Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-03-11

The Fight Upon the President Opened
in ehe senate

EDMUNDs MAKES hrs ARG UMENT
The Fight Upon the President Opened
in the senate
WASHINGTON, March 9.-The opening gun
for the Senate In the struggle between that
body and the President on the question OF
furnishing papers was fired by senator
Eomunds to-day. Fortwo hours and hall,
In the presence of crowded galleries and a
remarkably attentive Senate, he laid the
groundwork of the discussion which will
follow and delivered one Of the most care
fully prepared and ablest constitutional
arguments that will probably be made on
that side Of the question. He was evil
IDENTIFY In much better condition Of health
and frame OF mind than he was yesterday.
Long before the morning hour expired
the galleries had filed up, but the senator's
seats were mostly vacant until Mr.. Edmunds
began speaking. The Senate chamber was
decorated In mourning for the late Senator
Miller, and conspicuous among all the
others was the vacant seat covered with
black Grape, the emblem Of death. Respect
fully and reverently the senators passed by
and around the chair OF their late col
eague.
NH. EDMUNDs' SPEECH.
When Senator Edmunds arose at 2 o'clock,
| the unattractive debate on railroad
measure then In progress having been cut
Oh III bno huiuob VI a bpoocuy tuoEo Wuo
| instant attention ami absolute silence
| throughout the chamber. The first thing
| MIR. Edmunds did, Ia his cold, deliberate
| why, was to have the preliminary papers,
| including the letter Of the judiciary COM
mittee to the attorney general, the reply
and the resolutions reported by the COM
Il mittee read, seating himself, evidently in
different to the eyes OF the multitude, until
the clerk had finished. This gave the
senators time to go to their seats and when
Il he began speaking scarcely a seat was un.
occupied and he held them there until his
last sentence was finished. Democratic
senators were particularly attentive, thus
conceding MIR. Edmunds' ability, but indi-
eating by their manner that there was just
as good argument for the other side.
In opening his direct address he called
attention to the only two previous instances
where n similar controversy has arisen
between the President and the Senate, both
OF which he claimed established the rights Of
the Senate to call for all papers relating to
the government In possession OF the eXecu'
| tive. He claimed that these controversies re-
lated not to persons, but to things; not to
officers, but to offices. Then he had the
clerk read all the sections OF the revised
statutes relating to the tenure of Office und
the formation OF the Office OF Attorney
General and his subordinates, asserting tina
the latter were creatures of law, and tina
; 1
nent without the advice and consent Of thu
Senate. This, he said, necessarily could no
be given without full knowledge of all thu
, facts upon which such suspension wa
. based. He called attention to the usua
, form OF commission to these officers whicl
contemplates their continuance In offlc
! until their successors have been appointe'
, | by and with the advice and consent OF tn
Senate.
, SUSPENSION NOT REMOVAL.
5 Democratic senators listened with eviden
8 disgust to MIR. Edmunds' characterizatio
: OF the position of the President as state
: In the newspapers, the Presidents messag
G Itself, and the report of the minority OF tn
\, committee as misleading and inaccurat
y statements, and then attempted to sui
t stintiate this assertion. He claimed thu
I the Attorney General, the creature Of la
= as he had been designated, was the cu'
Q todian Of the papers called for and bein
n such the Senate had right to call for then
u He explained the difference between publ
g and private papers, claiming that oil paper
IL In u public department must OF necessity |
: public papers, and that there could be II
= private papers in the case. The letter I
n the Senate was sent to the Attorney Genert
d In his official capacity and that gave tt
10 papers called for official character. Eve
1t the Attorney General In his reply di
At not deny that the papers called Il
a were official aud public. One poll
Dr Mr.. !munds tried to bring Of
al clearly, and that was that under the tenu
n Of office act the officer suspended was ST
~ m officer OF tbs government, Just ms muC
is us an army officer under arrest was, b
n. whose suspension continued pending b
"a trial. BY the terms of the statute the su
q pended officer could not be removed un
I'd | the Senate had consented, either
er directly approving the act of suspension
70 by the confirmation OF his successor, al
y, upon the failure of the Senate to do this
IS the expiration of the session he would I
as sumo the functions of his office. The 81
all pended officer was virtually on trial. III
Oh how could he be tried withouta full know
on edge of all the facts concerning his suspe
nd sion In half sarcastic way Mr.. Edmun
,st referred to that part of the attornt
all generals letter where he gives us u reas
ID for not furnishing the information ask
for,that 1t would not subservethe public
nd terest.
ta- 1.-The public interest" said Mr.. Edmun,
IN, sis what we have n good deal OF interest
lfo 1t Is what we are sworn to take care OF"
MIR. Edmunds claims that the jrrisdlctl
of the Senate is broader than that Of I
President the latter being simply an OIL
TO execute the laws, not the maker of I
of laws. He is not the maker of war OF
peace, without the consent of Congre
I've Then, quoting, Mr.. Edmunds said that
on constitution from time to time TO give
formation to Congress on the state Of
lnn Union, and "the state of the Union" c,
hat cred the smallest detail of his office.
nm MIR. Edmunds urieily alluded to the arr
aid ments contained In the minority report
for the committee, but studiously avoid
nds answering any of the points made In
IN message Of the President, claiming, as
In does, that the President has nothing to
'ect | with the present controversy with
onr Attorney General. 1t Is understood (
no Mr. Edmunds intends to entirely ignore
I'm | message,
hnt About the only time when there was /
.ers demonstration by the galleries was wi
,int Mr. Edmunds alluded to Senator Thurm
10 having quoted one of his letters when
he- was chairman OF the judiciary commit
am calling upon the Attorney General for /
ask cise'y such information as that now cal
his for. The judiciary committee was d
1rs' composed mainly of Democrats, as
be Edmunds designed them, men who In IL
in day were among the headlights OF the Dc
AZ ocratic locomotive.
ms "Thers was Thurman" he added, "wh
II light had gone out-the noblest and bra'
,ort Of them all-who had recently denoun
nil the Democratic frauds In his state"
,ht Then he went on to allude In q com
me mentary way to Mcdonald, Garland
ON Lamar, who had given their sanction to
en letter.
ion "There were these senator's" said
nrs' "joining In what the present President c
AXE an impertinent innovation.
mn. Then, advancing few steps, he add
he "0h shame, where Is thy blush 2"
re- Mr.. Edmunds closed his speech In a '
will Happy VEN, rluieuil1g Lhe posltlon OF
tier claimed were its absurdities. When
zen. finished Mr.. Pugh arose, but as 1t was '
now late he decided not to begin his spej
late but will have the floor after the morn
md, hour tomorrow to fire the first gun for
hin. President.