The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1867-01-24
Senator Sumner on the President

In the Senate on Friday last, the
bill to regulate the tenure Of Office,
was taken up, and upon offering an
amendment Mr.. Sumner spoke in the
following withcring strain on the
President
1t is now little more than year
since l felt it my duty to characterize
a message Of the President as whito
washing. That message presented a
condition Of things in the rebel States
as fair aud promising, when the pre-.
vailing evidence was just tho other
way. OF course tho message was
white washing, aud this was n mild
term for such n document; and you
do not forget how certain Senators,
horror struck at this plainness, loaped
forward to vindicatc tie President
Yesterday some Of these Senators,
horror struck ngain leaped forward
again TO the same task. Time has
shown that | was right on the former
occasion. If anybody doubts that |
was right yesterday, | commend him
to time, and he viii not have to wait
long. For myself, I shall insist al.
ways upon complete Freedom Of debate
and shall exercise il, Thank Coo
now the slave masters have been driv
en- from this chamber, Such at least
is the liberty ofau American Senator
OF course thcrc can be no citizen 0
republic too high for exposures, a
there can be none too low for protec
ton. The exposure Of tho high anC
the protection Of the weak, these arc
not only inyulnerable liberties, hui
commanding duties At last the
country is opening its eyes to the ac'
tual condition of things. Already il
secs that Andrew johnson, who came
to supreme power by a bloody acci-
dent, has become thesuccessor Of JEFF
itrsou Davis in the spirit by which
he is governed and tho mischief he
has inflicted on his country, sees the
President OF the rebellion released by
the President Of the United States.
II secs the violence which took tho
life Of his illustrious predecessor /,
now, by his pervorse completely, ux.
tonding through the rebel States, ma
king all who love tho Union its vic
tins and filling the land with oppress.
ion, 1t sees the war upon tho faith.
full unionist is still continued under
his powerful auspices without any dis
tiuctiou OF color, SO that both white
and black are sacrificed. 1t sees he
is a monster of discord, and not 9
minister of peace, 1t socs, 30 lonl
az his opinion prevails, there is smal
security or tranquility or reconcilia
ton; that the restoration of prosper
ity in the rebel States, SO much long
ed for, must bo delayed; that III,
business of the whole country mus
be embarrassed aud the condition
upon which rests a sound currency
must be postponed. All these thing
! the country now sees; but indigna
ton assumes the form of judgmen
when il is seen that this far reaching
mischief, second only to the rebellion
itself, Of which II is the continuation
is invigorated and extended through
a PLATA usurpation. Sir, in holding
up Andrew johnson to judgement
do not allude to his exposure of him
self in state Of bostial intoxicatiol
while he was taken the oath Of Office
NOR 10 | Ellude 10 the maudliu speool
I by which he has disgrOced his coun
try, as it was mover before disgracod
nor do | hoarken TO any reports o
pardons sold or of corruption, Thi;
Is not the case against him which /
is my duty to present in this argumnt
These things are very bad, hui
might not, in the opinion of some
Senators, justify us on the present
occasion; in other words, might not
be sufficient reason for tho amond.
ment which | lhAve moved; but there
is reason which is ample.
Tho President has usurped the
powers of Congress on n colossal
scale, and ho has employed thes,
usurped powers in fomenting a rebel
spirit, aud awakening anew tho dyinq
fires of the rebellion This is thu
great aud objectionable ofIense 70,
which history must condemn him Il
lyou do not. He is usurper through
whom iDhnito wrong has been don,
to his country. lie is usurpor who
from rising 10 be . Moses has becom,
a Pharoah, and in tho maintenance O.
his usupation has employed the pow,
ors OF removal from office. Some whC
would not become the parhsaDs ofhi,
tyranny, he has, according to his owr
language, kicked out" 0therI
Ase len, but thoy are hileneed by hi,
menaees, or BY ibe fate Of their AssO-
slstes