Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1867-12-06
The Impeachment Question on
The following Is synopsis Of the major.
;tr roy,orf on iropoa chrnopt c,,b,,o;$t al 70


/ The following Is a synopsis Of the major.
| ity report on impeachment, submitted to
/ the House on the(25th:f : .soE s,W 80 rassE
| Tho charges made, and to which the inyestiga.
/ lions Of the committee have been. especially
directed, are the usurpation of power and viola
pardon ng, and veto powers in the corrupt inter
| ference elections, and generally, In the COM
| mission of acts amounting to crimes and INSIDE
recital it was charged with the most general duty
of INQUIRY into the official conduct of the Presi.
dent of the United States: and of reporting
designed or calculated to overthrow, subyert, or
| corrupt the Government of the United States, or
which, in the contemplation o. the constitution,
er1 of the House. 1t will be observed that the
great salient point OF standing out IN
the country is the usurpation OF power which In
wolves, of course, violation of law. And here 1t
may be remarked, that perhaps every great abuse,
every hagrant, departure, from this well settled
| principle Of the Government, which has been
brought home to the present Administration
whether discovering itself in special infractiens
of the statutes or In the progate use OF the high
powers conferred by the constitution upon; the
President, or revealing itself more manifesty In
the systematic attempt to seize upon its soyer-
eighty and disparage and supersede the great
council to which that sovereignty has been trusted
lis In reference to the one great purpose of recon
the yer Of the rebel
interest of the great criminals who carried them
into the rebellion, and in such way to deprive
the people of the loyal States Of all chances OF in
demnity for the past and security for the future
by pardoning their officers and restoring their
| lands, and bringing them back, with their hearts
unrepeHtant and their hands yet red with the
blood Of our people, into condition where they
could once more embarrass and defy, If not abso-
lutely rule, the Government which they had vainly
underworld to Destroy and it is around this point
and a auYillarV to that great C1ntral idea that
all the special acts of maadministratfon we have
Witnessed viii be found to grayitate and reyolve.
and 1t Is to this point therefore, the great
ter key which unlocks and mterprets all of them
that the attention OF the House win be directed
The report then goes into recital of the events
since the Inauguration of President johnson, and
concludes as follows: 6 In accordance with the
testimony herewith submitted, and the view of the
law herein presented, the COMMITTEES are OF the
opinion that Andrew johnson, President of the
United States, ID guilty OF high crimes and misde-
meanors requiring the interpretation of the const
tutonal powers o. tais House, IN mat upon the
throw OF the rebel Government, the said Andrew
johnson, President Of the United States, neglected
that To Sy its aid and ahory legal and const
tionaI measures might have been adopted for the
organization Of loyal and constitutional govern
ments in the States then recently In rebellion; in
that in his proclamation to the people of North
Carolina, OF the 29h day Of May, 1865, he assumed
that he had authority to decide whether the Gov
eminent of North Carolina, and whether any other
Government that might be set up therein, was re-
publican in form; and that, In his office as Presi.
dent 1t was his duty and within his power to guar
ment contrary to the constitution, which provides
that the United States shall guarantee to every
State In this Union q republican form of govern.
the Supreme Court, which declares that Congress
Is vested exclusively with the power to decide
whether the government OF State is republican
or not; in that he did thereforeJ recognize and
treat plan of government set up. In North Caro-
lima under and In conformity to his own'advice and
direction, as republican in form and entirely re-
stored to its functions State, notwithstanding
Congress Is the branch of Government in which
by the constitution such power Is exclusively
vested, and notwithstanding Congress did refuse
eminent, or as a government republican in form :;
in that by public proclamation and otherwise, he
did, in the year 1885, invite solicit and convene in
certain other States, then recently In rebellion,
conventions OF persons, many Of whom were
known traitors who had been organized In an at
tempt to overthrow the Government of the United
to frame constitutions for such States; In that he
thereupon assumed to accept, ratify and confirm
certain socalled constitutions formed by such 1le-
gal and reasonable assemblages of persons,
which constitutions were never submitted to the
people of the respective States, nor ratified or
confirmed by the United States, thus usurping and
the Congress of the United States exclusively; in
that he pardonedlarg numbers of public and no.
torious traitors, with the design Of receiving from
them aid in such conventions, called by his advice
and direction, for the purpose Of organizing and
setting up such Illegal goyernnaents In the States
then recently IN rebellion, ~ rlor 70 the annual
strain Congress to accept ratify and confirm such
Illegal and unconstitutional proceedings; in that
lion, create and establish as civil office the office
of Provisional Governor an office unknown to the
constitution or laws of the land; In that he ap
pointed to such Office so created, In said States
respectively, men who were public and notorious
traitors, he well knowing that they had been en-
gagged In open, persistent and formidable efforts
States, and knowing also thatthese men could not
enter upon the duties of said Office without COM
hitting the crime OF perjury, In manifest violation
OF the laws of the country; in that he directed the
money to said persons SO illegally appointed as
salary OF compensation for services to be per-
to the provisions Of me law Of the United States
approved February a, 1868, entitled IAN act max
ing appropriat tons for the support Of the army for
for the deficiency for the signal service for the year
ending June 10th, 1862; in that he directed the
Secretary OF War TO pay moneys TO said persons
for service performed In said office 30 illegally Gre
ated which moneys were so paid under his direction
without authority OF law, contrary to law and In
violation of the Constitution of the United States;
In that he deliberately dispensed with, and sus
pended the operation of, a law of the United
States passed on the ID of July 1852, entitled An
act to prescribe an oath of office, and for other
purposes" In that he appointed to offices created
by the laws Of the United States persons who, as
was well known to him, had been engaged In re-
sed who % peury
otherwise violating Criminally the act of July 2,
1862 enter upon the duties thereof; In that with
cut authority OF law he used and applied property
taken from the enemy In time of war for the pay
ment of the expense and support of the said fe- 4
gal and unconstitutional governments so set up In
said States recently in rebellion, and for q like
purpose and in violation of the constitution and
his oath Of office, he authorized and permitted a
levy of taxes upon the people Of said States, thus
usurping and exercising d power which by the
constitution is vested exclusively in the Congress
of the United States; all of which were a usurpa-
stituon of the United States, and In violation OF
his oath of Office as President of the United States
in that the said Andrew johnson, President OF the
United States, has, In messages to Congress, and
otherwise, publicly denied substantially the right
of Congress to provide for pacifcation, govern
ment and restoration of said States to the Union,
and in like manner he has asserted his exclusive
right to provide governments therefor, and
to accept and proclaim the restoration Of said
States to the Union, all of which Is In derogation
of rightful authority Of Congress, ana calculated TO
-subyert the Government of the United States; In
that in accordance with said declaration, he has
vetoed various bills passed by Congress for3the
pacifcation and government Of the States recently
In rebei9n ana thelr SPEEDY a ION 70 snS
that said States had been restored to their places In
the Union by his aforesaid illegal and uncOnstitu-
tional proceedings, thus SO interposing and using
a constitutional power of the office he held as to
prevent the restoration of the Union upon q con-
stitutiona basis In that he has exercised the pow
or of removals from, and appointments TO Offices
for the purpose ofmantanng effectually his af0re-
said usurpation, and for the purpose of securing
the recognition by Congress of the State Govern
ments SO Illegally and unconsttutionaly set up In
the States recently In rebellion, such removals and
appointments having been attended and followed
with great injury to the public service, and with
enormous losses to the public revenue; In that In
the exercise of the pardoning power he issued an
order for the restoration Of 1893 men belonging to