Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, IA [i.e. Ind.]) 1839-1854, 1842-09-10

perfect faith her Justice, and relying on the pu
rty OF my motives, and the feCttQde OF my con
duct, should haY looked forward with confidence
to a triumphant rsfutatIon IN the presence Of tia
/ country, and by the solemn judgment of such
! tribunal not Only Of whatever charges nigh
| have been formally preferred against me- but o
! all the caumnes of which | have hitherto beer
! the unresisiing victim. As it is, have been ae
cused without evidence, and condemned withou
a hearing AS far such proceedings can &C
compsh it, am deprived Of public confidence IL
( the administration OF the government, and DEM
ed even the boast OF n good name-a name trans
mItted to me from patriot father, priced as my
/ proudest Inheritance, and carefully preserved 70
those who TO come after me, the most pre-
cious Of all earthly possessions. am not on J
subj cted TO ImputatIons affecting my character
as an individual, but am charged with violating
pledges which | never gave; aud because | exc
cute VIVA, believe to te tho law with usurplns
powers not conferred by law; md above all, wit!
using the powers conferred upon The President by
the constitution, from corrupt motives and uuwar
raniuble ends. And these charges made with
ont any particle Of evidence 10 sustain them, and
. as soemnly affirm, without any foundation II
truth.
Why is n proceeding Of this sort adopted a
this llmel Is the occasion for IL found IN tn,
fact, that having been elected to ne second Office
undcr tho Constitution by the free and voluntary
saGrages Of the People, | have succo oded to the
first, accord.ng 10 the express provisions Of the
fundamental law Of the same People? Is ii true
that the succession of the Vice President to the
Chlct MagJsfracy has never occurred before, aad
that ali prudent and patriotic minds havo loohoa
on this new trial Of tho wisdom and stability o
our institutions with somewhat anxious concern
have been made to feel too scnsIoly the Difficult,
ties Of my unprecedented position, rot to know al
that - intended TO DO conveyed IN the Teproacf
east upon n President without n party. But
rl .paI
ton ny no usurpatlon or contrIvanco Of my own.
| was called to it, under Providence. by the 81.
premo law Of the land, and the deliberately de
cIared will Of tho People. Il is by these, the
People, that have been clothed with The high
powers which they have seen fit to contiIa 10 their
Chief Executive, and been charged with the s1i>
emn responsibility under which those powers are
TO be exercised. 1t is to them hold myself an.
swcrable as moral agent, for FREQ and conscl-
enti0us discharge of the duties which they have
imposed upon me. 1t Is not individual
merely that ! am now called upon to resist tho
eucroachment of un constitutional power. !repre-
sent the executive authority of the people of the
U0Ited States; and ii Is their name, whose nero
agent and servant am, and whose will declared
it their fundamental law, dare not, even were
inclined to disobey, that protest against every
attempt to break down the undoubted constItu-
tIonal power OF this department without solemn
amcndnen, of that fund.- mental law.
am determined to uphold the Constitution in
this, IN other respects, to tho utmost of my
ability, and in detlince of all personal conse~
quCnce. What NAV happen to individual is
Of lttlo importance; but tho Constitution of the
country, any Of its great and clear prime pies
and provisions, is too sacred to be surrendered,
under any circumstances whatever. by those who
charged with protection and defence.
Least of all should he be held guiltless who plac-
ed the head of one Of the great departments
of the Government, should shrink from tho exer~
else OF It's unquestIonabe authority on the most
importan, occasions and should consent, without
q struggle, to etface al! the barriers carefully
created By the people TO control and cIrcumscribe
the powers coufiled to their various agents. 1t
NAV be desirable, as the majority OF the House
of Representatives has declared ii is thai no such
checks upon tho will OF the Legislature should
be suffered to contiude. This is matter for the
people and States TO dscide; but until they shall
have decided it, shall feel myself bound to
cute. without fear or favor the law, il has been
written by our predecessors.
protest against this whole proceeding of the
House OF Representatives,, plrtc and extra
judicial protest against II, as subverslve Of
tho common right Of all citizens to be condemned
only upon fair and impartial trial according to
law andevidence before the country. protaS;
agans, 1t, des tructive of all the comfy OF in
tercourse between the Departments of this Gov
eminent, and destined sooner o. later, to lead 10
conflicts fatal to the peace Of the country and
the integrity Of the Constitution | protest a
ganst i, in the name Of that Constitution, which
is not only my shield of protection and de-
fence, but that of every American citizen |
protest against it, in the name of the People, BY
whose will | stand where do, aud BY whose
authority | exercised the power which | SIN char
ged with having usurped, and TO whom am res
ponslble for firm and faithful discharge, accor-
ding TO my own conviction of duty. of the high
stewardship contijed to me by them. protest
against il, III the name of all regulated liberty,
md all limited government. as proceeding ten
ling 20 the utter destruction of the check aud
balances OF the constitution, an the accommodating
n the hands of The House of Representatives.
Or bare ma ority of Congress for the tins being,
IN uncontrolled ana despotic power. And res
oectfully ask, that this, my Protest, NAV be en-
tered upon the journal of tho House Of Repre-.
'entnuve., rs a solemn and formal declaration for