Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1868-03-06
Thad. Stevens on Impeachment.


In the house of representatives,
March I'd, Mr.. Stevens made the fol-
lowing remarks regarding the i'm
parchment of the president. It will
be seen that the old commonerv is I
not SO near dead but that he can add
his testimony and talent towards ar
raigning the most shameless scoundrel |
this century has produced:
Mr.. Stevens of Pennsylvania. sit
ting at Clerks desk, proceeded to adj
dress the House. the members having
collected in the area in front of the
desk. He said, "Never was a great
malefactor so quietly treated as
Andrew Johnson. The people. have
been unwilling to blot the records
of this country by weighing hiscrimes
with their shame-shame for an en-
durance for long time of bis great
crimes and misdemeanOrs. The COM
mittee have omitted entirely his wick
ed abuse of the patronage Of the Gov
eminent, his corruption Of the voters
Of the nation by seducing them with
offers Of Office and intimidating them
by threats of expulsion, and for the
purpose of making t b EN- abandon
their honest principles and adopt the
bastard policy which he had just con-
ceived-a crime more heinous than
that which brought many Of the an
clients to the block. To this he was
prompted by the same motive which
made the angels fall. Soon after the
death of Mr.. Lincoln and the surrend-
er of the So-called Confederate army,
the whole government of the terrific
ry, persons and property Of the ter
ritory, claimed by and conquered from
the .so-called Confederate States of
America, deyol7ed upon the Congress
of the United States, according to the
most familiar and well adjudicated
principles Of national and municipal
law, leaving nothing for the President
to do but to execute the laws of Con-
gress and govern them by military
authority until Congress shall other
wise direct Yet Andrew johnson,
assuming to establish an empire for
control, depriving Congress of its
! just prerogative, did erect North Ca
rolina and the other conquered terri
tories into States and relations, giving
them governments OF his own crea-
ton, and appointing over them rulers
unknown to the laws of the United
States, and. who could not by any
such laws hold any Office therein. He
fixed the qualifications Of electors,
directed who should hold office, and
especially directed them to send re-
/ representatives. to both branches of
Congress, ordering Congress to ad-
nit them when they should arrive
When Congress refused and asserted
its sovereign prerOgative to govern
those territories, except during their
military occupation, by their own in
herent power, he treated their preten-
SiOns as idle and refused to obey
them. When Congress subsequently,
passed acts, dated March 2, 1861, and
| their supplements for the reconstruc-
ton of those late rebellious States
under Republican forms of Govern
ment by votes Of the people, to pro-
nounce them unconstitutional. and
after they had become he advised the
people not to obey them, thus to de
feat instead Of to execute the laws
OF Congress, and this was done after
| Congress had declared these outlying
States as possessing no Government
which Congress could recognize, and
that Congress alone had power and
control ogerthem. This monstrous
usurpatlon, worse than sedition and
little less than treason, he adhered Co
by declaring in his annual message
and at Other times, that there was nc
legal Congress, and that all their act.
were unconstitutional These being
much more fundamental offenses, and
IN my Judgment, much more worthy
OF punishment, because more fatal ia
the Nation, the Committee have omit
| ted In their articles of impeachment
because they were determined to deal
Ieniently with the President. En-
Icouraged by this impunity, the Pres
ldent proceeded to new acts of vio-
lence and to disregard the express
commandment Of Congress. 1t i.
these acts, trivial by comparison bu
grave in their positive character, fol
which the Committee has chosen tc
call him to answer, knowing that there
IS enough among them, if half were
/, omitted, to answer the great object
and purpose of impeachment. The
proceeding can reach only removal
from office, and anything beyond what
} VIII effect that purpose being unne
cessary, may be looked upon as wan
. ton cruelty. Hence the tender mer
cles OF this Committee have rested
only on the most triaing crimes and
mlsdemeanors which they could select
from the official life of Andrew John.
son. | will begin with the articles
In their inverse order, and devote a
few minutes to EACH" Mr.. Stevens
Then proceeded to consider in detail
the several articles of impeachment
proposed, and demonstrate their cor
RICHNESS and the ground. unon which