Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-03-25
FORTY-NINTH CONGRESS-.
First Session,
sen ATE.
WASHINGTON. March "a

The chair laid before the Senate a letter
/ from the postmaster general replying to the
Senate resolution offered by Mr. Ingalls, and
adopted Tuesday. The postmaster general
says:
The extraordinary demands on the cleri
cal force of the department has delayed COM
plisnce with the resolution of March 4th
calling for information AS to fourth class
postmasters. The information, however
will be ready in three days"
GA suggestion of Mr.. Hoar the letter was
laid on the table for the present, Mr.. Ingalls,
not being present during its reading.
The resolution heretofore offered by Mr.
Van Wyck, relating to the Washington Gas
Light Co, led TO some debate. Three cor.
porations in this city, Mr.. Van Wyek said,
substantially controlled the Congress of the
United States. Those were the Washington
Gas Light Company National banks and rail.
roads.
Mr.. Dawes said that the senator from Ne
braska, (Van Wyck) was memoer OF the
body so controlled
Mr.. Van Wvck admitted this but remark ed
that he was only one.
Mr.. Frye said il vas fortunate the Senate
had somebody to save it.
The presjdrn; of the Gas Light Co., Mr..
Van WycK said, had admitted under oath
that he mad Kept lobbyist at $4,000 a year to
Influence legislation in Congress ''to protect
the Interests of the company"
The resolution was referred to the commit
tee on the District of Columbia.
The chair laid before the Senate petition
from 500 citizens Of the Pacific coast, pro-
testing against the cruel treatment of unof-
Tending Chinese referred TO the committee
on foreign relations.
MIR. Logan's bill to increase the efficiency
of the army was placed before the Senate.
Mr. Teller opposed the increase. He would
not discuss in detail the Indian policy. but
saw no reason in the Indian question for an
increase in the army. We could take a
number of Indian children from the hostile
tribes, place them in Indian schools and then
Indian wars would cease. The children
would constitute hostages for the good con-
duct of their parents.
Mr.. Pratt said: We had no army. 1t was
misnomer to call the present skeleton" "
Oar nation in the future would have some
thing to say about the worlds affairs and
ought to have an army not larger but enough
at least to constitute a fair plice force.
The argument that we had no immediate
need of the army was like arguing that be
cause it was not raining today it never would
rain.
"There was one thing we must say" con-
tinued Mr.. Platt. I'VE must enforce on this
continent the Monroe doctrine, not to allow
any foreign nation to set its foot for colonial
purposes or purposes of conquest upon the
western hemisphere. Yet we are in no con-
diton to say that if any nation of Europe
should attempt to cOloniZe South America or
should choose to take hand in any conflict
that arose in South America, with a view to
| l.
of nations showed that we could not avoid
war or complications with foreign powers.
Suppose. said Mr.. Pratt, that China should
seek satisfaction for its murdered subjects in
the United States, and should send its two
ironclads to San Francisco. conveying yes
sells containing troops and suppose that the
whole navy of the United States were assem-
bled in front of San Francisco, that navy
could not prevent the Chinese troops from
landing and ravaging our Pacific coast. Be
SIDES there was domestic danger, Mr.. Plat
sad which justified the maintenance of troops.
The danger did not arise from any honest,
industrious, sober citizen of the country, or
from any bodies of laboreIs, associated to-
gether for their own benefit to better their
condition. There was no danger u be appre-
headed from them, but thev were people who
came here from abroad, with no good inten-
tons to our form of government. men who
raises a red flag of commune. who asserted
that their object was revolution and desire
of blood. The moment that the flag was
raised here. the communists would be joined
by criminals. the senators should look the
question clearly in the face to the militia
Mr.. Plat said it was undoubtedly the strength
Of a republic, but it would be principally OF
service as adjunct to well organized,
th ub all
our position was necessity.
The hour Of o'clock arriving the army
bin went over, aud the resolutions reported
from the Judiciary committee placed before
the Senate.
Mr.. Morgan addressed the Senate in oppo-
>ition to the majority report. He entered
upon an exhaustive analysis Of the question
not only as it effected the immediate case
under consideration but the mutual relations
generally of the executive and the Senate
He said that Preside Mt Washington had once
come AMI sat in exeCu i've session with the
senators. The president hal still, under the
rules of the Senate, a right to sit with .he
senators in exrcutive session. Suppose, MIR
Morgan said, President Cleveland should
come and sit with the Senate, what questions
could we ask him? Could we compel him tc
answer questions that couldn't compel a
senator to answer! Could we compel a sen,
at0r to answer such a question as this
Have you in your custody papers sent you by
any person addressed to you as a senator OF
the United States that rela,es to the conduc,
in office of A or B, who was suspended or re-
moved by the president? If so. produce it.
An attempt to enforce the rule that would
permit such a question, Mr.. Morgan said
would either fill the jails with senators after
exhausting the power of habeas corpus, or il
would bring about dissolution of the Senate
by reason of the cause suggested bv Mr..
Webster. The failure of the senators to
meet for the performance of their functions
if the president were asked such question
ard he should reply that he must decline, be-
cause not bound to do so, and believing i.
against the public interest. There 1t would
have TO end. The pretended object in the
present case was TO expose the papers in the
Duskin matter, yet if the attorney general
should send here any papers on file against
Duskin, the Senate would Immediately close
its doors and keep people from seeing them.
The Senate couldn't be justified; the Senate
had no power to prevent the president from
performing his constitutional duty IL could