Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1860-06-28

III - +
ub;cb the legislative assemblies Of monarch
zeal. and even semi-despotic Governments
have not hesita!ed to exercise ii reference 10
TO their highest executive funtionarles. ANA
in this free Government OF ours. character
ling featur re Of which is the strict accouhta-
bility to the people 10 which pubic oncers
are Intended TO be held. shall this power IN
ms. thoiF immediate representatives,, be ques-
| toned?
i Inc Secrcfary of the Navy-a Secretary
at the head of a Department ''from all the
avenues of which, according to high Demo
cratic authority. proceeds an insuherabie
| stench''-a Secretary at the head OF 4 De
partment in which it is conceded, by men oil
| all parties upon the floor. there Is the great
| est misruIe and corrup;ion-that Secretary
| orayely announced TO bis House, in COM
! muIfcat;on To the chairman OF one of its
| committees, that if you. attempt TO exercise
| this pou1r, by an expression of your disap-
probation. you infringe upon the high pre-
| ropatir,. OF the executive department OF the
/ Government!
| MIR. Speaker, we are called upon to vote
| millions of dollars each session OF Congress
| to be expended in this Department; and when
| we have examined into the manner OF It's eX-
penditure and would express an opinion 10
the country as TO whether it was done proper
| ly or not. we are met by protest from the
| Secretary, denying to Us the power, and read
| ing TO US a lecture for an attenp at its usur-
| nation. and impertinenuy reminding MS of
/ orr oatiYs OF office, which he would intimate
wa are in danger of violating. That we
have power to impeach him. the honorable
| Secretary garciOusly informs as; but assumes
/ We have no such intention. HIS assumption
| is without authority. We determine our own
| action without consulting the Secretary;
| choosing our own mode of procedure. feeling
| assured. If we have the power to impeach and
| mt upon trial. We possess the lesser power
| to censure Sir. does not the same power
| which authorizes me, as an individual mem
| her of this body, to express my opinion,
| whether of censure or commentator, o. 'he
| Secretary. enable the members OF The House
! to record fhier united Judgment upon ms
| acts9 Does not the argument which denies
| The mower 10 the House, seal my lips and
| render auy declaration of opinion oh my
| mar. AZ n Representative, an infraction OF the
| Secretary's high prerogativrs: How long
| will il lie. sir, before We will be receiving
| from the hands of Departments communlca-
| lions iHstructng us as 10 the eXieat they
| will permit It's 10 speak OF their pubic acts
and warning US, upon The penalty Oi the'r
| displcasure, against transcehdihS tue iilii'S
| they may assign to Us!
| 7 dnsir, 70 refer to the authority cited by
| the honorable gentleman from Virginia Mr.
| Roccck1 in support of the position oil the
| Secretarv-ihe protest message which Gen
Jackson addressed to the Senate OF the Uni
| ted States in the year 1884, when certain
| resolutions were passed by that body reflect
| ing upon his conduct. Now, sir, submit 10
| that gentleman that be has miscOnceived the
| position assumed by President JACKSON III
| that message. l have sent for 1t, and have
II before me, and so far from denying this
mower to this House, he conceded it. He
says:
His conduct 1.-THE President'sl may come
under review in either branch OF the Legs
lature :: and $50 far as the executive or
legislative proceedings of these bodies may
req uirc it, il may bc examined by them.
Yet. as in the event of an impeachment,
the members of the Senate were to constr
tute his Judges, he objected TO prtJudS-
meut of the case by their adoption OF reso-
luton OF censure, declaring that 1.-THE Con-
stitution made the House Of Representatives. the
exclusive Judges, in the first instance, OF
the question whether the President lad
committed an Improbable ottense." SO
much, Mr. Speaker, for this, the only au-
thority relied on by the gentleman.
Not 10 prolong this argument. which in
tended to Lave passed over more briefly
when | rose. will suggest 10 the gentle
man that '.the three great men '-CIay,
Calhoun and Webster-were all decided 10
q
also the Senate, possessed the power III
question That slch was their belief they
evidenced to the country in the most solemn
manner, by unte.l vote in The Senate on
the 2S;h March, 1884. These men thought
we had the power. General jackson con-
ceded it. L am ready to exercise it. II in
error my responsibility is 10 my consutu-
en 5. / owe it TO them to perform fcarlcssly
the duties they commissioned me to dis
these duties, l recognize that of detecting
and exposing to the country the frauds and
the coiruptions Of those in power. No pro-
tsst from the Secretary SiGU deer me.
The real question b. tore Us is, have the
Prcsid ent and Secretary done wrong; and if
So should We not say by the adoption OF
tn. Sc resolutions! Would their adoption do
injustice to these officials? If so, we should,
as honorable men, stop right here. l would
scOrn myself, and feel that l was unworthy
the association OF gentlemen, if L were capa-
bic, through party prejudices, of doing any
man Injustice, whether he be the President or
his lowest mental. ! would no less deSplse
myself il [ should shrink from the perform
ance of a duty owe to those whom / repre-
sent. because it involved an exposure aud
condemnation of the President aud Cabinet
officer. | say to honorable gentlemtn of all
parties, '.Yuu have to vote on these resolu
&c f. ON The Hall; you have TO vote 'ay' or
.no;' and it is due TO yourselves and due TO
the officials Involved, that you should COM
prehend the facts on which you are called 10
pass" Are the allegations in the resolu-
tons true or false:
| announced the other day, to the honOra-
BILE and distinguished gentleman from fIr-
ginia, that was perfectly willing, a any ar
o m nt we might have upon these resolutions,
T. fIaT farfH LgS
O,rn report, to sustain every position | should
assume. This is certainly as much as he and
his party friends could ask. The statements
OF facts are much fuller in my own report;
STILL thatthere may be no ground for COM
plaint, shall not refer TO it, but coDtine
myself 10 that Of the gentleman from fir-
ginia; and, in view of the facts set forth in
that report. l challenge him to vote against
these resolutions.
The fact charged in the first resolution is,
''that the Secretary Of the Navy, with the
sanction of the President, abused his discrc-
tiunary power in the selection of coal agent,
and in the purchase of fuel for the Govern
ment." The law under which this agency is
created requires the Secretary of the Navy 10
make the appointment. 1t gives no such
power TO the President. Who made the ap-
poin tmeEt of Dir. Hunter? The President of
the United States made it-and why? Be-
cause, as the Secretary of the Navy said, it
was Pennsylvania appointment. and because
DR.. Hunter was recommended as "a sound.
active, and influential Democrat The Sec
rotary of the Navy, not so jealous as now of
his prero2atives, surrendered his power of
appointment into the hands of the President
in order that lie might reward political par
tisan Is that, or is it not, an abuse of dis
erection? | submit that it is. And who was
DIR. Hunter, the man thus appointed? The
gentleman from Virginia said that there was,
in the hands of the Secretary of the Navy
aud OF the President, evidence that this man
Hunter was "eminently qualified for The po-
sition'; He is mistaken. There was no such
evidence before the President, There was a
certificate containing this phraseolOgy have
o.,,oFad Savinu no WAS eOmDetanf