The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1867-01-24
Attack OH tho President by sumner.

IfldaJ. tue Dill TO rcSuiaSo the te-
nure of Office was taken up. The
question was upon Mr.. Summers
amendment to add IN additional sec
ton, providing lhat all officers of the
Government, except clerks of the
81, 900 pernnanm, shall he appointed
by the President, by and with tho
advice and consent OF the Senate.
Mr.. Sumner, being entitled to the
floor, said: 1t is now a little more
than year ago since [ felt it my
duty to characterize message of the
President as "whitewashing That
message represented the foundation
Of things in the rebel States as civic
ano promising, when the evidence
was directly the other way. or
course, the message was whitcwlsll
ing, and this was q mild term for
such document; aud you do not
forget how several Senators, ter
ror-strcken at this plninness. leaped
forward to vindicate the President
Yesterday, some of these same Scua-
tors, horror-struck again, lcaped for
ward to the same task. Time has
shown that was right on the former
occasion. Ii anybody doubts that 1
was right yesterday, / commend him
to time, and he will not be obliged to
wait long. For myself [ shall insist
always upon the complete freedom of
debate, and shall exercise it, John
Milton, in his glorious aspirations,
said, "Give me liberty to know the
truth and to argue it freely above ali
liberties. Thank God, now that the
slave-masters have been driven from
this Chamber, such, 1T last. is the
liberty of an American Senator.
AT last, the country is opening Its
eyes to the actual condition Of things
Already it sees that Andrew johnson,
who came to supreme power by n
bloody accident, has become the sue
cessor of Jefferson Davis, in the spi-
rit by which he is governed and in
the mischief which he has inflicted
on his country. 1t sees the President
of the rebellion revived in the Pre-
sident Of the United States. 1t sees
that the violence which took the life
of his illustrlous predecessor is now,
by his perverse completely, extending
through the rebel States, making all
who love the Union its victims, and
filling the land with oppression. 1t
sees that the war upon the faithful
! Unionists is still continued under his
powerful auspices, without any dis
tinction OF color, SO that both white
and black are sacrificed alike 1t sees
that he is a minister of eliscnrl, and
not minister OF peace
1t seems that so long as his opinion
prevails there is small chance for
tranquility, or security, or reconciiia-
tlon; that the restoration and pros
perity in the rebel States so much
longed for must be arrested, that the
business of the whole country must
be embarrassed. and those conditions
upon which rests II sound currency
must be postponed All these things
the country now secs. but indigna-
tion assumes The form Of Judgment,
whc:l it is seen also that this is unpa-
rallclcd, and, for creating mischief,
second only to the rebellion itself, OF
which it is the continuation. is inyi-
soratrii and extended through plain
u~nrpation. Sir, in holding up An
drew johnson 10 Judgment, 10 not
all'ldc to his open exposure Of him
self in a condition Of beastial intoxi-
cation, while he was taking his oath
Of office Nor do / allude to the
mandlin speeches by which he de
graded the country as ii was never
before degraded; nor DO I hearhen to
any reports Of partlons sold. or of
personal corruption. This is not the
case against him as / deem it my
duty to present it in this argument.
Those things are bad bad; but
they might not, in the opinion OF
some Senators, Justify rs on the pre-
sent o<rasion. In other words, they
might not be sufficient reason for the
amendment which I have moved. but
there is reason which is ample The
President has ilSurped the powers of
Congress on colossal scale, ana lie
has employed these usurped powers
IL fomentlng rebel spirit, and
awakening anew the dying fires of the
rebellion.
This is the great ana unparloAablc
offence for which history must con
denim him, if yon do not. He is an
usurper, through whom infinite
wrong has been done to his country.
Wherever no vacancy occurs for par
| tiSanS OF this usurDatiOn. other yaran-