The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1867-07-27

i 81 ~ " " ~ NESiPSEST t9t &
l(DemsIr) Nf WI 81
X Schenck proceeded Without needing the.
remark. Congress had passed one law after
another in its effort to carry out a system of
restoration of the rebel States, and those laws.
had been rendered pugqqtory, hpqd been, in effect
stricken down and made imperative BY the Hos
tility to them, to Congress, and to the policy of
Congress ON the part of the Executive. The
President stood now All obstacle III the path
way. N 81
Mr.. stevepG (Kepg h) )0sdSd: agree pre-
ciscly with the eloquent speech of my amiable
colleague across the way (RandalI that we can
not impcach the President of the United,
States. But say to our friends on this side
who arc urging that measure that they are ,.rgI3
ing it lin vain. The result Of my motion the
other day clearly disclosed that, and, without
attempting to make disclosures, 7 undertake TO-
say that there are unseen agencies at work.
there arc invisible powers ut work in this coun1s
try which will prevent the impeachment Of the
President. have taken some pains to tlnderI
stand the composition Of the House and the
composition of the Senate, and I am quite cer1
tain that there are enough Of persons in the.
House first to preveht the presentation Of arj
ticles Of impeachment; and secondly, that
there arc enough persons in the Senate if ar
,ticles Of impeachmentwcre voted, to preycnt
the conviction of the President, So that re-
peat any attempt td ithpcacl, the President will
be vain and futile. 1t is imnc.s,., 10 p;crco
| ~ oHhC ~ ts,F. - lI.i ..i!f --io ~ PA0iS
the panophy. " nlch surround dsthc White House.
Tie PRESIDENT Starts BY ASSERTING in his mes
sage what, if true, would support all the rest
Of his argument. he says the Constitution of
the United .,tatcs is theoretically operative i,l
the conquered provinces of tho South. elf
that: was truo thon ill we have done here is
rank usurpation L deny that the Constitution
is either Theoretically or actually in operation
in any Of these States. am sorry to say that
not all our statesmen, profound as they are, and
that not all Of our judges, learned as they arc,
not even he highest among them, seem to havo
looked suflicicntly'to the bottom of the law of
,nations, to understand tho true condition of j
conquered people. *, And yet a slight cxamina-
ton Of one page of Frottius. Of half page or
|
tel, and even less than th.. If thc-last, and
best, and tcrsct of publcists Sc, seant Wild
lnan-wil convince every man that the true
position of the late Confederate States is thai
Of. u conquered territory Of the United States.
That being admitted, I'LL the rest Of rcconstruc-
ton is as easy MS my, of the problems of
Euclid. Many of our people have relied on
Blackstone aud Wheaton and other ancient and
modern puG!icists, and have ibccomc familiar
with thcm. while the occupant of the 1Whitc
House Was engaged in q very laud.hlc business,
but one not much calculated to instruct and
adorn that end of the human frame, There
fore. sir, make allowance and indulgence on
the errors of that honorable gentleman now
movesthc previous question. .,.a
Messrs. Wilson (I,ep.. Iowa) and pruyn
(Dem!, n. I.)appealcd to Mr.-Stevens to allow
each Of them sonc time to address the House.
! Mr.. Stevens consented, to do SO, and. yielded
first to Mr. Pruyn, who said agree with the
gentleman from Pcnnsy ylvana as to these first
principles which he at the foundation of the
national law to which he has referred, and that
| the authors lie has named are authorities which
cannot be disrcgarded here, but whose opinions
and views are conclusive on tho question be-
fore the House. The difficulty is in applying
that law to the case before it. The gentleman
from Pennsylvania in the Thirtieth Congress
announced what / considered to be, and what
Che country considered to bo, startling propo-
sition; that by rensen of the proclama-
ton of blockade so-called, the war had
become a war between nations, and hence
forth it was struggle between two great par
ties, and that tile conquering party hai n sisht
to do with the conquered what it p',a.ed.
That was in the face Of tho solemn prociama.
ton of both Houses of Congress, passed un-
animously aftor the struggle had reached it's
height, after the first battle of Bull Run, that
it was not n war between nations, but it was
q war to enforce the provisions of the Con-
stitution, acknowledging all the rights of the
States, and declaring that as soon rs the strug-
gle terminated, terminate how it might, these
States were to be restored to their relations to
the Union Tho facts of the case heretofore