The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1886-02-18
SENATOR SHERMAN.
He Claims the Right of the Senate
TO Call for Every Paper.

certificates for silver dollars, he thought il
proper that the exchange should be made by
the treasury, as banks did not ordinarily
have the accommodation for keeping large
masses Of silver dollars If the banks were
compelled thus 10 hoard silver dollars, IL
would bring discredit on those coins. II
should he the right of a groceryman or any
citizen to so to the sub-treasury and deposit
his silver dollars there and get silver Ger
tiiicate instead. 1t was not the right of tho
government to refuse to give him that ac-
coinmodation,
Mr. Morrill-Can he ask for their ''reasons"
II they refusei
Mr. Shcrman--The question of 'reasons"
does not arise here We can call for the rea
son for any official act, The real question in
that matter Is that we cannot call on the
president for the reason why he removed
person. | believe with the senator from Ala
hama (Nlr Pugh that no senator denies that
the senate, as a legislative body, can call for
the reason for any act of the executive de-
partment That we have Alright to seek infor-
nation of any department of the govern
ment, l do not think there is any doubt
whatever. But for that we could not legis-
late | have just as much right to so to any
department and ask for any papers affect
ing that department., affecting legislative
business, if go there armed with the power
of the senate, as the secretary of the treasury
any utpd'tiltHb VI ltit VT us
the president of the United States. In all my
experience / have never known a case where
a department or president had refused to
give information contained in the department.
upon any act whatever whether executive or
legislative. Wedo not claim to exercise any
power whatever over the discretion Of
the president. We admit even that we DO not
ask for his reason, but we have the power to
control our own discretion, and we have q
right to all the information that we can get
| from the executive department TO enlighten us.
| AT the same time we should be to thopiesident
! always courteous, and if he should give any
reason Cor Withholding paper, for example.
| because it was marked "contdential' |
| should not object to that If there are pa
pers not for the public eye, ard be should
choose to withhold them rs matter of conf
| dence, / would say that that was probably a
case for the exercise of discretion Where
are the precedents that enable him to say that
the head Of a department shall say what pa
| pers shall be given to the legislative depart
ment! That he hall say what papers from
the files Of Il dep wtment shall be given to the
| legislative d, partment of the government?
! When, in all the hundred years of this coun-
| try's history, was such a doctrine preser ted
before! The senator from Alabama (Mr.
! Pugh) was Il member of the House many
years ago. He viii remember that, time and
! time again, we Investigated the administra-
ton of Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan.
We called before us all the papers, secret and
public, in regard to that administration, and
they were forever denied to us by the last
two democratic presidents. They never con-
tended that they could withhold one paper
and give another.
Mr. Pugh-Have you the right to make
this call on the President for such informa-
ton to enable the Senate to review his actions
making a removal?
Mr. Shciman-It is not a question what we
have a right to review, but what information
we have a right TO get from the executive de-
partmcnt What we will do with these
| papers, whether we will steal them or burn
them or destroy them, we do not allow the
executive department to put any inquiries to
us. We would not put any inquiries to the
President of the United States, because the
Independence of that great Office demands
that he should not be inquired Of for his rea-
sons demands that be should be treated with
respect. But every paper on which he acts,
or any duty whatever executive or legiSla-
tive, is ours as well as his The papers filed
with him to induce the removal of an officer
are the very papers VIC ought to consider in
the very question of appointment. Whether
we should use them for one purpose or
another is not now a matter of dispute 1t
may come up at another time. From the be-
ginning of this government until now, these
public archives have been open to the
houses of Congress as to any other department
of the government The laws have been kept
on the books, unbrokcn md unimpaired, by
which the head of the great department may
not only be compelled TO bring all papers
in his department, private Or public,
but may he compelled personally to come
before either House to lie examined. cross-ex-
amincd and re-examned Why, sir, | was
examined by the honorable senator from
Delaware, now the secretary of state (Mr.
Bayarl, when he was chairman of the com,
mittce on iinance-eNamined day after day.
The same course was pursued by the House
of Representatives then largely Demo
cratic That House called before its com
mittees the executive departments Of
the government, and examined them day
after day In tho spring of 1873, / was
examined three or four days upon every
question, great and small, connected with the
problem of the results Of specie payments
There was 10 halting then about executive
papers. They were produced, and not only
produced, but during the Hayes administra
ton followed the papers and went before
the Democratic committee and told them moi
only how the things were done and when, but
the why and wherefore | answered all theil
questions fully. ] state to senators, as | have
told some of YOU privately, that you are max
ing false issue here that will some day re-
) turn TO plague you, would not recognize
that any paper in the government is beyonC
the right Of this body or Of the other. They
have the plain right to them They
are charged in the tousc of representa-
tivcs with the power Of impcaching
where motives may be inquired into
With this power to impcach every officer o
the United States, are they not armed will
the power Of asocltaining the facts? They leg
islatc on every question coming under the jul
! risdction Of the United States. Have the,
= not the power to inquire Of department a
b to matters that may affect their action in
PASSAGE Of Inv. So in tho senate we hav
broader powcr because VIC have the power Il
try impcachmcntS We are the court of las
resort Wc arc executive officials also, be
cause we participate to n great extent wit
the president. No appointment can be mad
in this government except by and with til
consent Of the senate. How is that consen
to be ob'aiucd' Is it by the suppression o
papers, or the denial of information, Is it b.
marrow and false prntcXts: Is it by denyn
t the customs Of a century, No, no; we ough
{ to maintain aud uphold to the utmost tn
power of the senate for information, stoppin
t only at the bounds Of courtesy, bounds whic
=, the laws OF gen,lcnianly propriety imros
; upon men not TO press an inquiry where
may impair the dignity ard honor of anothe
e branch Of the government But, short {
f that, ana only short Of that, VIC are entitle
: to all the information contained in the d'