St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-03-01
Senator Pugh's Report viii Show the
Treatment of Hayes in 1877 and
Cleveland in 1885,
The Democrats Controlling the Senate at
the Former Period and the Re-
publicans at the Latter,
And VIII Also Point Out the Uncon-
stftutionality OF the Position
OF the Opposition.
Mr.. Blaine Said to Have Quit Ag-
gressive PoIitics--A Sweeping
Mormon Bill.
Conrncring the Opposition.

Special 10 the GLOBE.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 2s.-The Demo-
cratic senators have about decided that it
will be unnecessary TO hold a caucus, TO
hear read the report of the minority of the
committee on judiciary on the Edmunds
resolutions, full confidence being felt in the
Judgment of Senators Pugh, Jackson and
Coke, who are charged with the framing of
the report. 1t is understood that the re-
port will be very vOluminous, The Post
this morning published what purports To be
a synopsis of the document. The article
on the subject says;
The report will start out by showing the
great difficulties the president had TO contend
with. when he assumed Office, In disposing of
the patronage caused by the complete change
IN. administration, and drawing attention to
the comparatively few suspensions from Of
fee made by the president. 1t will next al
lude 10 the fact that the senate called on the
head of a department for papers in connec-
tion with an exclusively executive action,
and viii proceed TO point out that the senate
violated all precedent in so doing. Notwith-
standing this irregular mode Of procedure,
the senate received all the papers called for
in its resolution, which
SIMPLY ASKED FOR PAPERS
I'm relation to the management and conduct
of the Ctice of the district attorney Of the
y
Alabama, and that the attorney general in
his report stated that the other papers re-
naming in his department had exclusive
reference 10 the suspension OF George NJ.
Dustin. The next point which Senator Pugh
and his associates make Is that, from the
time of Washington down 10 the present day
there are precedents which have established
the fact that papers OF this sort are in no
sense official documents, and cannot be con-
sidered as even being on file. The precedents
will not be quoted because the Democrats
regard themselves as being somewhat in the
position of defendant in an action at law.
The burden of proof, they say, Is on the Re
publicans, aud they intend that the Republi-
cans shall act on the offensive. The prece-
dents alluded 20, however, are at the fingers
ends of the Democratic senators OF the judi
ciary committee, and will be used, OF course,
in the debate. The report will show that this
construction OF papers remained in force
until 1876, when Hayes saw fit to surrender
certain OF his prerogatives, and that his
reason foe so doing is pretty well understood.
Probably the strongest point in the entire
report will be the
VIGOROUS ATTACK
made on the utter unconstitutonality OF the
tenure-of-office act. This is a vulnerable
place in the Republican record, as some of its
most prominent men-John Sherman, the
late Oliver p. Morton of Indiana, aud, in
fact, most of the leaders, with the exception
assailing the constitutionality of the act.
The report will quote extracts from the
speeches OF these men. Morton said about
the original act, which required the president
to give his reasons for suspensions, that IL
never could be enforced, as il would take up
all the time of the senate to ascertain what
these reasons were. and when the act was
amended Senator Morton remarked there
was nothing but the shadow of the corpse
left. The report will close by contrasting
the treatment which a Republican president
received at the hands of a Democratic senate
with that now accorded, when the case is re-
versed, and will show that, although in 1877
there might have been abundant grounds for
rejecting many of Hayes nominations. yet
they were confirmed. because the Democratic
majority thought they had no right to in
quire of the president why he saw f1t 70 sus-
pend officials. In conclusion II can be said
that the report is tersely. vigorously and
ably drawn. 1t will mahs first-ciass cam
paign document. and will doubtless be used
in that connection.