Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-03-12
RORTY-NINTH CONGRESS.
First Session.
SENATE.

| 40 W luS expense incurred
BY the United States in behalf of the terr;ro,u
OF Utah since the passage of the act lime %
| 1874 referred. -''
fetitlons we're presented and referred from
the bf metallic Coinage Association.
mr.. Jones addressed the Senate upon il in
favor of silver coinage.
Mr.. Hawley, from the committee on civil
| service, reported adversely Mr.. Vance's bill
ior the repeal of the civil service law placed
on the calendar. Mr.. Hawley said that the
committee was not unanimous.
mr. Logan, from the minority of the COM
mlttee on military affairs, submitted the
ter bill VI
mr.. Plumb again called up the bill for the
forfeiture of part of the Iowa railroad lands.
AFTER some discussion the matter went
over until tomorrow.
The chair then laid before the Senate the
resolutions reported by the judiciary CON-
initoee as TO the right of the Senate to papers
on file.
Mr.. Wilson addressed the Senate in spn.
port OF the resolutions reported by the ma
Jority of the committee.
de SAID that for the first time in the pro.
gress of this government its executive power
Is now being used as means Of assault upon
the character and reputation OF its citizens
He stated facts and would not now stop to
determine whether it was the result of pur-
pose, inexperience, want of thoughtful action
or other cause whatsoever. The first Con.
gress discovered serious defects in the con-
sutution in respect of personal and private
rights of the citizens of the republic and of
the States composing it. No one could read
those several articles without being impressed
by the evidence of the earnestness of pur-
pose OF the Congress which framed them and
of the States which adopted them to give
exact and ample protection to citizens. But
1t does not seem to have occurred to the
trainers of the original articles of the con-
stitution that it was then or ever could be
Necessary to make q definite proposition to
secure thescharacters and regulations of the
citizens against assault by the executive
power. 1t was reserved for the closing years
OF the first century's existence to develope
the danger which attends the citizen in this
regard The speaker referred to the demo-
cratic platform of 1884. whose indefinitive-
ness was expressed in the words "we favor
honest civil service REFORM" and asked who
could have anticipated its evasion with re-
suit so harmful to the character and reputa-
ton of citizens as the practice of the present
National administration. He referred also
to what he called the various stages of the
strange political evolution which has produced
the present condition, and mentioned the
first stages as being marked by the express
sions of Mr.. Cleveland in accepting the nom.
ination rendered him by the National demo-
cratic convention. The next stage was not
reached until Cleveland became president
elect. When the latter character became
assured to him, availing himself of the glad
Christmas-time, he took occasion to announce
in his letter to Mr. Curtis, in language forci-
BILE and expressive, that political evolution
was going steadily and resolutely ON toward
those higher conditions and purer practices
which show the presence of reform in the
method of executive action.
Tie 4th of March, 1885. was reached, and
Cleveland became the actual President. On
that, to him, mighty occasion, he told the as
sembled people of the country the third
stage of political evolution had been reached.
All that he had heretofore said had been but
the utterances of Cleveland. Now had come
the time for Cleveland, President of the
United States, to speak, and he did speak.
This inaugural. Wilson continued, marked
the official and highest stage of political
evolution whose subtiest forces had wrought
wondrously well in elevating Cleveland to
the Presidency of the United States. But he
was no content with the announcement of
the 4th of March, 1885, that the official
and highest stage of political evolution had
been reached. for he renewed the declaration
in his first annual message to Congress and
took care to give it great elaboration. He
seemed to have more earnestly desired to i'm
press the country with the belief that his
presence in the platform on which his party
placed him at Chicago had evolved substan-
tial and forceful principal which would puri-
fy politics and bless the country in general.
The people, Mr.. Wilson continued, had
given Cleveland generous credit for SINGER
ity But they could not reconcile his actions
in suspending competent and faithful public
officers with his repeated assurances that
such things would not be done. He bad said
that men would not be discharged for parti-
san reasons, but only for cause. 1t had logi-
cally follow ed that whenever an officer was
suspended, people believed some grave charge
had been made against him. Indeed, every
suspended officer was, by the Presidents own
declaration, made to stand before the country
a. unworthy of trust and confidence. He
suspended GAS public officers and marshalled
them before the country as persons unwor
thy of trust or confidence. Many of these
persons had requested to be informed of the
nature of the charges made against them.
This had been denied them. 1t was most
extraordinary manifestation of "retorm" for
the President to place himself before the
country as the accuser of CAB public officers
whom he had suspended, at the same time
denving them information as to the things of
which thev were accused.
The President had now asked the Senate
70 ioin him in his accusations against those
men. When the Senate requested to be in
formed concerning the official conduct of
accused officers it was freely told that no in
formation would be given. This was not the
theory of the constitution; it was contrary to
both theory and practice of the government
from the beginning to the present time. The
r,trr.nces of the President was against his
nractices. No less than three members Of
his cabinet we're personally and officially
committed in opposition to the doctrines
stated in the letter of the attorney general
which gave rise to the question IN dispute.
They had been members of the judiciary
comoittee of the Senate and had all partici-
nated in the practice of calling on the exec
utiye department for just the character OF
;nformation which was now refused, Inc
uniform practice of the governments was a
denial of this information.
Mr.. Wilson believed the present attitude OF
tho administration was the result OF an after
thopoht Its chief both as candidate and
president had promised too much in re-
.nact To civil snrvice reform and improved
methods. His followers could keep silent
-hap he expressed his views during the can
d;a.cv but when he became President the
.;Iance vas broken. Then they wanted all