The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-03-13
Senate on which to take the door unless
1t beon the silver resolution Of the Senator
from Louisiana"
"a

from Loulhlhna,
"Tske 1t Notwithstanding"
Suppose some vile man, and he WoulC
be vile TO write such letter, should have
addresseda Communication Of that char
acter 10 the President pro tempore in his
official capacity, that paper according Ia
the definition would be a paper OF which
the Senate and House OF Representatives
would be entitled to, Suppose some other
vile man should have addressed a letter
to the presiding officer OF the body in
which he delCared that the Presi-
dent OF the United States in
his Civil Service communication had de,
clared that the Senate which took the
iniation in forming and maturing the
tissue with the Executive, which should
have the practical effect OF enabling the
Republican majority on the floor oil the
Senate to stand between those who, hold
Office, having got it under former admins
trations, and those who aspire to hold
office under the present administration
would advance himself with that vast
army OF political Implements, that letter
too would be an official paper under
the definition laid down by the Senator
from Vermont,
QUOTATIONS FROM BLAINE.
Mr.. Ksnna continuing said: The issue,
after all, was whether Democratic ad-
ministration should appropriately perform
Its functions In the face Of negative OBJ.
structiye majority on the other side OF this
chamber, Applause in the galleries,
which drew from the occupant Of the
Chair, Mr., Blackburn, the Rdmonition that
evidences Of approval or disapproyal were
not allowed,
Mr.. Kenna then discussed the question
OF sound civil service In connection with
Mr.. Cleveland'spublic utteranCes, Compar.
ing these utterAnCes with the declarations
Of the early u1terances OF onrgovernme1t,
particularly Jefferson, and finding, he
said, Mr.. Oieveland'Sd Sdeclarationsin no way
disparaged by the comparison. He then
took up Mr.. Blaine's new book, Twenty
Years Of Congress" and read number OF
spicy extracts from 1t on the tenure OF
Office act. The writer OF that work, Mr.,
Kenna said, came within Thousand votes
Of being the object Of this warfare" on
the Executive power, for, OF course, the
war would have come all the same.
The galleries relished the extracts,
though hardly more so than the Senators,
the occupants OF both the floor and gal.
leries indulglng in considerable laughter
over Mr.. Blaine's Caustic comments on
the craftsmanship involved in the pas.
sage and the attempted repeal OF
the tenure Of office act. He asserted
that ths Senator from Vermont was
perfectly consistent; for he was working
for his political friends like Turk In 1867,
and like abeaver In 1869, and that was the
whole spirit and law and meaning and fact
Of the controversy Of to-day. Let the coun-
try understand that the party which had
majorities In both Houses in 1867
had handicapped Andrew johnson by
a law which afterwards they had repeal
ed, yet proposed to substitute now in the
absence Of majority in the other branch
by the performance Of a committee OF the
Senate, q majority on the Republican
side, and Republican caucus.
THE PRESIDENTS BACKBONE.
In conclusion Mr.. Kenna said: "When
President Cleveland assumed the function
OF the Office OF Chief Executive Of this
Government don't believe there was a
citizen in this land who had any reason
whatever to doubt that he came 10 the
discharge Of his duties OF that high
office determined so far as &in hin
lay to devote a conservative and
patriotic application to the discharge OF
his duties. believe that speak within
bounds when say that this whole coun.
try knew that the one great idea OF service
to his country, in an acceptable manner,
in the high capacity in which It has select.
ed him for that high service, was
his only aspiration. l would fail
to express my own candid con-
viCtion now II l did not say that look.
ing back from the long line Of his prede.
Cessors in that high office and confronting
as he may the issues presented here, he
will not be first in surrendering It's high
prerogative. The Senate may continue,
as his message indicates, to ply him and his
various subordinate departments with har-
rRsslng and embarrassing issues. II may
defeat every nomination that stands before
1t for consideration. Itmat assert in any
measure arbitrary or otherwise every pre-
rogative granted or not granted in the
constitution, but l mistake that man II he
does not stand firmly to his post, main
tain bis sworn duty under tho constitution
OF his country, maintain every preroga-
tive oil his high Office and transmit 1t un.
impaired 10 his successor.