Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-09-30
He Advocates His Resolution as to
the Fairchild Commission,
THE PRESIDENT SOMEWHAT CRITICISED.
He Tried VainIy to Get Mr.. Hill
Into the Discussion.
DULL TALK IN THE HOUSE.
THE SENATE.

After the reading Of yesterdays journal
Mr.. Mitchell (Ore) said that he thought 1t
very singular that the Senate was unable
to get quorum any morning. He called
the attention Of the presiding officer to
the fact that there was no quorum present.
and Mr.. Washburn (Minn) remarked that
he was very glad he did so.
The roll was called. and forty-one Sena-
tors answered to their names-two less
than a quorum.
On motion of Mr.. Voorhees, Qnd) the SER
geant-at-arms was directed to request the
attendance Of absent Senators. And"
said he, in making the motion, Il italicize
After a short delay it was ascertained
that there were forty-three Senators pres
ent-exactly a quorum-and morning busi-
ness was proceeded with.
Two Silver Amendments.
Two proposed amendments to the silver
purchase repeal bill were sent to the clerks
oesk and read The first was by Mr.. VOL
colt (Col) and directs the repayment of the
tax collected on cotton under the act of
July /, 1852, to the states concerned. The
second was by Mr.. Perkins Coli, and it
directs the opening Of the mints to the
coinage OF silver. of proved American pro-
duction, at the existing ratio-20 per cent
to be withheld for minting or seigniorage
No gold pieces are to be issued Of a less
denomination than SO, and no bank notes
or treasury notes of a less denomination
tnan -. 1t also provides for a commission
OF five monetary experts.
The Fairchild COmmixsion.
The resolution heretofore offered by Mr..
Chandler IN. H. as to the Fairchild custom
house commission was taken up for consid-
Grafton. The following is the text Of it:
Resolved, That the Secretary of the Treas
cfad 70 inf
er national commission, composed of
private citizens, Is Investigating the New
YORK custom house and making reports and
recommendations concerning the same: and
so, TO further inform the Senate who are
the members OF said commission; by what
authority OF law they have been appointed
and paid; what is their compensation and
from what appropriation the payments have
Deen ana are made; and to transmit to the
Senate copies OF all letters to and from said
commission or its members and all reports
therefrom.
Mr.. Chandler explained the object OF the
resolution and gave resume OF the doings
OF the Fairchild commission: complaining
that It had been appointed unofficiaily and
not In accordance with the constitutional
provision which requires officers of high
rank to be appointed by the President by
and with the advice and consent Of the
Senate.
He sent to the clerks desk and had read
the letter OF reSgnatio OF Appraiser
planning of the annoyances and insults to
which he had been subjected by this ''un-
oHcial commission, composed entirely Of
democrats" And he also read various re-
ports and editorial articles from the New
York Tribune criticising the doings Of the
commission.
As to It's appointment.
An inquiry was made by Mr.. Sherman as
to the authority under which the commits
sion was appointed-a resolution of either
house. or a provision Of law.
''The object Of my statement" Mr. Chand-
Ter replied. ''is to show that there was no
authority whatever for it."
Does the Senator know" Mr. Cullom
Qll.) asked, "how the commission was ap-
pointed?"
Il think I do," Mr. Chandler replied: land
l will state 1t before get through with my
remarks
The existence Of the commission, Mr..
Chandler said, raised an important ques-
tion of constitutional law, and an important
question Of administration Of statutes.
which were deserving of fair consideration
from all Senator's. because the privileges
and prerogatives Of the Senate were in
volved in the question. Mr.. Fairchild and
his associates were certainly engaged in
the work of Officers Of the United States"
They had not been nominated to the Sem
ate and confirmed by the Senate. That was
clear. Therefore, there had been a violation
Of the Constitution. 1t would hardly be
pretended that an ex-Secretary of the
Treasury, an ex-collector of the port of
New York, an ex-member Of Congress from
Arkansas and an able and acute lawyer Of
New York city when appointed members
of a commission would be called inferior
officers Of the United States.''
An IntimatiOn as to the President.
He intmated that the President Of the
United States was altogether too willing
to violate the language of the Constitu-
tion." He admitted that there was some
pretext of legal authority for the commits
sion. 1t was a clause in an appropriation
act Of 1889 authorizing the Secretary of the
Treasury to eXpend sum not exceeding
100000 a year for the detection and preven-
ton of frauds upon the customs revenue
1t was rumored. he said. that all of these
gentlemen. including an ex-Secretary of the
Treasury, who had rendered great service
in the attempt to demolish the senior Sem
ator from New York, had been anxious for
recognition by the administration, and that
it had not been found convenient to give
such recognition. 1t was also rumored that
ex-Collector Magone and Mr.. Poindexter
Dunn of Arkansas were also desirous of
recognition. Whether Mr.. McFarlane, the
lawyer, had indorsed anti-snapper service,
which demanded that he should be reward
ed by the administration, he did not know.
But the other three members Of the COM
mission had at last found recognition at
the hands Of the administration, being ap-
pointed an investigating commission and be-
ing enrolled as employees of the Treasury
Department. They had been put upon THE
fraud list" Never had there been so slight
an authority for so portentous and magnif-
cent a commission
Mr.. Chandler went on to say that 1t was
with great reluctance that he criticised the
President of the United States because he
was today engaged in supporting the Pres
ident in his earnest efforts to secure the
unconditional repeal Of the Sherman act
Mr.. Chandler spoke on his resolution for
over an hour, the latter part OF his speech
being criticism Of the President for his
too great readiness to ignore the laws and
to act on his own ideas. He instanced the
appointment Of Mr.. Blount as minister to
Hawaii, and ridiculed certain phrases used
by the President in his communicated to
the provisional government of Hawaii He
concurred in the view taken by one of the
London papers as to the Presidents letter
to Gov. Northen of Georgia: that 1t had a
similarity to the letters OF the Emperor
William of Germany. MIR. Chandler's efforts
to get Mr.. Hill into the discussion were
without avail Mr.. Hill was in his seat,
but said nothing. The resolution was
agreed to.
THE HOUSE.