Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1886-03-16
Ccnator Kenna's Speech.

= the L. S. Senate, last Tuesday,
tire resolutions reported from the jul
G.ciary committee, asserting the right
a. the Senate to the papers in the OK
ecutiye departments in regard to sus-
pended officials, were called up and
Mr.. Edmunds spoke in favor of the
resolutions, criticising the action of
the President and Attorney-General
Tor Withholding such papers. On
Friday Mr. Kenna, of this State,
spoke in defence of the position of
the President. Of his speech the
Baltimore Sun says cditorially:
The Speech of Senator Kenna, of West Vir-
Giuia. yesterday, in continuation of the debate
upon the Edmunds resolutions, was the most
entertaining and convincing. and in many
PpCcLs the Hblcst vet delivered in vindicatOn
of the presidential prerogativc. Referring to
the secrecy of executive sessions. the Senator
from West Virginia twittcd his republican col
leagues on their inconsistency in proposing to
make secret use of private papers they wished
to compel the President to give to the public.
and asked whether, accepting the definition of
''oiFiculn papers made by Mr.. Edmunds. Re-
publican Senators proposed to put on file for
the Inspection of the President the various let
ters that may have received from anxious office
holders in reference to their present contest
BY an ingenious hypothesis. Senator Sherman's
haste to ret ahead of Mr. Edmunds in speak
ing on the subject was explained as due. per-
AGps. 10 suggestions contained in letters from
constituents OF the former. who, in view of the
presidential contest of 1855. were anxious that
the Ohioan should make better record than
tine EerInontcr. Such letters are g official in
:he ne!y sense of the term. and would make in
EsrF~ iY1Or NJ In NI1ffn Tn11Sn nd nf
the other end of the Capitol.
Senator kenna was particularly strong in the
number aud relevancy of his prcccdents. The
inst7ure IN which President Jackson. in Il case
ANALOGOUS to the one under discussion. declined
To.Gt-algnk to send papers to the Senate. has
already been cited. but the West Virginia Scna-
tor cited others equally opposite from the ad-
ministratiOns of Washington. Tyler. Grant and
Hayes. Webster in 1910. sustained the Pres
idenr u refusing certain papers to the Senate,
ana Mr. Sherman. when Secretary of the Treas
uTy. wrote n letter declining to give the Senate
the reasons for the removal of Collector (after-
wards Presidency Arthur. The issue was. in
fact. whether the Senate should be permitted
to defeat the purpose of the people in elccting
NJ. Cleveland. which purpose was that. US far
as might be necessary for good administration.
bad officials should be removed. and men put
in their places who would conduct affairs in
accordance with law and the policy of n DEM
ocratic government. The argument became
painfully pungcnt when Mr.. Blaine's new book
was quoted to show that the man for whom the
present opponents of Mr. Cleveland voted
wolid. II elected. have taken the same position
as SIR. Cleveland. Mr.. Blaine thinks the tenure
S-ofIicc act was bad craftsmanship, but the
efsort4of the Senate at present was to re-enact
virsus7iv Its worst clauses. President Cleve-
Iape is-criticised for making 643 suspensions in
eight months. but it is not mentioned that
President Grant in entering Office in 1869 made
ESQ suspensions in seven weeks, during six of
which weeks the tcnure-of-offfce act was still
in force. The wealth of incident and argu-
mo,t with which the West Virginia Senator
sustained bis views showed plainly that he had
mastered his subject thoroughly.