The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1867-11-29
THE COMING CONGRESS- AND THE
PRESIDENT.
The Past and the Present.

TheadjOurned meeting of the first ses-
sion of the Fortieth Congress will COM
mence on Thursday next, the Dist in-
slant, and end on Saturday, the 30th
November. On Monday, the ID day
of December the regular session will
commence, when, it is understood, the
Presidents message will be sent in, that
being the commencement of the regu-
lar session. No message was sent in at
the special July session which was not
held under any law or usage, nor is any
necessary to inaugurate the prolOnga-
ton of the same session. The July ses-
| sion was held for the purpose OF i'm
peaching the President, bat il having
been deemed advisable to postpone the
project, the two houses agreed to adj
jOurn till the 2lst Of November, when
the report Of the committee on the ju-
dicary upon the Impeachment subject
will be received, and will probably oc-
cupy the exclusive consideration ofCOn-
gress during the adjourned session.
The chairman of the judiciary commit
tee is Mr.. Wilson, of Iowa, and is un-
derstood TO be opposed to presenting
articles of impeachment, as are also
! two other members of the cOmmitte of
five, making, therefore a majority Of
| the committee against that extreme
measure. In the event of their refusal
| to present articles of impeachment, it
| is believed that other members of the
| House will attempt to do it indepen-
| IDENTIFY of the committee; a good deal
of excited debate, hOr yer, may be
anticipated, ending in no decisive ac-
ton. If the House was not prepared
for impeachment in July, but thought
it best to wait for the results of the fall
elections before coming to a final con-
clusion, it may be safely predicted that,
after the emphatic condemnation
which the people, including men of the
republican as well as other parties,
have uttered againstthe eXceSSes of rad
| icalism, it will not be deemed in the in
terest Of the party to press impeach-
ment now, though, in its stead, reso-
luton Of censure upon the President
may be passed and go upon record
| The effect of such proceedings likelytO
prove even more impotent for harm,
except to the actors in it, than the ia
nous resolution of censure passed upon
| General Jackson for the removal of the
deposits from the United States Bank
by the Senate of the United States, at
time when the Senate was composed
of the most illustrious men of the ma
ton.
The resolution charged high crime
upon the President in violating the
laws and constitution to obtain power
over the public treasure, to the dan
ger of the liberties of the people, and
misdemeanor in dlsmissing the late
Secretary Of the Treasury from Office.
1t was thOnght by the Senate that the
passage of the censure resolution would
demolish General Jackson, but it had
exactly the opposite effect, and not
Withstanding the unprecedented finan-
| cial distress which then prevailed
throughout the country, and the adroit
use which was made of it to stir up
| popular Indignation against General
| Jackson, the instructive sagacity Of
the people saw that the senatorial CEN
sure was prompted by private griefs Of
! General Jackson's political rivals, and
their innate sense of justice and charac-
teristic love of fair play revolted at the
| trial and condemnation OF a man by
! his avoWed enemies. Andrew Jackson
stood then, as Andrew Johnson does
now, the sole obstacle to the powerful
combination which was arrayed against
him but his firmness was equal to the
emergency, and he never lost faith in
the people, being in the habit OF declar-
ing, "The people will take it up after
awhile" The people did take it up,
and theresolution OF censure made him
more popular than ever, whilst those
who had passed it were politically Grip
pied, and lived to see the day when it
was formally eXpunged from the re-
! cords of the Senate.
The ''prote9t" that General Jackson
addressed to the Senate after its resOlu
ton had passed contains many views
and arguments not inapplicable to the
similar proceeding which is said to be
contemplated against President john
son. He c0ntended that the resolution
was essentially judicial, and that
though the Senate possesses a high ju-
diciaI power, it can only beeXercised in
! the cases and under the forms prescri-
bed by the constitution, which is by
impeachment 50 that to pass resolu
! ton which was in SubStanceanim peach
mCnt was TO deprive the President Of
the safeguards and formalitieS which
! the constitution has connected with
| that power, and which the trainers of
that instrument supposed to be essen
tiaI to the protection of the public SER
want, the attainment of justice, and the
dignity and impartiality of the prOce-
! dure. Seven years afterwards an eX-
punging resolution, Which had been
originally moved by Thomas IL. Ben
ton, who SOLITARY and alone, set the
bail in notion" passed the Senate,
which ordered the obnoxious sentence