Vandalia Whig and Illinois intelligencer. [volume] (Vandalia, Ill.) 1832-183?, 1834-05-22

charge upon the president IF breach of
privilege. The court declAre ''that ii
can not be denied that the power to in
,titute a prosecution, must te depend
ent upon the power to punisl." What
let me ask, canlpne co-or-
dnate branch of the government nlllct
upon another? We can havepo hesta-
ton in deciding upon what some Of his
triers for this breach Of privilege would
deem "adequate" punishment, if the
power to punish existed. M(re than
one of his triers have already declared
that president jackson has done that in
regard 10 the bank, which, if dd,e by a
British Monarch, would have bought
his head to the block. Most righteous
and merciful judges! The preidents
only offence is that he has presfted a
view of his own rights and powers, in
Opposition to the expressed opidons of
the senate, which no senator haspr can
answer, except by declaring thatbe has
been guilty of breach of priv Nege!.
And this result is arrived at, nottrom
any view of our own constitution and
laws, but from researches into the ina
dulterated nonsense of the privileges OF
British Parliament.
h Should we not rather consult the
good sense of our own times, and i we
Gun find no precedents in the history OF
oar own proceedings. we shall noidls-
glace ourselves by initiating the cam
pies of our state legislatures. rave
come across a parallel case: mem to
say parallel in every point of view
where any essential principle is hvol-
we'd, in the legislative history 0 tina
d firmly democratic and dignitied State Of
, Pennsylvania. The late venerable gov
. ernor of that commonwealth, wh. was
5 one OF the signers of the declaration Of
, independence, lived, also, as dos our
president in high party times, whel ''n-
Ter factiones leges silent" Amongst 9th
er violent prosecutions, he was chfrged
; in 8o7, with having violated Me con
stituton, and articles of impeachment
! were reported against him By com
q mlttee of the house of representatives
r and most of these articles said nothing
in terms of a criminal intent. AT I
e Subsequent session, in 1908, this repor
:, was taken up and indefinitely postpon
} ed. After this decision, his Geographic
: Informs us that
. Son the next day the secretary Of thu
commonwealth presented replication
from the governor, relative to the char
ges exhibited against him by the com
mittee, which, being read, Mr.. Ser
geant inquired whether the communica
lion would be inserted on the journal
A variety Of objections being made t.
this measure, motion was made by Mr.
Sergeant, and seconded by Mr.. Ing
ham, that the message be inserted IA
large on the journal: on the question
being taken, it was determined in The
affirmative"
J, The biographer then goes on to say:
5 "The defence of Mr.. MKean offer
; a bright contrast to the report of his nc
cusers; and we cannot refrain from ey
:, the dignity with which he rdpelled unes
tablished denunciations, of The modera
ton and magnhnmty which he display
ed throughout the replication, and o
the self-Command and respect, which
forbade him to descend to tle language
of his enemies. ga long pd danger
, Gus Illness" he begins. "the s. mpathy o
: friends, and the advice of physicians
f deprived me Of an opportu lily to pc
ruse the journal, or to have tie leas
= knowledge of the proceeding in rela
! ton to an Impeachment of MY ollicia
2 conduct, for more than moth after
3. the termination of the last scss bn of the
general assembly. And, since that pc.
Rod, "A proper respect for the ex rcise OF
constitutional powers, has retrained
. every disposition. Oh my part, TO answer
the charges which have been e1 ribited
against me, while those charges pntinu-
ed a subject Of del'beralion. But the
delicacy, which has thus rec guized
your constitutional jurisdiction must
not be allowed to absorb every colsider,
alton that is due to my own fame to the
feelings of my family, and to tn opin-
ion of the world. The accusatd, tho
not confirmed by the ultimate ,ote of
the house,has been deliberately rpmed,
has been openly discussed, and vii pass
among the legislative records, mo the
hands of our constituents, and CIR pos
lfnr ~ \