Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1860-04-05

DeDnsA Up0s she Maaifesto o.
King James the First.
Upon the reading of Mr.. Buchanan
special message to ths House, the follow
ing debate occurred:
Mr.. Sherman Of Ohio, ssid the Presiden
had made an issue with the House for th
first time, on the point Of ia constitutions
powers. Hewas wiIling that the Hous
should proceed to consider The subject
If the pirlses elsined xn trus. it extend
de to every subordinate asyvel as th
President. he constitution IN provided lha
sey evil officer nigh, be impeaehed, an,
'tbe House had the sole power Of crdetin.
m impeachment--Hence it possessed th'
right 20 investigate anything. How coult
.they found an impeachment except by Ia
king preliminary evidence? Should suchi
processing be found on mere idle rumors
SclearIy not. When We see The President
implicated in grave and serious transac
lions. We have a right, In tbs House, to In
souife info the truth of those things; and
If wesfind them true, IL is our duty to i'm
peach the 1PFesilem and send fthe accusa-
tion to the Senate, and not without. We
-ssxamiae into the condition of cur own
members, and senators, and everybody else,
and shall the President escape? Why,
Mr. Speaker, at the last session, and indeed
az almost every session, the conduct OF
some Executive officer has been inquired
into. What distinction is there between
the President and any member of this
House? tDosnotI stand, as 10 my consti-
tutional right as the representative Of one
hundred thousand people, as high as The
President. l have the same Constitutional
right, no more and no less.s And SO Of
hsyery yofficer of this government. There is
no exception made in favor of the Pres
.sident. Why, Sir, this doctfine set up by
the Presidents the same doctrine under
which Europe has been governed for q
thousand years-the doctrine that "the
King can do wrong" That is the mot
10; the King cannot be executed Charles
/. went 10 the block because the people
believed he was not above all laws, and so
Louis XVI. was also executed. Why, Mr..
Speaker the doctrines set up by the Pres
ident of tine United States 10 this message
are the very worst in my Judgment, ever
sctup since the foundation of the govern
ment. '-e
Mr.. Craige, of North Carolina, thought
the gentlemen's argument most extraordi-
nary. 4--l .-
- The President does not deny the power
of the House. to inquire into his conduct,
aud therefore the argumnet falls to the
ground. 1t is only as to mode. He ad
7 miisthe House has righ, to impeach, but
he denies the justice of placing his accu
sers on the committee TO make the char
ges, or institute the proceedings. There
is no Issue, therefore, between the Pres
ident and The gentlemen at all, except in
his Imagination. There is nc charge
against the President, and l cannot sit
here quietly and permit these allegations
to 60 out uncobtiadicted by this side of
the. House. Mr.. Calaige favored tho ref
erence Of the subject 10 the Judiciary Com
slmitee. 49, .s-sls1 --''- ares -s-z-i 81
-.- Mr.. Sherman thought that was the bust
ness of. the House, not of the President.
Il had power 10 refer to any committee it
saw fit 10 appoint. As the President has
entered his protest, am willing this House
shall accept the issue. | am wiling to in
squire into the power Of this Hous, TO in
vestigate. Therefore l submit the motion
that this communication be refer,d to the
Committee on Judiciary, with power 10 re-
port at any time, by bill or otherwise.
Mr.. Bocock, of Nirginia-Inasmuch as
wastlie member of this House who asked
that that message be taken up, the usual
parliamentary courtesy would have extend
cd 10 me the privilege of the floor to make
the motion upon il.
The gentlemen from Ohio has mistake
the ground upon which the President bases
his protest. The President of the United
States does not object to our inquiries
against him with a view to impeachment.
He asks-only tha. we would treat him as
swetreat. any citizen-the humblest, in the
land. Let ne'ask yoa, let me ask the
gentleman from Ohio, and every fir aud
imbarIial man in this House, if you desir-
ed 10 found a criminal, allegation, against
the ,humblest. man, would You allow a
sweeping and raking inquirya Now, Sir,
if the gentleman from Pennsylvania had
come forward and said he had reason to
believe that the President of the United
States had been engaged in updettakiug
by corroupt means to force any particular
act through the Congress of the United
States; if any particular form Of that kind
had been given to his accusation, i should
havebeen the last man on this floor to vote
against such an investigation. In ordina-
ry cases you cannot commence proceedings
against any man except on the declaration
or oath of some man, that he has reason
-tobelieve that the person charged hasbeen
guilty Of wrong in the particular named.
II he knows of any express criminal act
he can depose 10 it upon oath, and upon
that a bill may be found against persons
charged. But / say to the gentleman
from Pennsylvania, P that you cannot before
aGrand Jury of Pennsylvania, or of any
other civilized land, call up witness and
ask him whether he knows of any wrong
done by any particular individual. You
must direct bis attention to some specific
case before you can force the witnesses to
testify. Now, sir, this being the fact of
the case, then VIC must remember that the
President, as a coordinate branch of this