The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1886-03-31
MANLY WORDS.
President Cleveland's Attitude and the
Peevish, Shutting Complaints of Sens-
tor Edmunds.

President Cleveland's Attitude and tho
Peevish, Shutting Complaints of Sens-
tor Edmunds.
/. The fearless, ringing words Of the
President to the Senate struck home.
The Republican organs are furious and
are piping forth dissonances of the
most horrible description. Following
the lead of the Vermont Senator, they
profess to be shocked at the audacity
of the President in lecturing that
august body. Their OK is gored this
time and they do not like the opera
ton. Of course, it was all right and
natural for Mr.. Edmunds to lecture the
President and ask impairment ques-
tons, but Mr.. Cleveland had no right
to talk back The position in
which those Republican Senators have
placed themselves is an exceedingly
uncomfortable one. Their efforts to
extricate themselves is childish in the
extreme. Mr.. Edmunds thinks that
the President is like Charles I. in tell
ing the Senate what to do and what
it should not do. The Vermont Sena-
tor appears to be of the opinion that
the President should remain perfectly
passive under all uncalled for assaults
and should permit the august body
of which Mr.. Edmunds is a member to
address insolent questions to the heads
of departments on subjects for which
he is wholly responsible. Mr.. Edmunds
can not be well read in English history
or he would not have made the egregious
blunder of bringing in the case of
Charles /. to support his argument.
What connection there is between
President Cleveland's refusal to give up
private and unofficial documents,
which are his sole property, on the H.
legal demand of Republican Senators,
and the action of the autocratic Stuart,
who desired to levy taxes without the
sanction of Parliament, and flung
members into prison for disagreeing
with him, we leave it to the muddled
intellect of the statesman from the
Green Mountain State to determine.
| The message of the President quickly
disposes Of the idle excuses brought
forward by Mr.. Edmunds in support Of
his unauthorized demands. 1t has the
ring of the true metal. The writer
thoroughly understands the situation
and explains itwith characteristic force
and directness. There is delicate vein
of sarcasm in the answer to the charge
that, because those private documents
are preserved in public Offices, the Sem
ate has right to demand them.
''There is no mysterious power of
transmutation," remarks Mr.. Cleve.
land, Gin departmental custody, nor is
there magic in the underlined and sa-
cred solemnity of department files
The Democratic party has additional
reason, to be proud of its fearless, out
spoken leader, who knows so we'll how
to protect the interests intrusted to
him and to maintain the dignity of his
high office. What contrast between
the peevish, shutting complaints Of
Mr.. Edmunds and those strong, earnest
words of the President: "The pledges
I have made were made to the people,
and to them am responsible for the
manner in which they have been re.
deemed. am not responsible to the
Senate, and l am unwilling to submit
my actions and official conduct to them
for Judgment The minority report
of the Senate Judiciary Committee is {
fitting accompaniment to this Jack
sonian message and sets forth the law
lessness and insolence of Mr.. Edmund
and his colleagues in the stronges
light. The madness which is the fore
runner of total destruction, appears t,
have taken firm hold of the Repub
: lican party. The course or which tn
, Republican Senators have entered j
one which the American public vii
emphatically condemn.-Albamy Argus