The Portland daily press., 1867-10-21

Judge William Lawrence OF Ohio, one Of
the four members of the House judiciary
Committee who was in favor of impeachment,
prepared speech during the July session of
Congress, which was not delivered in the
House, but appears in the appendix to the
Congressional Globe which has just been pub
lished. 1t is supposed to be partial sum
ming up of the ease against Mr.. johnson as
it stood when the speech was prepared, and
i' said to be fully supported by evidence in
the possession of the Committee. The first
and most important point is usurpation.
After asserting that the military governments
set up in the South during the rebellion could
only exist while the war lasted, Judge VIII
| lams says: -.... ..l. .+r
| The military power cannot, without the
| sanction OF Congress, establish permanent
| civil governments for times of peace. When
| fragrant war had ceased an extraordinary oc.
| casion" had arisen which made it the duty OF
| the President to convene both House OF Con-
| gress. Refusing to perform this duty, which
| he knew to be necessary Tor this and other
| purposes, he issued this and seven solemn
| proclamations, assuming to appoint seven
| civilian provisional governors, holcing no mil
| itary commissions and without the advice
and consent of the Senate. BY these pro-
carnations he usurped the power to create
| an office unknown TO the Constitution or the
| laws; to fill that office with iucunbents hold
| ing by the tenure of his pleasure, without
| the advice and consent OF the Senate, with
! salaries liked by no law but his will, and 10
| be paid out OF the public treasury in violation
| of the law. He assumed the power to clothe
| these officers with authority; to cause cleo
| tiOns to be held for members of conventions
to create State governments by amending
State constitutions in mode different from
that prescribed therein, and without the sane,
| tion OF Congress. He prescribed the quail
fcations OF electors and members OF conven-
dons requiring Of each an oath not required
by former constitutions and laws of the
States. By his edicts he enfran-
chised every rebel in these States who would
take the oath he prescribed and excluded 10y
al freedmen, constituting nearly one hall of the
population OF these States from all right to
participate in the elections, or otherwise in
political power. He put in the power OF reb-
| els contrary to his former convictions OF duty
| to institute governments forever denying
| freedmen the political and civil rights of citi
| zenship, and this deliberate disiranchisement
| was consummatea by constitutions created by
these conventions and these constitutions
were forced upon the States without any vote
| OF the people TO ratily them. The President
| conceding the justice OF demanding terms OF
restoration, prescribed such as he dictated, ig-
noring the rights of Congress, and in obedi-
ence TO his will governments were organized,
governors, legislatures, and all State officers
were chosen, aud Senators and Representa-
tives were elected to Congress not in conform
ity with the law, and these officers were gen
orally rebels, who could not take the test oath.
The President assumed the right to determine
| when the new State governments should go
| into operation, requiring the provisional gov
| ernOrs to remain in the exercise of their fiulc-
tions until relieved by his express direction.
While these usnrpations were going on, the
President quoted the fears OF the people by
assuring them that his policy was only an ex
pertinent, and that the approval OF Congress
was necessary to restore the civil authorities.
Yet even before this presidential usnrpation
was perfected, in a solemn official document
the message to Congress OF June %, 1S6G---
he said: "Of thirty-six States which consti-
tute the Union eleven are excluded from rep
resentation in either house of Congress, al
though, with the single exception of Texas,
they have been entirely restored to all their
functions as States in conformity with the or
sanic law OF the land" And in the veto mes
sage now before US, the President says OF these
illegal governments, that Executive reeogni-
tion, as is well known, has been frequent and
mwavering" APresident whose conduct is
marked by acts which may define him a ty-
rant, is unfit to be the ruler OF a free people,
and deserves impeachment In thus degising
the scheme ofdisiranchisement the President
seems to have been guided by a purpose to
speedily secure power to the rebel States,
rather than by sense OF duty, ii he did not
act contrary to his own convictions expressed
at an earlier date, and which he abandoned
when he conceived the design, as he did, of
putting the government in the hands Of rebels
and those who during the war had sympa-
thized with them. This scheme OF recon
struction, denying the power OF Congress, be-
came and is known as the Predicate paiiey |
while that which asserts the power of the law |
making department OF the government, is
known as the Policy of Congress.
Judge Williams then enumerates the many
unauthorized aad oppressive acts TO which
the President has resorted to achieve his main
purpose. Among these are placing restric-
tions upon the liberty OF the press ndboldng
portion of the Southern people in abject
servility, not for the public good, but that he
might bribe support for his policy; turning
over railroads worth millions of dollars to
Rebel corporations in violation Of law; pos
ttuting the power ofappomtment and remov-
al to the maintenance of his policy; refusing
to submit appointments for the approval the
Senate; assuming to determine when the war
had ended by his proclamation of April I'd,
1866; authorizing the Rebel Attorney Gener-
al OF Louisiana to callupon the nationalforces
to suppress lawful assembly, and refusing
troops to the Executive OF Tennessee when
they were required to preserve the peace and
execute the laws; negectirg to bring the
authors OF the New Orleans massacre to pun
ishment; and indecent harangues to the peo-
pie, and referring to Congress or a body "calE
ed, or which assumes to be, Congress of the
United States, while in fact it is a Congress
of only part of the States
The following is reply to those friends of
the President who declare that a precedent b
found for his acts in the measures OF his pre-
decessor. Judge Williams is said TO have OBJ
tained his information from member of the
Cabinet: ds rEss sf
The Presidents policy finds no sanction in
that of his predecessor. Mr.. Lincoln never
did, "during his administration, submit to his
cabinet any plan Tor the reorganization otthe
rebel States neither he nor his cabinet ever
had any plan matured; the time had not ar
rived when 1t was practicable. He did, in
deed, appoint military governors, WI o ranked
as brigadier-generals in the United States
| service, and were proper military officers con-
| frmed by the Senate as such. There was
| difference both of time and circumstance be-
| tween what was done by the two Presidents
| Military governors were appointed during the
war and provisional governors after. The
former were clothed with military powers and
charged with military duties; the latter were
civil officers not appointed .by and with the