New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-03-02
A SINGTL1R MESSAGE.

To the messages sent to Parliament by that
misguided monarch Charles |. The Presidents
reason for undertaking to lecture coordinate
branch of the Government on It's powers and
duties is not clear. The Constitution, about
which he talks with so much vOlublllty, spe-
officially declares that he shall give to Congress
" information of the state OF the Union ana
recommt nd to their consideration such meas
ures as he shall Judge necessary and eNptdeni.
In this message he recommends no measure,
saws nothing about the state of the Union ; out
gives much msintOrmatiOn on sul9tct on
which the Senate has asked from INN no ADVICE
whate yer. His ObtruslOn was doubtless que 10
a distrust of the Democratic Senators, ana 10
confidence in his own superior ability 10 dea'
with the question and to a desire tn get before
the country his own statement OF the ease.
His distlust OF the ability OF the Democratic
Senators to furnish satisfactory reasons Tor
suppressng public documents is amply borne
out by the report they presented YESTERDAY on
the subject But, stripped OF It's verb'age ana
deliberate missiatementS, the Presidents COM
nunication is much the weaker of the TWO doc
uments.
The message is all based on a misstatement
made in its first paragraph. Ever since the
beginning of the present session OF the Senate
the President says, Committees OF the Senate
- and the Senats itself have been requiring the
transmission of reasons for the suspension OF
certain officials" He then goes on To attack
the 1enort of the judiciary Committee on the
prnund that il CcnsuTcs the Acknowledgement
for refusing to transmit certain papers relating
tn = susprusion from Office. 1t Is Impossible TO
believe that the President does not know that
tbe SENATE has not in any case "rt qhirtd the
Transmission of reasons for The suspension
of an Official and that the judiciary Committee
resolutions do not propose to ccnSure the Fan
Electric Attorney General for refusing to
transmit papers relating to suspensions lhe
! Senate resolution calling for the papers was as
| follows:
Ics,yr,d That the Attorney. General Of the United
STATE, be- aud he hereby directed 10 transmit 20 the
-, ate COPIES ~ all duCume l. ana papers that nave
been filed in the Department of Justice -incc The hfSt
day OF january, \. d. lss5, III relation to the MANAGE
nent and conduct of the office Of District OF
the United states Tor the southern District Of Alabama
There is not word about reasons for sus-
pensions in this resolution. 1t calls for papers
/ that NAV have ben flied in relation To the
management and conduct of an office covering
a periud of over six months of the time OF the
pr sent mcumbcn, and over six months Of the
/
for the President deliberately obtudms this
! extIaoId marv mSsatementt From Such ia'Se
! r.cp,is,s lac prnct,ds to al que that the Sc"dtc
has no right to review the act 81 the EA''A'Ne
| in removing or susUcudmg public officer IT
is the bus ness of the President TO see maj the
laws M, executed. l,clthcr be nor any DcpaIt-
ment head has any right to take INTO consider
alton any supposed motives or purposes that
either honse uay have IN calling iol "ihclal
papcrs Such an assumption on hl' part Is
gratut0us and btYay- evidence that ne apprc-
ciaics the weakness of his case.
Equally absurd and even more ridiculous, IS
his statement that papeIo relating to Su'pcn-
sons are filed i'll the Departments for his own
convenience and that he can carry them away
with him. Doubtless many of them, II not AL,
.are irrelevant nd worthless as he says; but
if so they have no business in the archives OF
the Government. IT they are placed there on
file the night of Congress 10 examine them Is
unGucstoned In all casts heretofore demands
for otiicial papers aud files have been complied
with. 1t Is only in this Time Of Reform that II
has been thought important that the historic
aud administrative facts relating TO tic per
sOnal conduct of fccrs of III" Government
should be withhold, and that the lmin-
istration should proceed with secrecy
/ aud mystery as great as IN the days OF the star
Chamb.r. And this is the actual practice OF
an Executive who prOclaimS in this message
that he is willing if permitted To attempt an
Improvement in the methods OF admiHisird-
Il ton"
n the particular case to which the President
refers, he suspended IN officer under pro-
visions OF a statue which expressly provides
that such officer shall not b. removed without
the advice and consent Of the Senate How IS
that body to act mcligently without kn"wl-
edge of the conduct and management OF the
Office ? The President evidently thinks that this
law Should be disrcgardrd-at least that is the
construction to be placed on this wonderful
sentence from the messag e:
After An existence of nearly twenty years OF almost
innocuous desurtude these laws are brought f"Ith,
apparently the repealed rs well as Inc hhfepeaed anu
put in tho way Of an Executive.
1t has been we'll said that guilty conscience
need. no accusel. The President says that
"there are no grounds for an allegation that
the fear OF being found false to any probes
sions Influences me-" No such allcgat on has
been made by the Senate, Though 1t rs not sur
missing that the President should 'hink so. lie
attempts to explain away his Civil Service
Reform pledges, bat adds mat he mas KEPT
every pledge that he has made" l his is hardly
in keeping with what follows: "Of course, the
prelence is not put forth that no mistakes have
been committed"
In the light of Garland, Higgins Pillsbury
Chase, Thomas and many others, such pre-
tence wOuld not be more ridiculous than TIE
entire argument of this unprcccdented message,
which is perhaps the biggest mistake OF all.
the STATE CAPIIOL
1t will be nineteen years next November since
the first I lans for building the "ncw Capitol