Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1866-04-26
It's body, to participate 'iu the legislation Of

It's body, to participate in the legislation Of
the country, who was not qualified and fit
to sitin that body aud pafticipste in its
proceedings? They have the power, not
the two Houses, but each House for itself
The Constitution further declares that no
State shall be deprived of its equal sdf-
frage in the Senate Of the United States
without its consent Then where do We
stand?, All that is needed to finish this
great work of restoration is for the two Hous.
es respectively to determine the question.
Oh but some. one. will say ia traitor may
come in" The answer to thuti is that each
House must be the judge, and if traitor
presents himself, cannot either House know
that he is a,traitor? EApplasse.] And if
be is traitor can they hot kick him out Of
the door, and send him back saying to the
people whe sent him, "You must send US
a loyal man. 1Cheers, and a voice:
"That's logic 'Is there any difficulty
about thas-s"s [ssNo, no." and ci1eerss] If
a traitor presents himself to either H House,,
oannet that House say to him, ono, you
cannot be admitted into this body. &c
back. Wewill not deny your people the
right of representation, but they must send
a loyal representative" [Oheers: ] And
when the States do send loyal representa-
tiyes, can you find any better evidence of
their fidelity to the Constitution and the
laws? There is no one learned in the Con.
stitution and the laws who will say that if
3 traitor happens to get into Congress that
body cannot expel. him after be gets in
That makes assurance doubiy sure, and
conforms the action of the Government to
the Constitution of our fathers. Hence,
say, let US stand BY that Constitution, and,
in standing BY it, the covenant viii be pre-
served
While | have been oontending against
traitors, and treason and secession, and the
dissolution of the Union, l have been con.
tending at the same time against the. con.
solidation of power here Cries of good
I think the consolidation of power here is
equally. dangerous with the separation of
the States. [Cheers.] The one. would
totter us and might run ints anarchy, while
the other would concentrate and eventuate
in monarchy. [Cheers and cries of "can't
do h."] OBJ. but, there is an idea abroad
that one man can be a despot that one man
can be usurper; but that hundred or
two hundred mea oanuot, Mr. Jefferson, the
apostle of liberty, tells US, and so does'c
mon sense, that tyranny and despotism can
be exercised BY many, more vigorously,
more vigorously and more tyrapnicalIy than
by one. What power has your President
to be a tyrant? What can he do? What
can be originate? Why, they say he ex.
ercises the veto power. IA voice: "to put
down the niger" Laughter.] Who is
your President? rSeveral voices: candy
Johnson."] Is he not elected by the peo-
pie through the electoral colleges The
President is nothing more than the tribune
of the people. His Office is tribunal in its
character. In oldeu tunes, when trbunes
were first elected in the Roman Republic,
they stood at the door of the Roman Sen
ate, which was then encroaching on the
popular rights and putting the heel Of pow
er on the necks Of the people. The people |
chose. tribune and placed him at the door
of the Senate, so that when that body ven.
tured au oppressive act he was clothed with |
power to say "Veto-l forbid" Your
President now is the tribune OF. the people
l thank God l am, and l intend to assert |
the power which the people have placed in
me. [Cheers.] Your President, standing |
here day after day, and discharging his
duty, is like horse on treadwheel, and |
because he dares differ in opinion in regard
to public measures, he must be denounced |
as usurper and tyrant Can he origin.
ate anything under the veto power? l |
think the veto power is conservative iu its
character and affirmative, all that can be
done by the veto power is to say when leg
islation is improper, hasty, unwise, uneon,
stitutional, 'sstop action, wait till this can
be submitted to the people and let them
consider whether it is right or wroug"-
Applause That is all the,e is in it,
hence say that tyranny and power can be
exercised somewhere else than by the Fix,
ecutive. He is powerlesS. All that he can
do is to check legislation to hold i. in
state of obeyance uutil the people can con.
slider and understand what is being done.
Then what has been done? ! have doae |
what [ believed the Constitution required |
ME to do. [Applause.] have done what
| believe my duty aud conscience required
me to do. [Cheers.] So believing, in.
teud to stick to my position, relying on the
judgment, the integrity and the intelligence
of the masses of the American people, the
soldiers and sailors expressly. TCheers
Then for my life cannot see where there
is any tyranny. 1t is very easy to impugu
motives, and suspect the purest and best
acts of a mans life. If you come forward !
and propose certain thing your motives
are condemned. And if you withhold your
opinion you are regarded as being opposed
to the matter, so that it is very hard to move
one way or the other so far as certain persons
are concerned. On all questions pertaining
to the interests of the great masses of the
American people, for in them is my hope
for the salvation of the country, am with