as his message indicates, to ply him
and his various subordinate departments
with harrassing and embarrassing issues
1t may defeat every nomination that
stands before it for consideration it may
assert i'll every measure arbitrarily or
otherwise, every prerogative granted or
not granted III the constitution, but mis-
take that man, if he does not stand firmly
to his post, maintain his sworn duty un-
der the constitution of his country, main
tain every prerogative of his high office
and transmit it unimpaired to his sue
cessor. Adjourned
Democrats Anxious for Party Harmony-
Democratic Reform"
! WASHINGTON, March 12.-There is a
growing disposition among Democratic
congressman to effect a reconciliation
with the President, induce him to recede
from some of the policies announced in
his message, and induce him to be more
liberal with patronage. 1t is not believed
that they can move him on either his sill
yer or civil service policy, and to effect an
agreement the members must come to his
views. Some western leaders hold out
from his movement, thinking that har-
mony in the party would keep Mr. Cleve-
-. L. 4
to nominate Western Democrat in 1855.
Tho approach of the fall elections makes
many Democratic Representatives anxious
for harmony, fearing that without it they
cannot be returned.
An authorized account of the interview
between the President and Senator Eustis
of Louisiana, says he told the President
that in his opinion the Republican Sena-
tors were using the controversy to rivet
the attention of the people so as to secure
the fullest possible audience for certain
disclosures they hoped to bring about re
fecting on the character of some of his