Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-03-24
ILlusTRlcUs FIRST PREDECESSOR.

The Senate hssiug resumed eonsidera-
non OF the rssontisps reported BY Mr.. Ed
munds from the ConHj,tss on the Judiei-
sry, February Is. expressing the sense of
the Senate on ,he refussl Of the Attorney
General to return TO tAe Senate copies of
certain papers
Mr.. Eeuua sait:
Ms. PREsrDExT: | Vas impressed, as |
have no doub. others were, by the snona-
Ious conditions which characterized the
proceedings of this body on the 9th day of
this month. The Senator from Vermont
MI Elmundsl, who, whether it be so in
tact or not, is recognized throughout this
country a. the father Of this movement Of
obstruction to legitimate executive power,
had occupied the floor for two or three
hours. He had done 50 with the cspaci-
ties with which We ell know him to pos
ssss. He had made, it u to be presumed,
as the eouHSry expected be you'd make,
all that could be made OF the isSGss in
volved in this controversy. BE had argued
with elaboration and With great skillissaes
of his own creation, and hsd CONS % con-
front the membership oa this floor as he
had come to confront the American peo-
pie with proposition very csndidly and
frankly stated in the esrlY part OF his
speech. shall not go in detail into the
report that lies on your table, nor shall
a. this moment undertake 70 discuss the
resolutions which accompany it; but shall
prefer for my Own convenience, and l trust
for the eq1al convenience Of these who
may hear me, to treat The issue IS present
ed By the Senator himself.
WHAT Is AN OFFICIAL PAPER7
IL this body as a part and parcel of the
legislative branch of this Government en-,
titled 20 call upon the executive depart
ment in any one ofits forms or divisions
or subdivisions and to receive il turn such
documents and papers 81 come within the
definition of public and official papers as
laid down by the Senator ffOG Vermont
Tha. as 8 primary proposition is the iGsne
which is involved here today. Let Us see
what the defaiuOn Of such pspers IS as
inscribed By the author this entire move
uent The Senator r,on Vermont said:
What is e. osEcial paper, sir? 1t is
no, material 70 .his disc~ssiou because the
sspa,s has no, liei ar anything else,
VIA, il ~ OEciaI plpss2 Suppose let
ter was addressed to the President pro
tempo-s ofrbe seus.s q the Cni!ed States,
as some are every dsy, IS goa EOoW' SIR
and came to yoGr o&;e as Sfesl-
dent pro tempore Of the SsCate OF the
United States, proceeding to sesie tna'
such pablo measure was useful or hurl-
fol; would that be a private PsPes or
.ouohc paper, q private Psper OF 81 oblcls4
,oapsr2 take il there would be but chs
snswes to that question
AN obliged 70 state that N my eoueeF,
ton every senator on this h0or tto& II A'
the same time that there
COULD BE BUT oSE ANSWER
20 that question. But to my surprise. and
do not doub. to ths surprise Of sll, the
Senator from Vermont proceeded:
You would hardly think it with the Mt,
nsss Of thiags, take il, that you could
carry It TO your house, or put 1t into your
pocket % put i. into your fireplace and
&ssroy il. ATS addressed to you IN your
~ character, sad that Is what gives
oI oA ~4to paper Of SkGtever KIND II Is
eIAs9C Ss,9l or whether prtSats;, il IS
Hne'ner 1 - ~ ofScisl papers that Gre
nasLlS uas mere rem m ~. 5Rt they are not the
'sSs sS S4eiai papers. ~ Of al tno eh'
NOV take lt that tie Dspsrtmen,
elsl papers which exist in ',hs rtorpeV
OF Jusuce-aGd the report o, ,rsH-,bsrs
General admits that there they or on
ls not one OF them on the sUbjec, Ssse1
any other subject that is rot sddr, =,
either TO the Chief Executive of the u.
ted States in his character as such, or TO !
some head Of Department, or some cth |
Ger OF the Department in bis character As
such, and thst is Why they are in the De- /
PAstuent Of Justice or ia any other De /
p3artment, That i5 what gives them their
character.
Mr., President, the suspension Of sn
otheer is said By the minority of the COM
miitee to be an act solely within the ex-
elusive discretion Of the President of the
United States So say the majority of the
committee. But is not the suspension OF 9
plohe othcer an official sct2 The statue
says II Is; the President says II is. When
under hls seal and signature and the Ger,
nheste OF the Secretary of State, the at
testing witness of the authenticity OF the
document he suspends sn officer, he does
oneIally. OF course be has no right TO
DO It privately, 1t is tho President, and
not the man, that suspends the officer, and
and II is therefote an official act. There
lore, every paper which is addressed to the
o4eer exercising that fu,sction, in his
character as the officer exercising that
junction, and upon that topic, must be an
Vmelsl paper. No matter how vile il may
os' no matter how false it may be, no mat
yer how little influence it may produce
upon the mind o. the officer Who has to act
upon It, 1t is not the less an official
paper.
In my Judgment, what appears on the
fsce Oftbe papers here ia
NOT TIE REAE oByECT
81 th's controversy, out primarily the
senator trou Vermont in that definition of
nG constitutes an Official paper has de-
saeI Tor himself and for the Senate and
AZ tne country the issue upon which We
e eonsending. It addressed to you. SIR,
Jour Character and eapseisy As PreS-