The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1866-10-16
SPEECHES OF GEN. B. r. BUTLER
= he. Depezopes the Radical Plan.

| He: Deuelopes the Rddicdk Plan.
/ CINcINNATI, Oct. 7.-Butler addressed an
Immense audience at Xenia, Dayton and Spring
field on Friday, and ct Hamilton and Cinein
b, natl Yesterday. General Butler advocated the
impeachment of the President, because he sough,
! to bring Congress into public hatred. ridicule
! and contempt Lecause he had corruptly used
the power Of removal and appointments be
! cause be had neglected to execute those laws OF
Congress which were passed over his veto and
other laws because he had defed the eonstitu
! tional right Of the Senate to confirm appoint,
ments by placing in power officers whom it had
rejected because he had corruptly used the
pardoning power and unlaSfully restored pro
prerty belonging by right of capture to the
United States, and because he usurped the power
OF Congress by terminating the war by procla
nations instead of by treaty by the advice of the
Senate or law of Congress. Each of these of:
fences are high crimes and nisdemeanors in the
meaning of the Constitution.
The speech concluded as follows:
awe have been asked the question, How can
the President be impeached? He is Commau
der-in Chief of the army and navy, and the Con
stituton of the United States says nothing
whatever about who shall hold the Office while
he is being impeached. Therefore, if you begin
:"
navy to disperse Congress, and be gill seize the
reins of government. Where is the remedy !
Here it is The House Of Representatives,,
under the Constitution, is the grand inquest of
the nation-perhaps | might say, for illustra-
lion, the Grand Jury of the nation. L prepares
| the bill of impeachment against the President II
it sees cause, and it presents the bill OF mpeaeh-
ment to the Senate of the United States, which
then becomes high court of impeachment, and
the Chief Justice Of the United States sits In
that court its presiding officer. 1t Is thus no
longer, for that purpose, the Senate OF the Uni
ted States, but it is the court OF Impeachment of
the United States. What shall they do When
the impeachme is ready the Senate sends out
its messenger or sergeant-atarms TO bring IN
the criminal, be he high or low. applause.
They set him at the bar aud read the bill to
him. If he plead guilty, then they proceed to
sentence him, which sentence is a deposition
and deprivation Of office. When he is brought
before the bar the Senate of the United States
may order him to be imprisoned, or to find bail,
or any other proper order that court may adopt
in a criminal case, and when the Constitution
provided this mode of trial, did its trainers mean
that man who is before the Court Of Iupeach-
ment as crimioal shall be at the same time
chief executive officer Of the government? BY
no means. From that moment he ceases to be
able to exercise the duties of that Office until he
is acquitted. Aud then comes the of the
inability of the President of the United States
to exercise the Office Of President, so the Vice.
President must take the office, and there being
no Vice President, it must devolve on the Pres
ident Of the Senate for the time being. Cap
plause } If in any Of these steps, so taken, &C
cording to the Constitution, the President does
not obey good citizen the behests OF the
High Court of Impeachment, then that court
like any other court in the land, can call upon
the whole body of the people to aid it in en-.
forcing its rightfu authority (Applause.) And
now | serve a notice on Andy johnson that
when rightful court of the Senate Of the I'm
tied States calls for aid in their behalf, on the
people of the United States, "the boys in blue
will answer. We are told that if Congress shall
proceed to exercise their rightful authority
then there will be tried the strength of the gov
ernment, that the President will call upon the
army and navy, and the army and navy will
obey him. Let there be no fear about that be
cause the army and the navy of the United
States are not those few men that are in the
regular service. lApplause.) l have no desire
to disparage either the patriotism or the integ
rity of the army of the United States, but if the
army, as such, or if any portion of it, or of any
officer OF it, shall so far forget the duties he
owes to his flag and to his profession a soldier
as to answer any but the legal call of his coun-
try, that small body of men shall be swept from
the face of the earth as cabinet is swept away
before the rising of the morning sum-" (pro
longed cbeers)
At Hamilton, Butler, in reply to charge that
he was responsible for stopping the exchange
Of prisoners, gave bis history of the transaction
and stated that he stopped the exchange under
the express written order Of the Lieutenant
General