The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1886-03-17
WASHINGTON.
EGstsrly Argument Of Senator Kenna on the
Question Of Presidential Removals.
The Inconsistency of the Vermont senator
shown Up-An Indianian Resigns His
ONCE Under the Government
General and Personal.
special TO the Sentinel.


WAsHIEeToN, March 12-By far the best
speech made in the great political debate
now going on in the United States Senate
was made to-day by Senator Kenna, of West
Virginia, the youngest member of the body.
He began promptly at o'clock. The CALLER
les were uncomfortably crowded, and nearly
all the available space on the floor was taken
up by members of the House of Representa-
tives and others, who availed themselves of
the privilege of entering the chamber In
the pew reserved for the Executive house
hold sat Miss Cleveland, accompanied by
two lady friends and a young gentleman.
The West Virginia Senator commenced by
reading from the Record extracts of
Edmunds' argument delivered a few
DAYS since, after which he proceeded
in deliberate style with his argument.
Figuratively speaking, he wiped the floor
with the Vermont Senator, when he sud-
denly dropped him and took Senator Sher-
man, who was in the presiding officers
chair, by the ears, and like Edmunds, con-
victed him of being inconsistent, He would
at times leave one and so TO the other, and
then again hc would pay his respects to
them both together. He sent a merited
thrust to the occupant of the White House
in the first part of the speech by saying that
the election of Grover Cleveland year ago
Was not on account of the man, but that it
meant that the Marshals, the Collectors, the
Ministers, the ConsuIs and the Postmasters
should all go, and turning to his Democratic
colleagues he exclaimed, bringing his fist
! defended the position Of the Administration
with precedents which he frequently quoted
from a wheelbaTrow load of books that lay
on the desk before him. He had ransacked
the records of the Government from 1875
down to the present day. He quoted from
Washington, from Jackson, from Jefferson,
from Tyler, and all of Mr.. Cleveland's pre-
decessors, including Grant and Hayes, and
each quotation was q home thrust to the
Republican Senators. When he sent to the
the Clerk to be read for the
first time letter written by
John Sherman, as Secretary of the Treasury,
peremptorily refusing a request made by
Roscoe COnkling. as Chairman of the Senate
Finance Committee, for the reasons prompt
ing the Hayes administration, for the re-
moval of Chester A. Arthur as Collector of
Customs in New York, one could almost see
a cold chill creeping up the backs OF the Re-
publican Senators, so deliberate was this
point made. Kenna paid his respects to
Logan by reading an amendment proposed
by the Illinois Senator years ago to bill
providing for the repeal of the tenure
of office act, declaring all Offices
vacant except Judge, so that Grant
could make clean sweep. He made Ed
munds turn crimson by quoting copiously
from Blaine's book extracts which are in
direct opposition to his position, and from
these extracts he convicted Edmunds of in
consistency. The latter sat in his seat and
il was not difficult to see that he was quak-
ing under the scathing but dignifed denun-
citation that the young Senator was hurting
at bis head. Jackson, a member of the Ju-
dietary Committee, said this evening that
he had intended to make speech, but since
Kenna's mastery effort he was willing to let
the controversy rest where 1t now is.