Buchanan County bulletin and guardian. (Independence, Iowa) 1866-1869, 1867-12-13

lation Of the constitution, but will cpr.
tainly, If carried out, produce i'm
mediate and irreparable injury to the
organic structure Of the government,
and If there be neither Judicial rene.
dy IN the vrongs it iufiicts, nor pow
er in the people to protect themselves
without the official aid Of their elect.
ed defender; il, for instance, the lcris.
iahve department should pass an act.
even through oil the forms of law, to
abolish a Coordinate department of
the government, in such a case the
president must take,the high RESPONSE
bllify ct his Office. and save the life
Of the nation at all hazards.
The so-called reconstruction acts.
though az plainly unconstitutional A.
any that can be imagined, were not
believed to be vithin the cIas. last
mentioned. The people we're not
wholly disarmed Of self-dcfense. In
all the northern States they still held
IN their hands the sacred right Of the
ballot, and it vas safe to believe that.
n due time, they would come to the
rescue OF their own institution. II
gives me pleasure to add that the ap-
peal to our common constituents was
not taken in vain, and th at my conf
dence In their wisdom and virtue
seems not to have been misplaced.
FRAUDS OF TEE 1REAsraY-rExusE or oyYrcI
BILL
Il Is veil ard publicly known tha, rnor.
nous frauds have been perpetrated on tie
treasury, aud that Considerable fortunes
have been made az the public expense. This
species Of corruption has increased, 10 in
ereasing, And if not diminished, will soon
or.ng US into total ruin and disgrace. The
public creditors and tan payers are alike inv
eeressed in Al honest administration Of the
finances. and neither class will long endure
the large handed robberses Of the recentpast.
For this diserecstable state Of things there
ara several causess Some Of the taxes are
30 laid - 70 ptesens an irresistible tempta-
t'on to evads payment. The great sums
.hieh officers may obtain, By connivanee ct
fra1d create pressure which Is more than
tie virtue OF many can Withstand: and there
can Be 40 doubt that the open disregard Of
constitutional obligations asowed by soma
OF the highest and most influential men in
the country has greatly weakened the moral
sense Of those vho serve in subordinate
places. The expenses Of the United States,
including the interest on the public debt
are more than six times - much as they
we're seven yeafs ago. To collect asd dis
ourse this vast amount, requires carful surs
ersision, ~ veil ~ systematic vigilance.
Our sysism, never perfected. was much dis.
organised by the tenure Of ofice bill. which
has almost destroyed Official accountability.
lhe president mar be thoroughly conyiLc.
ed That an ofhcer.is incapable. disheaeee, or
unf.iihtui 70 the constitution; but, under
the las which ! have named. hs utmost
power . to complain to the senate and ask
thetpnFilege Of supplying his place xish .
better man- II the senate be regarded a.
personally or politically hostile to the presi,
denf. u . natural and not altogether unreae
sonaole, for that officer to expect that il will
tAke his part - far as possible, restore him
% his piace, and give him Q triumph over
ms executive superior officer. He has o<h.s
chances OF impaRity, arising from sseiden-
tai cefects OF evidence, the mode Of inyesti-
CATION and the secrecy Of the hearing. Il
is not wonderful that iL malfessanes
should become bold in proportion = dslix>
quents learn to think themselves snke. I
Am entirely persuaded that under such .
ruie, tie president carAot perform the great
duty assigned to him Of seeing tn. laws faith
fully executed and that it disabIes him most
especially from enforcing that rigid account.
ability which is necessary to the due exc.
cEsion OF the revenue laws. The csnstisn-
tion invests the president With authority to
decide vheiher removal shall be made in
any given case the act Of con gress declares
IN substance that be shall only suspetd
such Is he supposes 10 be unworthy Of their
trust The constitution makes him the scls
Judge IN the premises but the statue sakes
Away his Junscicnon, transfers il TO the SEN
sse.-and leaves hun nothing but the odioGs
and sometimes inpracticable, duty Of be-
coming prosecutor. The prosecutor i 10
b conducted before . tribunal whose mem.
oers are, net, like him, responsible to the
whole people, but e separate coussituens
bodies, and MAY hear his accusation with
great dlsfayor. The Senate is ahsolusely
without any known standard of decision an.
plicable % such case. Its Judgement can
not be anticipated; for it is not governed By
any rule The As does not define What
shall be deemed good cause for rsnoval.
II y Impossible esen 70 conjecture What may
O. NAY not be % considered By the senate.
The nature ofthe subject foebids clear peoof.
II the charge be incapability, What evidence
VIII support isf Fidelity to the constitution
may b understood or misunderstood in .
Thousand different vays; and BY VIOLENT per.
y men, IN VIOLENT party ,isnes, unfAithtulA
ness TO the constitution NAV even come 10 be
considered meritorious. II an officer be ~
cased of dishonesty, hov shall il be made
ostf Viii il be inferred from acts upcon.
nected With public duty, from privaae histroy
oe from general reputation; oe must tLs
president await the commission Of an actual
mis1eneanof in Office! Shall hs in the
meantime rsk the character and interest Of
the nation in the hands Of men 10 whom be
cannot give his confidence Must be for
bear bis eemp laints until mischief is dono
and cannot be prevented Ifhis zeal in the
public service should fmpel him 10 antici-
pate An over act, must be move q the peril
Of being tried himself TOR the offence Of slan-
dering his subordinate
In the present circumstances of the coun.
tfy, some one must be held responsible fos
4. hnquency Of every kind. il: j. extremely
difficulty " say where that responsibility
should be thfown, if il be not left where is
has been placed BY the constitution. But
I'll Just men will admit thai the president
ought to be entirely relieved from such .
responsibility, he cannot meet il by reason
q restrictions placed By lawspo his aetions.
Unrestricted power Of removal from Office /.
. very great ne to b. trusted, even to .
magistrate ehoosen by general suffrage Of
the whole people, and accoun table directly
to them fos his acta 1t is un loubtedly lia-
bic 10 abuse, aud at some periods Of our
history, perhaps, has been abused. II it b.
thought desirable and constitutional that il
should be 80 limited - to make the presi.
dent merely . common informer against 9th.
es public agents, he should, at least, be per.
mitted to act In that capacity before some
open tribunal independent Of party politics,
ready TO investigate the merits Of every
case furnished with means Of taking evil
dsnee, and bonnd to decide according TO an
established rule. This would guarentee tho
safety Of the accaser when be acts in good
faith, and at the same time secure the rights
Of the other party. speak, Of course, with
al proper respect for the present senate. But
It does not seem TO me that any Legislative
body can b % constructed - 10 insure its
fitness for 6ese functions. Il is not the the
ory Of this goverument that the public ofi-
Gers ase the property Of those Who hold then.
Thry afe given merely . . trust for lAs