The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-03-12
TOTHER SIDE OF THE CASE
pucH PooH-PoOHS EDMuNDs' AR
GUMENT IN THE DUSkiN CASE.

The Vermont senator Taking Notes
Daily Record of the National Legisls-
ture-A Prophets Prediction rs to Sill
yer Legislation. ,
WASHINGTON CITY, March Ex-senator
Pugh made his reply to Senator Edmunds
Wednesday to as full galleries, though not
quite as full a senate chamber, as tie gen
tleman from Vermont had Mr.. Pugh con-
fined the points to be. discussed to the mar
roweSt possible limits. He showed as
thorough familiarity with the literature
of the subject as Mr.. Edmunds, and he used
his matter with equal effectiveness in detail,
but taken as whole his speech did
not have that appearance of a perfectly
compacted whole, proceeding in the most
vigorously logical manner from foundation
to finish, that was the main charm of Mr..
Edmunds' speech As Mr.. Edmunds best
point was his citation of Thurman as an au-
thority, Mr.. Pugh REQUIRED to that early in
his remarks He quoted from Mr.. Thur
mans speeches in 1870 on the proposed re-
peal of the tenure of-otiice act to show
that he held most unqualitieily that
the power of suspension or removal
was vested by tn constitution absolutely in
the president without participation therein
by the senate Then he showed that the
official, the papers regarding whose re-
moval MIR. Thurman called for, was terri
torial judge, and that in the opinion of
many eminent lawyers, including Mr.
Evarts, territorial judges. are United States
judges within the meaning of the tenure-of
office act, who could not be suspended, and
who could be removed only by consent of
the senate
Pugh said broadly that no precedent
for the present demand of the senate could
be found in the action of the judiciary com
mittee during the time Thurman was chair
man, and he answered the arguments made
Ly Edmunds, that the papers i'll the Duskin
case We're needed by the senate to enable it
to make up its mind whether he ought 10 be
removed or not, by showing that his term of
Office expired in December last, so that he had
ceased under his commission to he an official
four weeks before Mr.. Edmunds made his
report, and even before the attorney general
was called on for papers Mr.. Edmunds
cited Andrew Jackson on his side, but Mr..
Pugh was able to produce messages from
Old Hickory refusing papers to the senate
on the express ground that they dealt with
matters that were beyond the jurisdiction
of the senate, and with which, therefore,
the senate had no business.
While Pugh was speaking Edmunds was
in his seat, his head bent forward, and his
eyes generally on his kue 5. On the desk
before him lay tablet AMI lead pencil,
and from time to time Edmunds would
make memoranda for use when he
makes his reply. Once or twi,e he inter
rupted Pugh to ask for the volume and page
of citation made, but aside from this fugt
pursued his own course and received nc
prompting from his opponents
The Post publishes what purport to be al
authorized publication of a friendly inter
view between the president and Senator
Eustis of louisiana in which the president
is quoted us saying: IF it be true that any
OF my appointees is unworthy hope he will
be rejected Ii is the s9nate's function t.
see to this, The senator's are my coadjutos
and advisors; they can not be too exactine
for my taste. | want no improper men in
Office