Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-08-09
COLUMBUS, O., FRIDAY MORNING,

Congress, and you have vast banking in
terest dependent upon the same legislation.
You have a railroad system and telegraph
system dependent upon this legislation, not
to speak of the thousand and one minor
that might be brought up
in the same way-all bringing us to the
belief that there are more temptations
thrown around our public men than were
ever thrown around the public men of any
country in the world The Government,
then, can not fail to be corrupt unless
these temptations are safely guarded
against. s-er - .l...,.-. .l
L said to you that the next characteristic
of the party in power was partisan yio-
lence. can not expect to do much more
than simply to call your attention to few
of the considerations which present them
selves with this proposition. In the first
place, you very well know that by mere
partisan violence they have excluded the
this Union. You know, in the next place
those of you who have kept the run OF the
proceedings of CongressAknow. very we'll
upon what preteXt members of Congress, in
the opposition, have been expelled from
both branches. Without the slightest JUS
tification they have simply settled down by
partisan majorities, and ruled out members
time and again upon the poorest and sim,
plest pretexts in the world. You know
very well, in the next place, that they now,
to-day, exclude the entire representation
of Kentucky, aud one of the Senators from
Maryland-so that two States in the Union
that never went into secession. and are en-
titled to the rights and privileges of the
other States, are excluded, the one entire
1y, and the other in part, from the right of
What do you call this but
violence? 1t is not deciding matters ac-
cording to the Constitution. 1t is refusing
to receive men, against whom no objection
H. =, -. IL o.Ns,.
majority and partisan force. driving out OF
Congress those members, distasteful to the
majority. 80 e .,.zs par
You knowvery well. my friends, and I
don't stop to debate at any length upon
the subject, with what violence the elec-
.tions have been conducted in some of the
States by Federal interference. | could
call your attention to Tennessee, to get an
illustration OF the violence that pervades
the action of the Federal Government. In
attempting to interfere, with elections,
where bloodshed and death were daily oc-
currences. All! my fellow-eitiZens, re-
publican institutions will never flourish
under such action as that. They wither
and die whenever you bring violence to the
ballot-boX. Peaceable men, just men, re-
flecting men are not willing to peril their
lives for the purpose of reaching BALLOT
box surrounded by bayonets- and where
mob may be melted to injure anu ruin
them.
The next evidence 1 furnish you of the
violence ofthe Republican party is in their
conduct toward their own Executive. The
Constitution of the United States has pro-
vided that the executive power shall be
| lodged in President, who shall be elected
| by the people,. 1t is provided that he shall
| be-; among other things, communicating
| chief of the army and navy, and that he
shall nominate, and by and with the advice
and consent of the Senate, shall appoint all
the principal officers of the Federal Gov
ernment. That is the Constitution as our
fathers madeit. Now, just recur. to the
| legislation of the last Congress, in passing g
| bills over the veto of the President. They
have utterly stricken, down., by simple
| brute force and partisan majorities, the eX-
ecutive Office provided by the Constitution.
| [Applause.l They have so completely
| stricken it down, that Andrew johnson
to-day, instead of being President of the
Republics the meresG nothing that you can
possibly imagine. And now, when men
carry this violence So far that one branch
of the Government strikes down another,
amt it time for patriots to be alarmed 2
What has Andrew johnson done? No
matter. Whatever he may have done, did
not authorize these men to strike down
the Constitution and degrade the office. II
he had done enough to justify them, they
| have full authority and right to impesch
him. You know what a hue and cry they
have been making on that subject I'm
peach-impeach-i all the
cry. Undoubtedly there are men there,
such as Butler and his associates, who
would really impeach and depose the Pres
ldent;, but there is another class of men
who have raised the howl of impeachment
| in order that Andrew johnson might be
| frightened into securing to them the vari-
GUS offices in the gift of the Government
| Thad Stevens told them rightly when he
1said: z -l ,i.f"- -.l,t |.lI b9fIEs- 81
s'You can't impeach him. have taken
some pains to understand the composition
of the House and of the Senate. wish he
was impeached, but there is no use in talk
ing about il" -'., - -. --'
/ Why? Because, by intimidation and yio-
Hence, they have made Andrew johnson
fool enough to nominate for the variou;
offices men who are willing to be theil
tools. ,,.---l r. r,s..: az
But what next? The Supreme Court O.
the United States is, by the Constitution
one of the coordinate branches of the Gov
eminent. Each a of these coordinate
branches is intended to be Independent o
the other, and if there is one of these tina
ought really to be kept independent it i:
the Judiciary. What do we see within tht
last year The Supreme Court coming Il
a decision upon case, and. making a de
i cision that the veriest tyro that ever ran il
sight of lawyers office would know would
have to be made If the Constitution was tt
be regarded. What do we see? The Hous
of Representatives debating for severa
DAYS after this decision was made, with
view of intimidating the eJudges-nothins
else in the world. 1t was stated in the tel
: egraph that Mr.. So-and-so-some littl
SQUIRT that had probably read a treats
upon justices of the peace and constables-
was going to bring in articles of i'm
parchment against the Judges of the Su
preme Court for having, made a de
cision distasteful to the House of Rep
: resentatives. Could violence go fur
ther than this? To strike down the Exec
utive Department., and make it mer
r nothing in the Government, and take from
, the President the power of removal ant
appointment to Office, even the power t
, command the army; to take away all hi
power and then intlmida'e the Judiciary
81 Is not this doing violence to the COnstitti
! tion? To intimidate the judges for making
5 an honest and just decision, and threaten
i to impeach them. But the last threat o
violence from the last Congress was the ap
J pointment of committee to inquire Wheth
! er Maryland, Delaware and Kentucky haC
1 republican forms of, Government. Jus
. think of a committee of the House of Rep
resentatives charged with the duty of in
! uuiring whether Old MARYLAND, the seen
f of many of the battlefieldslof the Revolu
tion-one OF the old thirteen States, thai
under the guidance of Washington laid tn
+ foundations of this mighty political tabri
, ofoursl A set of men in the House of Rep
! resentatfves have sent out committee e
inquire whether or not old Maryland has
5 Republican Constitution. will tell yo
what the trouble is-not that Maryland ha
: not republican form of Gpvernment, bu
, that the Republican party have pot &c
f hold of it. [Applause.l That's where tn
e pinch comes. ii2
= We'll, now, my fellow-citizens, must e
C on. 1t is very hot and very tiresome I
!. you. say to you, in the next place, tina
S this party has violated every single pledg