Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1868-04-09

! move. But words may be an
, sometimes are things--living, burn
ing things, that set a world on fire
! AS a notable instance Of the powe
Of words, look at the insurrectior
Of the rebellion through which w
have just passed. For a quarter ol
century the nation took no notice
Of the talk Of disuniOn and seces-
sion which was heard in Congress
and on the stump, until in the South
a generation was taught them by a
word and the words suddenly burst
forth into terrible, awful war. Does
any one doubt that If jackson had
hanged Calhoun in 1882 for talking
notification and secession, which
was embryo treason, the cannon of
South Carolina against Fort Sum
ter would ever have been heard with
all their fearful and deadly conse-
/ quences.
Nay, more; if United States Off
GERS, Senators and Representatives
had been impeached or disqualified
from office in 1882 for advocating
secession on the stump, as was done
in 1862 by Congress, then our sons
and brothers, now dead in battle or
starved in prison, had been alive
and happy, and a peaceful solution
Of the question of slavery had been
found. Does any one doubt that
if the intention of tine respondent
could have been carried out, and his
denunciations had weakened Con-
gress in the affections of the people
so that those who had in the North
sympathized with the rebellion
could have elected such a minority
even of Representatives to Con
gress, as together with those sent
up from Governments organized by
Mr. johnson in the rebellious States,
should have formed a majority of
both or either House of Congress,
that the President would have rec
ognized such a body as a legitimate
Congress, and attempted to carry
out its DEGREES by aid of the army
and navy, and Treasury of the Uni
ted States, over which he now claims
such unheard of and illimitable
power, and thus lighted the torch of
civil war.
In all earnestness, Senator's, I
call each one of you, upon his con-
science, to say whether he does not
believe, by preponderance of evil
dence drawn from the acts of the
respondent since he has been in Of |
flee, that if the people had not been,
as they ever have been, true and
loyal to their Congress and them
selves, such would not have been
The result of these usurpations Of
power in the Executive. Is itindeed
20 be seriously argued here that
there is a constitutional right in the
President of the United States, who,
during his official life, can never lay
aside his official character, to de-
nounce, malign, abuse, ridicule and
,ontemn, openly and publicly, the
Congress of the United States, a
90 ordinate branch of the Govern
nent?
1t cannot fail to be observed that
he President-shall l dare to say
lis counsel? or are they compelled
~ exigencies of their defense p
lave deceived themselves as to the
of the charge in this arti-
lie. 1t does not raise the question
# freedom of speech, but of pro
'riety and decency of speech and I
onduct in a high officer of the |
government, and Andrew J Johnson, l
heprivate citizen, ,as may reverent- '
Y hope and trust he soon will be, t
as full constitutional right to a
hink and speak what he pleases, in c
he manner he pleases, and where g
e pleases, provided always he does
OF bring himself within view of
lie common law offenses of being b
common railer and brawler, or a d
ommon scold, which he may do, if fc
male person is ever liable to com fl
lit the crime. Al
But the dignity of his station, the d
roprieties of his position, the tt
Of his office, all of which
e part of the common law of the W
nd, require the President of the if
nited States to observe that mai m
ty Of department, that fitness of dl
'nduct, that appropriateness of de- ST
eanor and those amenities of be- te
Ivior, which are a part of his high a
ficial functions. He stands be- bI
re the youth of the country as the Cr
:empler of all that is of worth in e
1bition, and of all that is to be hs
ught by aspirations. He stands sc
fore the men of the country as a to
ave magistrate, who occupies, if OF
does not fill, the place once hon W,
ed by Washington. r
Nay, far higher and of greater an
he stood before the of
rid as the representative of free tn
as a type of man whom hi
suffrages Of free people have in
Osen as their chief He should fin
living evidence of how much bet ia
), higher, nobler and more in the m
age of God, is the elected ruler it
a free people than a hereditary pc
march, coming into power by the to
,ident of birth, and when he dis m,
points all these hopes and all mi
,se expectations, and becomes RI co
ID, scurrilous, blasphemous, ban
ing epithets and taunts with
ring mob, shall be heard to of
, that such conduct is not high of
sdemeanOr in Officer Nay, dis fol