Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1867-07-27
glhst f,resid Veto


plemssntaEy recoastraction stcts ~ 4.
S ;Anhdiag t5the aeolsration thatsthe State
Goyer1ut utenss arc Illegal, he says Z. a singular
sontradictionsi 10 apparent here! Congress de.
olaras these local State Goveraments to be; Il.
legal Goserngpeats, aud then provides ,."s = -!
:theseillegAl Govern hsarf'ea g on
@ gs ssesi Sssss Is own officers by this his
siilegal State authority. It certainly would be
T, noyo. spectacle it Congress should attompt
70 carry on a loyal State Government by the
agency Of it's own officers, It is yet more
strange that Congrcssattcnpts tosustain aud
carry on an Illegal State Government By the
Same novel agency" With regard to title
by conquest, he says Git is a now title, ac-
Qdired by war. It applies only to territory
for'good orinovable items regularly captured
: in war hro called booty; or, if taken by Judi
.vidual soldiers, plunder There is not foot
Of ground of one of these ten States which
the United States holds by conquest. save only
such land rs did not belong to either Of these
States, or to spy individual owner. mean
such lands as did belong to tho pretended
Government called the Confederate States--
These lands we may cla,mto hold by conquest
Asito. all other lands or territory, whether be.
SSlonging to tho States or to individuali, the
4 Federal Government has now no more. title or
right to its sthaIsi had before tho rebellion" ,"
The messago concludes as follows /" With
in q period less than a, year the legislation of
Congress has attempted to strip the executive
department Of the Government of some of its
essential powers. The Constitution, and the
oath provided in it, devovo upon the Prcsi.
dent the power and tho duty to see that the
laws,are faithfully executed. The Constitu-
tion. in order to carry out this power, gives
him the choice Of the agents, and makes them
subject to his control and supervision; hut in
tho execution of these laws. the constitutional
obligation upon the President remains but
the power to exercise that constitutional duty
is ofectually y;taken away. The military com
mander is, us to, the power Of appointment,
made to take the place Of the President, aud
tho general Of the army the place Of the Pres
ident, aud the general of the army the place
of the Senate; and any attempt on the part
of the President to assert his own conslitu-
tional power may, under prctencc Of law, be
met BY official iusubordination. 1t is to be
foared that these military officers, looking to
the authority given by these laws rather than
to the letter of the Constitution, will rccog-
,nize no authority but the commander of the
district and the general Of the army. lfthcre
was, no other objection than this to to this pro-
posed legislation it would be sufficient
Whilst | hold the chief executive authority
of the United States whilst the obligation
rests upon me to see thatall the laws are faith
fully executed, can never wilfully surren-
der that trust aud tho powers which accompa
ny it to any other executive officer, high or
low, or to any number of executive officers
If this executive trust, vested by the Const-
tion in the President, is to be taken from him
and vested in subordinate officer. tho re-
sponsibility wiltbc with Congress, in clothing
the subordinate with unconstitutional power
and with the officer who assumes its exercise
5 This interference with the constitutional au
4 ,hoIitF of 4aA p uf'e foundations Of GU
/, Federal system, but it is not the worst evil Of
TINS Legislation. 1t is great public wrong tt
take from the President powers conferred IN
on nm alone by the Constitution. But the
wrong Is more 1agrant and more dangerous
"heh the powers so taken from the President
arc conferred upon subordinate executive Off
ce's' and especially upon military officers. -
over nearly one:third Of the States of the
Union military power, regulated by no fixed
law, rules supreme. Each one of these five
district commanders, though not chosen by
the people OR responsible to them, have this
hourmorc executive power, military and civil
than the people have ccvcr boon willing to con.
for upon the head of the executive department
though chosen by and responsible to them.
selves. They know what it is and how il is
to be applied. At the present time thew can.
not, according to the Constitution. repeal these
laws; they cannot remove or control this mil.
itary despotism. The remedy, nevertheless.
IS in their hands; it is to be found in the bal.
lot, ana is sure one, if not controlled by
fraud, overawed by arbitrary power, or, from
apathy on their part, too long delayed. With,
abiding conGdencen their patriotism, wisdom
and integrity. lam still hopeful of tic future.
md thatin the end the rod Of dcspotism will
DC broken, the armed rule Of power be lifted
from the nccks of the people, and the prinoi.
Pile of violated Constitution preserved"
Immediately after the reading of the mes
sage thesimpeachers made strong effort
Mossrs. Boutwell,, Butler and others charac.
terised the message as defiant.
Mr. Thad Stevens said they were uroino
that matter in vain, as there are unseen anen.
c'es and visible powers at work in this coun.
try which will prevent the impeachment "I
repeat" said he. !" that any attempt to i'm
peach the President will be vain and futile,
Mr.. Wilson, Chairman Of the judiciary,
COMMITTEE denounced Stevens insiuuations.
asserting that no amountjof political pressure
should turn him aside from the discharee of
tU fc e., i =. :