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CONGRESS, UNITED STATES. 



of the Senator from New Hampshire (Mr. Pat- 

 terson), and we have had various gentlemen 

 upon this committee. The first joint commit- 

 tee on retrenchment consisted, on the part of 

 the Senate, of Messrs. Edmunds, Williams, and 

 Buckalew, appointed in 1866. In 1869, Messrs. 

 Edmunds, Williams, Patterson, and Buckalew, 

 constituted the committee on the part of the 

 Senate. In 1870, Messrs. Harris, Patterson, 

 Schurz, and Thurman, constituted the commit- 

 tee on the part of the Senate. 



"Now, sir, I supposed that a proposition to 

 raise a committee that had had an existence 

 ever since 1866, with precisely the same pow- 

 ers that I asked for it in 1871, would have 

 been adopted in this body without objection. 

 On the 7th day of December, 1871, I offered a 

 resolution to revive the Committee on Re- 

 trenchment, which had expired with the Forty- 

 first Congress on the 3d of March last. After 

 I had offered the resolution, the Senate imme- 

 diately adjourned without any action upon it. 



"On Monday, the resolution, if I recollect 

 aright, came up, and was considered to some 

 extent, but without arriving at any definite con- 

 clusion. On Tuesday the Senate sat but a few 

 minutes; and again, if I recollect aright, the 

 same thing was gone through with on Wednes- 

 day, and the newspapers of the country say 

 that a caucus of Republican Senators was held 

 in reference to this resolution. I wish the Sen- 

 ator from Indiana to consider what I am say- 

 ing. The newspapers of the country say that 

 a party caucus of Republican Senators was 

 called to determine whether this resolution* 

 of investigation and inquiry to reduce the ex- 

 penses of the Government should pass or not. 

 Who gave this a party turn, or sought to give 

 it a party turn? In my judgment, it was not 

 a proper subject for party consideration. The 

 very fact that Republican Senators got together 

 to consider whether a resolution of inquiry into 

 the abuses of the Government should be per- 

 mitted to pass this body showed that the meet- 

 ing was called for the purpose of considering 

 it in a party point of view. The whole coun- 

 try has been given to understand that the Re- 

 publican Senators were called together, for 

 what ? For the purpose of considering whether 

 a resolution that had passed this body for five 

 consecutive years without objection should be 

 permitted to pass again. 



*' Sir, I deny that the Republican party of 

 this country is to be bound by any such action, 

 and, for one, I repudiated on the spot the idea 

 of being bound by any such, caucus. I will 

 never consent, while I have the honor of a seat 

 here, that a party caucus, or any other com- 

 bination or organization, shall prevent my 

 bringing before the Senate for its investigation 

 matters that I believe the public good requires 

 to be investigated. 



"Sir. what followed? The resolution then 

 followed in this body offered by the Senator 

 from Rhode Island (Mr. Anthony), to do what? 

 To create a Committee of Investigation and 



Retrenchment, to consider such matters as 

 should be referred to it, a committee with no 

 power whatever. It could not move a step 

 until something was referred to it." 



Mr. Davis, of Kentucky: "I am opposed 

 to the proposition of the honorable Senator 

 from Rhode Island for this reason : as I under- 

 stand the proposition of the Senator from Illi- 

 nois, it proposes to clothe the committee with 

 power to examine whether the patronage of 

 the General Government has been brought 

 into conflict with the right of suffrage and for 

 purposes of general corruption. I think that 

 there can be no more legitimate subject for 

 inquiry connected with the duties of this com- 

 mittee. There is no Senator who would not, 

 in theory at least, condemn the bringing of 

 the patronage of the General Government 

 into conflict with the freedom of suffrage and 

 to be used for purposes of general corruption." 



The Presiding Officer: "The Chair under- 

 stands that a. motion is made by the Senator 

 from Rhode Island to strike out all of the pro- 

 posed amendment of the Senator from Illinois 

 after the word ' curtailed.' " 



The Chief Clerk : " It is proposed to strike 

 out from the amendment submitted by the 

 Senator from Illinois the following words: " 



And also to consider the expediency of so amend- 

 ing the laws under which appointments to the public 

 service are now made as to provide for withdrawing 

 the public service from being used as an instrument 

 of political or party patronage. 



That said committee be authorized to sit during 

 the recess of Congress, to send for persons and pa- 

 pers, and to report by bill or otherwise ; and that 

 said committee may appoint a clerk. 



Mr. Sumner: "Allow me to make one re- 

 mark before this debate closes, if it ever shall 

 close. Something has been said about sena- 

 torial caucuses. Now, I shall make no reve- 

 lation, but I shall repeat what for ten years I 

 have said in this Chamber as often as occasion 

 allowed. A senatorial caucus is simply a con- 

 venience. It is in no respect an obligation on 

 anybody. To hold that it is, is infinitely ab- 

 surd and unconstitutional. I mean what I say 

 it is infinitely absurd and unconstitutional. 

 We are all, under the obligation of an oath 

 as Senators, obliged to transact the public 

 business under the Constitution of the United 

 States. We have no right to desert this 

 Chamber and go into a secret conclave, and 

 there dispose of the public business. I say it 

 is absurd and unconstitutional to pretend that 

 you have. 



"I make a great, broad, clean distinction 

 between a nominating convention outside, or 

 a caucus outside, and a senatorial caucus. A 

 nominating convention or a caucus outside is 

 held in the light of day ; it is open ; there are 

 reporters present; it is under the direct eye 

 of the people. I think that all patriotic citi- 

 zens are beginning to recognize that even that 

 is a very questionable form of proceeding, and 

 I know that there are many who are looking 

 about anxiously for some way in which to 



