Morning journal and courier., 1889-03-20
SESSION OF THE SENATE.

ing nominations to the Senate.
 Whitelaw Ried of New York, to be envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary of the United States to France.
 Julius Goldsehmidt of Wisconsin, to be consul general of the United States at Vienna.
 Andrew O. Bradley of the District of Co., lumbia, to be associate justice of the supreme court of the District of Columbia.
 John R. McFie of New Mexico, to be asso- ciate justice of the supreme court of the ter ritory of New Mexico.
 Frank R. Aikens of Dakota, to bs associate justice of the supreme court of the territory of Dakota.
 James w. Hague to be postmaster at Tor rington, Conn.
 Capt. Edmund R. Morse of Rutland, Vt., has been appointed private secretary to Sec- retary Proctor.
 The nomination of Eugene Schuyler of New York, to be assistant secretary of State was withdrawn, he having declined the ap- pointment.
 The vice president announced the appoint ment of the following select committee on the April centennial celebration in New York: Senators Hiscock, Sherman, Hoar, Voorhees md Eustis.
 MT. Sherman called up the proposed amendment of the rule req turing resolutions that call for information from the executive oOPoAGAC u DC IclcEI6O tO bu0 opp1OPA4atO committee. He said that the adoption of such resolutions without inquiry sometimes involved very large and unnecessary ex- pense, and such change of the rule was de- sirable.
 MT. Voorhees, opposed the change of rule. He understood that no assent to it had been given on the Democratic side of the chamber. He called attention to the fact that the gov ernment was within few weeks of closing its first hundred years of history under the constitution, and that during that century ot national life no such rule as that now pro- posed had ever been found necessary. He could see no object that it was likely to ac- complish except to stife investigation and obstruct inquiry into the conduct of any executive department. He submitted to the senator from Ohio and to all senators on the other side whether they could afford at the threshold of @ new administration, to give notice to the world that investigation and inquiry into proceedings of the depart- ments shall be less free and less untramelled than has been the case heretofore. He was aware that the House of Representatives had adopted rule on that subject in the Forty- sixth Congress, but that that rule required the resolution to be reported back by the committee within @ week. The pending res olution had no reconstruction in it. The administration of the affairs of the gov. ernment was now in new hands and he
  had no desire to drag down or to destroy that administration. But the majority of the Senate could i'll afford to let it go forth that it had put up the bars to stop the pathways by which wrong doing could be found out. The proposition when he first heard of it had startled him.
 MT. Sherman Ca member of the committee on rules from which the proposition had been reporteda said it had been agreed to unanimously in that committee. The evil which it was proposed to remedy was the calling for information at the request of a single senator without any inquiry as to the expense involved or as to whether the infor. nation was not already printed and availa. ble. Such resolution left no discretion ments who were required to comply with them, although the furnishing of the information sometimes necessitated the em ployment of forty or fifty clerks for 8 month or two. He knew of one case where one hundred clerks had to be employed fol two months in copying papers called for un. necessarily. The committee on rules fell that some restraint should be made on the passage of such resolutions. The committst had no desire to restrain in the slightest de, gree the power of the senate to examine into any question whatever.
 MT. Butler argued against the proposed rule, holding that the good resulting iron
 
 weighed it's disadvantages MT. Hoar proposed as an amendment tha whenever any inquiry for information shal be addressed by the Senate to any head of department, if it shall appear to such office that the same has been already furnished, h. shall be at liberty to communicate sucl opinion to the Senate and await it's furthe pleasure.
 Mir. Blair said that MT. Hoar's proposition covered power already existing in and ex ercised by heads of departments. He hoped that the proposed rule as a whole would b. defeated.
 Mir. Teller had no doubt that great extrav agance had been committed under existin, rule. He had some knowledge of it himself But he did not think that the majority could afford to adopt rule which looked like re striction on the minority. The Senate should not put itself in the position of having i said with any show of righ that it was willing to stiffle an, investigation with reference to tn incoming administration. It would be bet ter to submit to great many errors and in conveniences, rather than have that belevet by the people. He moved that the proposet changes of rule with the amendments sug gested, he recommitted that the committe on rules and said that he would advise th committee let it slumber there, forever. The rule and amendments were after fur, ther discussions recommitted to the commit tee on rules and after brief session fo executive business the Senate adjourned. GENERAL FOREIGN NEWS.