Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1891-04-10

control Of both Houses Of Congress- Mr..
| Edmunds vigorously resisted tho measures
tackled by them appropriation bills re-
pealng much of the republican legislation
for the protection OF equal rights and fair
voting in the Southern States. 1t will be
remembered, perhaps, that when President
Hayes vetoed the principal bill Of this sort,
there was current saying that the veto
message was the voice of Jacob Edmunds,
though the hand was the hand Of Esau
Hayes.
Mr. Edmunds offered and the Senate
adopted, under his leadership, In executive
session the resolution calling on the president
to terminate the last Fisheries and Recipro-
city treaty with. Great Britain. In this
case the Senate took off the injunction of
secrecy from the proceedings, and did Mr..
Edmunds the unique honor Of requesting
him by formal vote to write out the extern.
poraneous speech which he had delivered on
the occasion, to be printed and made public
in the Record.
Mr.. Edmunds introduced and has support
ed the postal telegraph bill (Which in spite
of corporate opposition will yet become n
law designed to give the people cheap tee-
graph facilities in connection with the pos
| tai service
He framed and introduced the general act
providing for counting the votes and ascer-
taining tho result of presidential elections,
one OF the most important measures of this
generation which settles the method OF pro
cednre in cases of disputed elections and pro-
vides legal method of determining disputed
results in national election.
Mr.. Edmunds brought forward and pro-
| cured the passage of the well-known Nor
mon polygamy laws, known as the ed
munds Laws, j." under which polygamy has
been practically suppressed in Utah.
He reported the bill for inspecting and ia
cilitating the expectation of the meat pro-
| ducts of the United States, containing the
| important provision enabling the president
to defend our people against unjust action
toward our products by other countries, a
measure of immense value to the farmers of
the whole country.
Mr.. Edmunds was the leading supporter
OF the treaty negotiated 10y President Ar
thur with the republic of Nicaragua 10y
which the United States obtained control OF
the only practicable ship canal between the
two great oceans, now in process of CON
struction and destined to dominate the com
merce of the world.
Mr. Eimunds was an active supporter of
the bill regulating Interstate railway trans
portati on and bringing these great corpora
tions under the control of law and of the
inter State commerce commission.
To this list OF measures which honorably
| ...,f NJ l. l.
tional legislation Of the last quarter of "a
century many of great though less i'm
portance might be added AS it stands it is
certainly a record of which he and his State
may be proud.
Mr.. Edmunds has held for seventeen years
the craftsmanship of the committee of the
| Judiciary-a position second in prominence
| and responsibility to no other legislative Of
| flee. He was member of the electoral commits
sion of 1876. lIe has been twice tenderela
place upon the bench OF the Supreme Court
of the United States-once by President
Hayes and once by President Arthur-and
his name has recently been prominently
! connected with a possible similar appoint
ment to the vacancy which will probably
soon be made upon that bench by tho re-
tirement Of Justice Bradley.
| Mr.. Edmunds mas never sought any high
er position than that occupied by him in
the Senate but he was nominated by Mr..
| Billings in the republican national conven-
| tion Of 1850, and received 81 votes, and
would probably have been the nominee Of
| that convention if Mr.. Con king had not
withheld the vote OF New York till too late
to prevent the stampede to Garfield. His
name was again most eloqucntly presented
by Gov. Long Of MASSACHUSETTS, in the ma
tional convention of 1891, in which % votes
were thrown for him.
During Mr.. Elmunds's service as a sena-
tor he has, as he remarked at the time of
his last election, seen every senator except
his colleague Mr. Morrill, and himself
changed more than once.
Mr.. Edmunds is only in his 9th year
he has earned the rest which he needs and
proposes to take; but at mis- age retire
ment from the Senate is not necessarily
final leave of public life; and our readers
will join us in wishing him restored health
and many years of strength and usefulness
to the State and nation, in time to come.