The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-03-28
rHE EpMuNDs RESOLUTIONS.

The Senate has passed, by party
vote, the Edmunds resolutions in re-
gard to the President Withholding pa,
pers in reference to the removals oil
Federal officials. These resolutions
condemn the Attorney General for re-
fusing to send copiesof the pfpers called
for by the Senate; declare it to be the
duty.of the Senate to refuse its advice
and'eonsent to the removal of officers,
the documents in reference to the sup
posed naisconduc. of whom are with
held, and condemn the discharge of ex-
Union soldiers to give places to men
who had rendered no military service
to the government. The adoption of
these resolutions will amount to little
or nothing, so far as the management
of the affairs of the government by the
President and men of his choice is
concerned. The Executive viii yet be
able to do as he pleases in the matter
of appointing. He has the decided ad-
vantage of the Senate. He can nomin-
ment the Senate adjourns the President
can GUST the incumbents and put in his
own men. During the two or three
months that the Senate will be in ses-
sion it may be able to keep Clevelands
appointees out of Office, except in such
cases as that of Governor Murray,
where designations have been rendered.
1t is hardly probable, however,
that reflections will be more Numerous
than hitherto. The Republicans of the
Senate have simply eased their minds,
and put their ideas of their rights in the
premises, into the Record, and 1T is now
quite likely that combinations will go
on as heretofore, save in an exceptional
case now and then. We look for no
serious trouble from the adoption of the
resolutions and do not believe the Pre-
sident or Cabinet will worry over the
matter. 1t is believed that the country
generally, Democrats no less than Re-
publieans, are not sorry that the ques-
ton came up, nor will there be much
grief over the adoption of the resolu-
tions. The debate and its result may
be the means of enlightening Mr.
Cleveland on some matters concerning
which he is weefully ignorant The
President set cut with the idea
that he was a bigger man than
his party; that he could elevate
politicians above qartisanship, and con-
duct the government on principles
which did not recognize the existence
OF political parties. His ideas in these
respects may be all very proper as
ideas, but when an attempt is made TO
put them into operation it will fail.
The government is political through
and through, and contemplates par
tisanship aad parties in its Constitution
and in its laws. The theory is that the
majority class shall fill the offices and
manage affairs, though laws are pro-
Vided for the protection of the minority
against abuses of power. From the
days of Washington to the inaugura-
ton of Cleveland, the government has
been run as a political federation,
and until Cleveland undertook to change
it by standing between the people
and their rights as won at the
polls, there has been no protest
or complaint. Senator ingalls,
told the story in his speech on Friday.
If Mr.. Cleveland had gone into Office
as other Presidents had done, if he had
taken what belonged to him and his
party as matter of right, if he had at
once turned out Republicans and in
stalled Democrats, no one would have
offered opposition; even now, if the
President will say that he removes
officials for political reasons, the Senate
will promptly confirm his nominations,
recognizing his right to make the
changes on political grounds. 1t is be-
cause the President started out with
his peculiar notions that a President
could be greater than his party. aud be
cause he voluntarily promised that he
would disregard party in the matter Of
removals, that he has been set upon,
denounced and defeated by the Senate.
We are heartily glad the resolutions
were introduced, glad that they were so
thoroughly discussed, and not sorry
that they were adopted. The lessons
that Mr.. Cleveland and future Presi-
dents will learn from what has now be-
come part of the political history of
the country will prove valuable, In
Mr.. Cleveland's case the lesson will be
that he was chosen President by the
Democratic voters Of the country, and
that be is expected to represent not his
own narrow ideas of what should be,
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