Delaware Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1843-1874, 1866-11-26
IMPEA CHMENT OF THE PREsIDENT

| A"o "h""ins 10 "eafeiuiy prepared synoI
sis of Gen. Buffers argument tor the impeact
ment of President Johnson.
The right of impeachment Was CAREFUL
woven into the fabric of the Constitution by II
makers. 1t WAS, therefore, not a revolution
ary but constitutional power, and not thos
who would exercise 1t but those who oppos
It, are "the revolutionists" Members of Con
gress are sworn to uphold the Constitutio
and II they believe that the President has vic
lated 1t, they ore bound by their oath of ofic
TO impeach him. They have no choice. rh
President has violated the Constitution.
l. he has endeavored by bis public speeche
| TO bring Congress, q coordinate branch of th,
Government, into public hatred, ridicule, an,
contempt by charaoterizing it as an illegal an,
unconstitutional assembly, without power o.
right, pretending to be Congress, "bod!
hangltg upon the verge OF the Government, ;
trump OF Congress-" body of disunionists
domineering, tyranical, and unconstitutiona
central directory, and patriotic members ai
traitors aud disuniouis,s, who are deserving Of
death at tho gibbet,
=. DE has sought By the most inaamatory
harangues, aud declamations against the pow
or OF Congress, to excite the people to disobey
the laws passed by it, and to resist their exc
cution.
8. BE has used the power OF pardoning of
fences against the United States, vested by th.
Constitution In the Executive, for corrupt and
wicked purposes and in an indiscriminate, IL.
legal, and unconstitutional manner. He has
thus released from the Just penalties of their
acts many notorious criminals, guilty of treas
on, murder, robbery, theft, and counterfsitinR
the currency of the United States, and this
both before and q tter trial. without due inves.
tigauon OF their offences aud Ia order to pre-
veut nnes, forfeitures, and confscstions, legally
and properly due to the United States, from
coming into the national treasury.
.. he has usurped the legislative power OF
congress BY restoring to rebels and traitors to
the Government large amounts OF property
amounting in value to many millions Of dollars,
which by capture of war and otherwise had be-.
come invested in the United States, and ought
to have gone into iis treasury. This is in direct
derogation Of the constitutional power of Con-
gress 10 make rules concerning captures on
land and water.
o. He has appointed, without warrant of
law, and against constitutional right, certain
persons as Provisional Governors over portions
OF the territory of the United States, disorgau-
lied by civil war aud rebellion, in which, as he
himself admitted, "all civil government was
overthrown," and has ordered and permitted
the salaries and emolument of these illegal ap.
pointees to be paid from the treasury Of the
United States
8. He has appointed and caused to be In
Quoted into Office many rebels, both psrdoned
and unpardoned, who as he knew at the tim 4,
were unable TO take the oath prescribed by law
that they had not been guilty of treason
without warrant of law he has caused their
salaries to be paid from the treasury Of the
United States.
4. he has asurped the Legislative powers
oonsttationallY aevoived on Congress, In pre-
scribing, by Executive order, the terms and
conditions upon which former citizens who, by
levying war and other crimes against the ma
tional authority, had forfeited all their rights
and lost all power, both as individuals and as
organized communities, to participate in the
Government OF the United States, and to be
represented in Congress-, might again be organ
lied into States of the Unien, TO frame censti-
tutions aud do other legislative acts, and final
ly become clothed with the power and rights
oil cltizens entitled to representation in the Ma
tonal senate and House of Representatives.
8. He has usurped the power of Congress 10
his proclamation OF peace. public terrific
rial war was declared to exist, by Congress aud
the President, between the United States and
the armed forces of the iusurrectionary States.
The Constitution vests in the Senate the right
TO ADVISE and TO consent to any treaty of peace.
and in the House of Representatives the pow
er TO provide for the general welfare. By his
sole proclamation, in defiance of these provis-
ioRs. the President declared the war to be end.
ed, and peace to be restored in order to relieve
thes insurgents from the disabilities and obli
cations consequent upon state of war.
9. While declaring the legal and constitu-
tional existence and right of the State of Lou.
isiana, he interfered In its domestic concerns,
and ordered the Federal army to protect It
from insurrection without the application of
the Executive and Legislature.
10. Conspiriug with certain evil disposed
persons, lately rebels, the chief Of whom John
I. Monroe, he pardoned in order to enable him
10 hold Office, the President aided and abetted
them in the murder of loyal and we'll disposed
citizens of New Orleans; and to hide from the
people his completely in this great crime he
yarbled and 80 caused to be published the
dispatches OF the general commanding there,
md afterwards wickedly charged the violence
md massacre he had melted on the Congress
If the United States.
IL. He has corruptly and wick sdly abused
he power of appointment, and removed from
'fioe, for the purpose of interfering with the
reedom OF election, by making the sole qaali-
lcation for obtaining and retaining in place |
be opposition of the candidate or incumbent |
o the Constitutional laws, acts, and powers oil
congress. |
IL. He has usurped from the Senate the Con- |
titutional right of advising and consenting to |
he appointment OF officers Of the United States |
et provided for by the Constitution; by nomi- |
ating to that body many persons whom, after |
he Senate had refused to advise and consent |
o their appointment, he has put in Office and |
lothed with it's powers and duties; and be has |
aused their salaries to be paid without right |
nd without law, and furthermore shown his |
ontempt and wicked intention and design by |
int ftnrf AK.dt Ind u0af, L.. =
men who had been rejected by the Senate more |
han once
l3. He has violated his oath of Office I" to |
AXE care that the laws shall be faithfully e1-
cnted, by neglectiug and refusing to enforce
uch laws, although legally enacted by Con
ress, as were distasteful to him by being
assed over his veto or IN opposition to his
FISHES.
In addition to these distinct, easily substan-
lated and clearly official crimes, the personal
abits of the Presideut-his drunkenness for
xample, and alleged immoral traffic In par
ons ARE, when established by proper evil
ence, impeachable offences. Precedents are
,und to support the argument that for drunk
uness alone the President could be Oonstitu-
ienally removed. Again, his use of the army
uring the Fenian excitement was an uncon-
titutioual use of power. Their offence under
he law was a msdemesnor only. They should
ave been looked after by civil officers only
these officers had been resisted, then 1t was
he duty OF the President to call out the army,
ut not till then. The case of the privateer
'hich the broad arrow Of England arrested at
be decks OF Liverpool, and the Alabama which
'as allowed to escape, were iRtrusted, and
roperly so, to civil officers only. Neither
rmy nor navy could properly be used until re-
lstsnce was offered to civil authority. In the
ase OF the Fenians there was neither disposi-
on nor intention to resist the United States
Ulcers of any class. Their utmost anxiety was
0 get as far from them as possible.
As to the method and incidents of impeach-
TENT, Gen. Butler, after showing that the Con-
titution provides that every step up to the
nal vote of "guilty" or "not guilty" depends
n a mainritp only and nnt nn trn thiraa |