The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1839-01-22


what each House. for itself alone by the Constitu-
tion has power 10 determine-Rs proeeeding Jv pAitA
arrired al those results. That the President did
not look 10 The resolution alone but its morey and
It's adrOeates and 10 their speeches the floor That
The President assumed 10 control as well as Supervise
The proceedings OF the House 4; that the House had
ordered an inquiry into the condition OF The Govern
hent that in coming 10 that order, II was commended
~ aeDate there should be specific charges on The one
hahd, and on the other, that whether the condition
~ 9 .he government was good or bad, il was simply
10y VI Representatives 10 inquire into lis condiloni
n 10 stNfateS were but trustees and SERVANTS oi ihe
pip Al all times ameaabk TO them, and that they
uiSh' De required any time TO render an account,
mimou, Deng specifically charged with fault; that
q f as ne guy Of The President by the Constitution,
i,lie 70 ume to give 20 the Congress intorma-
aO u 'ne Siasf Of the Union" and that officers were
removable from office on impeachment that the
blouse had The sole power of Impeachment which IL
eouid MOI exercise without inquiring into The con-
duct generally Of public officers II al The Congress
had power 10 dispose of and make all needful rules
and regulations respecting the territory or other pro-
perry belonging 10 the United States and il could
not protect the public lands and public money without
,RqniTiag for information necessary 10 protect them
from abuses corruption; that in reply to all these
arguments, was urged by the friends Of the adm-
nistra'ion that the resolution constituted an tHqlisi-
uoa, and violated that part of the Constitution which
pfoVideS-"the rights of the people 10 be secure in
their persons houses, papers, and effects against
reasonable searches and seizures shall not be Vio-
lated" In reply to this, il was contended that the
rtShfS mere spoken OF were rights Of the People, that
they were not the rights Of the public departments;
that the departments, the public houses papers, and
effects were not tie pirate property OF Executive
eDeers; that If this resolution Rqnisitorial the
Standing rules of the House had, from the founda-r
hon OF The Government, been Standing ngaisitions
which proved that the right OF inquiry into the con-
diion OF the Government had never before been de-
nied; that there were various preeedents for inquiry
the resolution Offered by Mr.. CoNNoR, in June,
1884, in relation TO the Posi- Office Department, was
general and sweeping, that General Jackson himself
had in his Message of 1929, recommended general
and minute inquiry into the condition of Govern
men" especially in relation 10 " frauds on The Trea-
suryj and upon this discussion the House rejected an
amendment requiring specific charges, and thereby
declared that such should MT be required before
general and minute inquiry" The President said,
in his letter, in direct contradiction, that he wou
pei all inquiry he would the establishment Of a
Spanish inquiSition, unless specific charges were
made. The House declared that member should
net be required 10 prefer accusation befo1 inquiry
The President declared he 60uid be so required;
and if he did moi prefer and prove his charges, he
denounced him and his associates as authors OF I'M
founded calumnies. The House declared inquiry
should net be perverted into Impeachment The Pre-
S'dent declared the House should inquire NJ less
u did 1mpeach. The House declared the committee
u DC necessary and proper, by constituting it, The
pleSaeht deh' unced u as unnecessary and improper
The House resolved the committee aoutd have pow
er to send for persons and papers. The President
declared that the heads of Departments should de-
vote hemselveSto their public business in preference
10 any calls for information, which he was pleased
10 denounce as Hegal and unconstitutional.
But he not only supervised and controlled the pro-
ceedlngS OF The House, he supervised and controlled
The proceedings Of its committee. He was informed
by one OF It's members that its first proceeding was
TO pass series OF reSoluionS that they intro
dHeed by the chairman, and that they were amended
In particular manner on their passage. II was
believed that system Of espionage was in terrible OPP
Grafton In this metropolis, and began 10 be felt
lhroushol every precinct OF power in the land but it
was not imagined that member of Congress on a
committee would degrade himself to the level of an
,afotmer and regularly report its proceedings 10 the
President, without license to do SO. That the Pre-
Siden controlled the proceedings Of the committee
by the bold request, amounting TO an ordeT to the
committee TO examine upon oath such gentlemen as had
charged corruption and abuses against the heads Of
Executive Departments; that the President did in
quire about The acts Of the committee, was informed
by member of the committee concerning its pro-
ceedings, did indicate tohat member, in converSa-
ton, and afterwards the committee itself in writing,
his desire that il should call upon members OF Con.
gress to testify 10 the truth Of their speeches on the
floor of either Holse in debate; that the member
and the committee obeyed his desire and request,
and did cause members obnoxious TO Executive dis
pleasure TO be summoned 10 testify in manner as
the President had indicated in conversation and in
his letter; that he thus repeltsd inquiry from the Ex
ecutive, and turned an inquiatton upon the two
Houses Of Congress, making the committee what he
denounced it 10 be, and invaded their privileges and
violated the Constitution bghoiding members directly
accountable to him for words spoken IN debate-holding
them accountable in the most odious and insulting
manner, by The oppressive torture OF test cath! that
the Constitution provides that for any speech
dbate IN either House, the Senators and Representa-
lives shall mel be questioned any other place.; that
yet, notwithstanding this sacred protection, the Pre-
sidentS verbal and written, his secret and open
derS summarily obeyed by instantly summon
ing hoary and honored Senators, and young and in
experienced Representatives, TO purge themselves, ON
oaM 81 thcit contempt 10 The Eaecutire! They obeyed
not the mandate of master or summons OF his
81 but of n he
show that their speeches were not the defamation
of demagogueS, not Fad caplandum harangues, not
merely "spargere woes, TO excite false alarms, or
To raise SenSeleSS clamor but that they S0temnybe-
hcrcd the truths iheV had ntercd and ready TO
seal that belief with their oat1sl That II they had
spread before them the whole catalogue OF Executive
offences against law, liberty, right reason, justice
truth, principles, precedent, the Constitution andth
country, they would scarcely expect 10 find one Of
fence more ruthless than this official act of the Pre-
sident characterized, as il was, by the worst princ
pies, preludiceS, and passions, in violation oil his
duty and injurious TO private rights and the public
institutions! The House, the Congress, the nation
shonld rebuke this act with patriotic indignation
with the indignation Of reemen OF jealous lovers OF
liberty and of the law by which il secured that
they should defy it they would treason and tyran-
ny that if this Executive act and its prelensions
should be sustained and go unrebuked-ii 1t should
be settled that there should be no inquiry into the
condition Of Government without specific charges
against its ofhcers-hal inquiry was trial and in
quisition-that public officers were to be 10 secure
in their departments, and the houses, papers, and
effects belonging 10 the people, private persons in
private righs-lha public servants were as free as
their masters, the p ople, from all scruny-that
they were not subject neither indeed could be, to
reasonable accountabilily-that they must be I'M
reached before they could be called on to report to
the people-that select committees should moi De ap-
poinled to ascertain abuses-,hat agents snknownto
the law might be projected for that very reason from
all search into their conductthat ere should be no
general and minute nvestigation-that there was no
Ia. tha 1IntlSn
tiyes to inquire into The conduct Of Executive Off
cers-,hat there should be inquiry tending 10 i'm
pugn the veraciy and integrity OF The President
thai inquiries should tend 10 render odious those who
-. LIZ H. iInnI Iniu