The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-03-18
ets-I will not say what expect to prove for /
| could not do 1t, perhaps, in parliamentary

MI EuHuuOS Sdlu ne Woul0 nave TO leave Gu
tirely in silence what the Senator from Ken
lucky had stated in regard to affairs in execu-
tive session. Il feel bound in honor. he said,
mot to make any allusion to any such sub
iects The. ideas of senatorial honor,
under the rules of the Senator from Kentucky
and my own, are entirely different. Every Sem
ator is sworn to faithful performance of his
duty as Senator, according to the regulations OF
the Senate, that are made under our ConstItu-
| tion Ii the Senator from Kentucky thinks it
| is honorable to garble and msstate the existence
of circumstances in closed DOORS of course have
no criticism to make upon his sense of what is
honorable and right cannot make any refer
ence to what has taken place, under any circum-
| stances, when, under the rules of the Senate,
the doors are closed. Therefore, l can make no
reply to what the Senator from Kentucky has
said on the subject to which he has alluded IS in
executive session. AS to his Mr. Beck'sl refer
ence to the reports in the Attorney generals
Office about Duskin and what they would
show
Mr.. Beck said his reference had been to the
committee on judiciary, OF which the Senator
from Vermont was chairman.
Mr.. Edmunds reminded Mr.. Beck that he has
referred to papers in the Office of Attorney gen
eral Garland, and what they would show. He
Mr.. Edmundsl could not allude to what the
judiciary committee had or had not, until he
should have permission. II shall not violate my
'by doing it now, whatever other gen
tlemen may choose to do.n If there were
reports in the Attorney generals office concern
ing Duskin they were precisely what the Senate
desired when it passed the resolution calling for
the papers. sit appears Mr.. Edmunds con-
tinued ''that the Senator from Kentucky can
get at what the Attorney general and the Presi-
dent Of the United States consider to be conf
Dental and private communications. when the
Senate of the United States cannot; and that is
the advantage that that Senator has over the
| body of which he is MEMBER and that is an ad-
| vantage which the administration considers to
| be, as all the Democratic Senators do presume,
| an undoubted advantage. But what the Sena-
| tor from kentucky gets, it appears the Senate
cannot get. If it were true that Duskin had
been a bad officer, it was of the highest import
ance not only that the Senate, but the House OF
Representatives. should know 1T and what his
misconduct had been"
Mr. Beck said he had not seen any paper in
the Attorney generals Office relating to Duskin,
nor had he ever asked to see one, nor had he ever
spoken to the President in regard to Duskin.
And as to my honor and my OATH continued
Mr.. Beck, II hope it is as sacred as that of the
Senator from Vermont If it was not at least as
good as his. would not have as much regard for
myself as have now. propose to stand upon
my integrity a man and Senator, and say
that forty-parson power would not do justice
| to much of the hypocrisy that is now presented
to the Senate in pretense of desire to establish
public justice" Duskin, Mr. Beck said.
occupied, and nobody knew it better than
the Senator from Vermont. The Senator from
Vermont spoke of his honor and oath, and integ-
rity, and compared them with his Mr.. Beck's]
and Mr.. Beck was willing to stand by the com
parison "Thank God" said he, whatever say,
! say boldly and openly. Imean what say. lido
not stand the corners of the streets and thank
God that l not a Southern man, and pray
aloud to make men believe that have all the
virtues, all the integrity, and all the godiness
extant. When see a great public question,
meet it, and meet it fairly. may make blum
ders. and may make mistakes, but have more
respect for the man who either knocks his enemy
down and takes fair knock-down himself than
1 have for the man who stabs his brother under
the fifth rib while shaking him by the hand and
asking him How is it with thee, my brotherF
l do not believe in secret ways; do not believe
in pharisaism; do not believe in hypocrisy;
do not believe in circumventing anybody /
will move now, in order to see whether | am
telling what is true or not-and if cannot move
it now will do so the first opportnnity-that
all the proceedings In March, 1881 October, 1881,
and December, 1881. and all the papers filed
with the Judiciary committee, and all the pro-
ceedings had before the committee in the Of
the nomination of Duskin, shall be made public,
so that the country eau judge whether what |
say is true or not. IT have falsided anything,
will take it back; and IL have not, want
chance to prove it, since comparisons are made
between the oath and the honor of the Senator
from Vermont and myself. l make that motion
now and will let it lie over till tomorrow morn
ing, will do it in the first executive session.
if it is not in order now"
The Chair decided that the motion was not in
order now.
Mr.. Edmunds-I shall undoubtedly agree with
the Senator from Kentucky. as do in a large
part of what he has said. When he says he is
not better than other men, am bound to agree
with him. He has his own views of what is
honorable, and have mine. l suppose, both
being Democrats we are both entitled to our
opinions as to what is honorable l supposed
that all I said was in reference to plain, mani
fest-l will not say ntended-violation of the
rules and orders OF the Senate in the Senator's
reference to reports of committees, or want OF
reports of committees, in executive session.
Mr.. Beck inquired where Mr.. Edmunds had
got the Thurman matter that he had read the
other day?
Mr.. Edmunds replied: "From the committee
minute book, upon order of the Senate with
drawing secrecy from it." He hoped the Sena-
tor from Kentucky could see the distinction.
81 can barn. replied Mr. Beck, "but
cannot see a fly on the barn door without seeing
the barn."
Mr. Edmunds- Undoubtedly: and the Senator
has seen a good many barns, undoubtedly.
am inclined to think he has not seen much of
anything else.
Mr.. Beck-I have not seen the fly.
Mr.. Edmunds-No, the Senator never takes
anything on the fly.
Mr. Beck-Nor on the sly, neither. [Uproar-
Gus laughter.
Mr.. Edmunds admitted this. The Senator from
Kentucky, he said. regarded the resolution, as
no uao INV uLoOoSCAou, oc q uoNASO w OutIop tuO
President and the Attorney general into report
ing the official facts on file which showed Duskin
to be an improper officer, in order that they
might be compelled to report in other cases
where they had slaughtered a man upon charges,
upon the invitation of the Postmaster general or
somebody else, that false and fabricated.
The point was, therefore, that the administra-
ton going to be unveiled before the people
by being entrapped into telling the truth about
bad officer, and SO he had to tell the truth
about good officer That certainly, MIR. Ed
munds said, was an amazing attitude for the ad-
miaistration to occupy and he took it that the
Senator from Kentucky represented the admin
in removing an officer, and because we asked for
official information in order be able to act in
the matter, we were not to get the information
for fear that in another instance where the ac-
cused officer had been accused falsely, and by in