The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1847-02-16

vason by the Senate Of the freedom of the press The
Senate will pretend that il has any right in this
which does not equally belong every other coordinate
department of this government The President has the
same right in this matter the Senate. So has the Su
preme Court. More than this The right in this
pertaining to the Senate a political body is right
shared in its whole extent by every department OF the
government OF each individual State Ii this right be-
longs to the Senate it belongs TO every legislative body
in the country and every State executive. The prece
dent set by the Senate in this matter authorizes every
such official assembage or individual to sit officially in
Judgment upon an alleged libel and TO ahx thereto, by
official action, a discretionary penalty. This must
be admitted, unless the Senate can show, under the
constitution and laws of the United States, right
to take action in alleged of libel, which right
does belong other departments of the government
But will be pretended that the President of the United
States has under the constitution, right officially to de-
clare publication Ibellous, and officially to inct upon
the responsible author of such publication such dscre-
tonary exclusion forfeiture, degradation, penalty,
as may, to his judgment seem fit Does the Senate
mean to say that in this country official station and the
press confront each other upon this fooing' Suppose
that the President should this day issue official proc
amaon, with the great seal of the United States affixed
to it, denouncing any publication against him as libel
lousdenouncng the responsible editors of the journal in
which it appeared, as hbellus, and forbiddng them
upon any pretence whatsoever to enter the executive
mansion Has the President as President any right to
issue such Presidential proclamation If he have that
right he throw at his pleasure the whole weight of
his official character and denunciaon, coordinate
branch of this government, upon any offending editor
But the President has right whatsoever to do any
official act which either TO Judge, or to punish
beer. Neither has the Senate OF the United States
Official action, looking the punishment of bels, is
equally beyond the rghtul functions either of the Exec
utive of the Senate The constitution and the laws
give such power to either of these branches of the
government For good and sufficient reasons the peo
pie OF the United States have withheld from each of the
coordinate branches of the general government the right
to judge punish libel upon themselves. The old
federalism of 1888 enacted law making such libel
upon any department of the government punishable by
due process OF law act of seiition. The people
rose in their might and trampled that law under their feet
The federalism of has leagued itself in in the
Senate with small clique of protesting democrats, to
punish an alleged libel, avithout due process oflaw
Such in the eye OF our fundamental law, and the
fest popular w-such calmly considered, is this gross
in the Senate of the United States That it has put
blot and disgrace upon the records OF that digni-
fed body, every American must reluctantly admit But
there is one consolation The record OF this partisan
vote will show to the people the men whom they may
safely with their Liberties, and the men whom
the other hand, they to look upon the enemies of
the freedom of the press and OF the citizen Let the peo
pie mark the fact The who voted for this resolu
on would upon similar principle have voted in l79s for
the old sedition law Their vote, in this has more
than reaffmed its principle Through their vote the
Senate has done Of ITSELF what the Congress of 1898 EN-.
acted TO be done through The courts Of lar The profess
ing democrats who joined in this federal vote have de-
beraey placed themselves upon of the test questions
of federalism the midst of the federal ranks They,
and their federal allies, have indeed skulked away from
the full presenment of the principle which they acted
and yet, though this outrage by the Senate upon the
PRESS frghtens the who have perpetraed it, and
peciay those among them who have heretofore kept
up the appearance of cooperation with the dem
ocratc party still. the moment of detection
and of treachery to all true democratic principles has
been skifully chosen. 1t is not often that sin
gle vote enables senator protesting TO be democrat
to strike at one blow the freedom of the press the policy
of patriotic administration, and the OF the coun
try against the public foe. The private and personal
bearing of this transaction is nothing But in its public
bearing and character is rigorous test of the position
of public men upon the great questions of the rights of
the press the obligations of partisan fea, and the de-
mands of patriotic duty the prosecution OF our war.
Henceorh the administration knows the friends OF its
policy Henceorh the country knows the friends OF its
cause
| We shall resume the ject