The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1860-06-16

to his respectfully. full account OF the deve-
lopemcnts made in court in reference to his pre-
vious history will be found elsewhere. Amelia
Morell, notorious shoplifter, was also sentenced
70 imprisonment in the Same institution for Eve
years.
The Vote OF CeHsuTs ON the Prssident.
The course of the House of Representatives
In passing vote Of oensure on the President
| IL one which must awaken the attention Of
eveD right thinking man to the dangerous and
destructive vortex into which the black repub.
iican party Is endeavoring to carry the coun-
try.
1t IA not necessary for ~ to enter upon an
elaborate discussion of the question, whsthsr,
not the House alone, but even Congress ITSELF
has the constitutional right to pass vote Of
censure on coeqnal branch Of the govern
ment. The constitution provides for impeach-
meDt of the President, Vice President and civil
officers Of the United States; and directs the
mode In which that shall be conducted; but 1t
is the theory of our political system that the
executive, legislative and judiciary powers
Of the government are coordinate, and
nowhere do We find ground for
the theory that any one Of them
possesses supervision over the conduct of the
others. In their equality; such an idea, if 1t
could exist, would lead to the most prejudi-
cisl consequences. If the House can censure
the President, the President can censure the
Honse, or the Senate, or the judiciary, or
either can censure any or all Of the others.
Suppose this practice were to creep into the
customary action Of these several bodies,
what confusion. what petty wrangling, what
constant mutual denigrAtion and degradation
of all the branches of the government should
we lot witness under the stimulus of the bane-
fui spirit of party.
The claim that 1t Is one Of the prerogatives
of the House, in defence Of which presidents
utterly fxllscious. There Ia no identity what
ever m tnc cusa~~sS.
one exists by virtue of certain defined powers,
formally delegated by the people of the United
Ststes The other is q body that has grown up
in the once absolutist political system of En-
gland, where It has, from time to time. and
awaiting itself of favorable circumstances,
u.urped powers formerly exercised by the
crown. These usurpstions II hes made In the
name Of the people, and every one was bold,
startling, and sometimes revolutionary innova-
ton, which by repetition was converted into
precedent, and thence has come to be held as
part Of the unwritten constitution Of that
realm. But here we have no crown from
which powers can be despoiled In behalf Of the
people. II IL the people that possess oil rights,
. portion Of which, for the necessary pur-
poses Of government they have vested In the
several branches Of the government When
any one of these branches assumes powers with
which II has not been formally invested, 1t
despoils the people, and takes Q step towards
the eesab,ishmsnt of tyranny. II the House
can create power by establishing precedenh,
1t can 20 on building until 1t yields all the
powers Of the State. To morrow 1t may CEN
cure the Senate or the Supreme Court Gen.
sure iuplies the power Of reproof, reprmand,
and this implies subordinstion, which does not
exist among coordinates.
But In the present instance there d some
thing equally grave with the usurpstion of
power, and which should cause every right
minded citizen to pause before lending his ap-
prevail to the course which has been pursued
nv the House of Representatives In passing
INV. vote Of esnsure upon the President 1t 10
asruue ed that corruption has crept Into the sd-
inauguration of government An accidental
and fsc,ious party majority In the House, insd-
gated by partisan motives, seizes upon this as
sumption, and appoints committee Of invest.
CATION into the conduct Of the President
Men ~bo have for years been stepped In COR
rpp,iop, under the administrations Of the feeble
Fillmore and poor Pierce, and who are
animated by personal motives, because they
were driven By the President from their
spoils, are brought forward to testify In secret
against the first magistrate Of the country.
On this exparte testimony the Houss proceeds
to psse Judgment, not on one Of ie own mem.
bers. not on one Of the subordinate officers Of
any other branch Of the government but on
one Of Its Co ordinate branches, and the repre-
sentative head Of the republic.
Setting ASIDE the fact that the House OF Rep
resentstives IL only component part Of the
Legislative body, which is coequal with the
President, the act In iteelf ID one Of grave i'm.
port Criminals are punished by statute with
penalties that psrsake largely Of physical
harscser; but TO the man Of honor and integri-
". public cepsurc IL punishment Of the severest
/ kind, Is imposition Is judicial act, and the
srerieved party hes no resource for redress
but In the unuttered and unutserable judg-
mens Of the people. lit IL imposed lightly
without due consideration, or from base and
unworthy motives, II reacts upon the body thai
impose. II, and diminishes Its public considera
ton and moral power. And here Is where We
take exception at the recent act Of the House