Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1836-03-17

| Il, nly Inv
ca'ey Jay n:,r the commencement oi the next
.s,,,, Tin. rcusuu oil such "Iitr una "''ee''''''
| D,,. ,is law conrr upon lie ii'''He't "'f 0 80. |
Tvs ,, ,,Irc:, None, sir: literally none LOCK ih."
o''' mn and Sc you find any ne airiy
,dc;I,. from, that insil uiis"t no sir, 1"u can lu
'r. trainers Of lit constitution. aumunIshed ny
M history Of all past ayes, sluduusly avoided c"ncri!'
,raur much power III the hands "l one man i!'t
souuIil 10 nud practical government win just
checks and balances, and which would rIcuca!ly pre-
serve just equilibrium ot power among the Scfr'" ue
partglcmis and The several iunC,onarcs who "onla "e
called to exercise those powers. They gave 10 INC E'e
executive officer The Eanie I'll lGrsluriit, Dut III
suucs the power 4" King. They divided the p"Weiso
Government INTO three distinct branchcs 'na' m Ia
might check and control Tic other; and although 't9 "
i'm lac, make The Executive branch powerful "'u s"
it entered into their minds mat nc was -
all the puwcrs claimed toi him ny lnlseil anu ~
this uay They made the President
of the 4 AMERICAN army, wien III actual s'''iI|
they never could have dreamed oi making MN liz
! keeper of the accumulated treasure VI ,''' ' -,
They were tnrcwurrrd by t!c sayings anu cA''p't "
Caesar Caesar said thai lie :.ecded put soa'e' sanu n.y.
nav IA MAKE, himself powerful; that with so!oie!s He
could exlorl money! and with money NJ cou'o ''iS. ,;L
d.ts Ills history proys that he was rght, he oiu
raise soldiers; he Gd eXturt money ana ne a'a ~" au
trumncd uuvn the liberty OF Rome. What has been
NAV o.. analn BOW before the President and saic'ion
the power which ne has claned' ana ere 1ohs yuu r
YOU will ste second Cirsar rising up " i
the Constitution OF our Government, ""o ues'''1"s "
| liberties Of The people, a., c,a
What was the purport Of the resolution OF Tue Scna'e
WHICH is now sought 20 be expungcd: IL uccaIca t"t
the President in removing tie dcposcs from Inc Dai:h
,f ,h. Limited States assumed upon himself authority
not conferred b. the Constitution ana Laws ou' !" ugly
CATION of both II he had succeeded IN establishing !c
facts which lie had attempted The resolution was hue III
principle and in TACT. and the argument lshl wei sup
here For said he have attempted ~ prove That Tie
President did the dcpositcs and that lie Ola So
without Authority vi law
The gentleman from, Goocland, MIR. WATKINS, ad'
:nlrd us Mr. +. supposed for the sake oil !lustFal|"'
that the President du wrong IN removing tne L'
pus!trs, still the Senate did wrong III Puh''s ~ Hrn
lion oil crnsnrc i'"n' S'r' mas IT. '" me w.rnng
We to he told that the Pre- sidcnts acts, However wrong,
are not TO bc ceIisurcdbat he Hay coi!iit Whatever
ualycrsaun in office he phases ana The Scnat t. shaii
not eiroach hiHi: But let US hear the gentleman
-csuis lie sa VS. that the Senate charged Tic PRESIDENT
with an iilurac!aLr uirncr-that they aic made the
rrrs of mpcachurnts against Executive ot!cr;s' anu
that until the President lpcaced by lie House ol
! Representatives, they should have preserved Fro
found silence upon The SUBJECT ol ls acts lie urh!to,
he sad, the pusilion in tUt1 lie denied that the
President charged with an mprachaJir offence -
WHAT said he, amounts to all InIi-cldOc "riice:r-
| Docs Involuntary error: lie appchrndrd h't' we
must look al Tile gHO aHtMJ. Is i corrupt P"rP'st
ascr.ivd To tky Ircsdcnt Look at the resolution, and
YOU will that the Senate SIMPLY expressed al abstract
option upon Of c PRESIDENT. aIruIing thai t',
IN his late Executive proceedings III relation 10 c re-
noval Of the drIoSltcs from the Bank OF the United
states, assumed upon h:usei powers not conferred by
tie Constitution and laws, but III derngdtIon OF both
Gentlemen must that the Scna!c aScrbc to The Ere
not ull.c that Inc cur:uplly knowing y violated the
laws but simply that his conduct was III" authorised y
law MAY the President any other officer
else powers conferred by the Constitution and laws,
without being a,ncuabc 10 impeachment or criminal
| proscc utun We have. said he own State,
grades Of courts, from the lowest o which AL appeal
NAY IL taken the hic hest. may he Instituted
in the County Court may be there tried anu erroneous.
~ determined. An appeal may be taken to the Circuit Su-
prri"r Court and the Judgment corrected The
ascend still further to the Court OF Appeals the tribunal
Of last aud there bul ud gmcnls may br reversed
Tor error. Nothing, indeed is cuniIun III our
country But he conceived that the idea had
tered any man head that for thus committed, the
Justices and Judges could be npcac'rd or successfully
prosecuted. 50 scc!cd to hun the PRESIDENT mTlt
nave acted taking the resolution of the Senate as HE
only evidence al He acted without authority
Of law but may he not have mistaken his powers: Are
necessarily forced infer corrupt crninalty from
the fact of error: lflIe President believed that he
acting in the discharge OF his legitimate duty, however
mistaken lle may have bccn there is there can be-
law ITO authority by which he could be held crimlnay
auirnahlc The gentleman from Gpuchland Mr.. W.
argued the question though he WAS determined 10 in
Ter crimnality from the Presidents conduct This he
may do this any gentleman whr leases may do; but in
dng they must ai!ud" to iuclS not charged in tic re-
solution OF tn" Senac.
Mr. L. SAID M could refer gentlemen to an authority,
as he thought, bearing directly on The p"IHt i"
which i,i s"ir fcasoS W"uio pe nc sup
posed, tcard with great respect by them. 1t is true.
the authority came from the Senate Of the United States,
from that body which bad been eIuphalIcally pro-
bounced corrupt ana ldcllOus, put IL Hdiptcu u uc
case which met the unanimous appreciation OF the 81.
nate Mr.. Benton himself, the author ana advocate Of
the rxpun.ng prucrss voting tor 1t; 50 that Inc pre-
suucd from this fact, il FROM other gentlemen would
DC disposed the authority with great respect.
lie alluded to the resolution adopted by The Senate III
laon TO the conduct OF the late Postmaster General,
Mai Barry. Gentlemen will admit that The Posias.
ter is an Executive officer, and SUCH iiab! 10 e ni
rcaclcd for mavcrsatcn Office. The resolution Is
these words "EcsOred That it is proved and artird,
that large otmUncy have been borrowed at different
banks BY the Postmaster General in order t" make up
the deficiency in the OF carrying the business OF
the F. D Department without authority given by any
law of Congress; and that Congress alone possesses
the power to borrow money The credit of the Untd
States, all such contracts fer loans by the Postmaster
General, arc illegal and void. Upon the passage "i
this resolution, the and taken and result
ed: Ayes A. Noes The famous cApungImg SrIa.
tor from Missouri having his standing at the lead
of the list here scented hr authority directly in point.
The Postmaster General Executive officer, liable
to be mracit!. and for whose conduct tic President
says he is himself !abie charged with having borrowed
money the credit of the u. ). without any authority
of law and gentlemen do not utter word OF
plant against it. They cstnppcd from complaining
of it, from the fact that their great leader Toinas II.
Benton gave it the sancon Of his VOTE Where, sir, is
the difference between The principles contained in
the two resulu,ions3 The charges the President
with having acted without authority Of the Cpnslilu
tl"n or laws, and IN Gcrogatun Of BOTH and the other
charges that tc p"snaslcr General inrr"wrd money
the faith OF the Nation, without authority of law
Both resolutions argc in principle precisely the
thing, and II one impeachment: the other
also
But let examine this subject lit!lc further
The Senators bound To to preserve silence relation
the conduct OF tie President: II seems to be admitted
by gentlemen, that il the Presidents acts arc no, I'M
ptachablc the Senate may speak OF ticrl but if they
be, the Senate must observe profound silence. The
argument consequently results III this, that the Senators
must ascertain in their minds, whether the ircs
dcnts imp,achablc fthcy be impcach
able, they must br silent but ii his be- not they NAV
speak OF them freely They may make up their minds
III both cases, npoa The guilt innocence Of the Pres
don't In The lhrY surak. but LII lie nil,r