The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-02-25
lEIGHTEEN CENTS A WEEK



personal dignity would remain in the Cabine
after he had been notified to vacate It was thl
opinion Of the Senator that the Office was still
subject to The will of the President But nov
it B proposed to impeach the President because
he has done what the law says he has right
to do. Suoterfuges must be scarce indeed i
for that a1se the President must be impeach
ed, after ;he House would not listen to i'm
peachInent. The Judiciary Committee pre-
sented yet stronger case against him, il
there was eny case at all: Hitherto no matter
what party was in power the institutions OF the
country have been respected, and no one ever
attempted to perpetuate party by overthrow
| ing the institutions Of the country. Wings
and Demo Gratis have been in power, but have
never attempted to perpetuate it by overthrow
the attempt has been made Suppose you sue
ceed, and make the President Of the Senate
President Of the United States. you establish a
precedent which all other parties will look to.
The curse Of the South American governments
has been in following of the course which
this House now proposes to fix as precedent
that Of overtrrning the executive depart
ment Of the government. In conclusion, he
warned gentlemen to beware Of the fatal pre-
cedent they were now about to set.
Mr.. Spa!ding (O:( agreed that this was a
solemn occasion. No more solemn duty could
| devolve upon this House than the considera-
ton Of ar article Of impeachment. He had
opposed impeachment before, because he be-
lieved son,e overt act should first be committed
by the President. 1t seemed to him that the
President had for weeks been courting just
such measure as that which was now before
| this Houss, and upon him now must rest the
responsibility. The President throws himself
IN direct contact with an act OF Congress,
passed on the I'd OF last March, over his owD
eto. It is true the act gave the President the
right OF suspension, but that poor privilege
was at ON end when Congress was in session.
In spite o. that civil Tenure act the President
sent to the Senate message yesterday declar-
ing that lie had removed Edwin NJ. Stanton,
secretary Of War; the Senate being in session,
and there being no right OF removal, the Presi-
dent has thrown down the glove and assumed
the right to say to the Senate IN spite OF your
law l have removed MIR. Stanton. He cared
not whether Andrew johnson or any one else
was President. What he wanted was peace,
and he STEW no way OF securing it except by
voting with unanimity for the resolution.
Mr.. Birg CHAM (Ohio) said he was utterly in
capable o. approaching this question in party
spirit. The gentleman MIR. Brooks1 says the
issue involved is ON issue relative to Office. 1t
was not 20, but an issue whether the constltu-
tion shall be maintained by the Representatives
of the people. He had no desire to resort to
this last power reposed in the people, and had
restrained others so long as there was any
doubt hanging over the question of his liabiG-
ty to impeachment. With the past be was sat-
isfed, and was responsible for it to the COM
mon Father Of us all; but he stood here with o
conviction as clear as truth, that the President
mad beer guilty OF violation of his oath Of
Office anc of congressional and constitutional
law, and had trampled upon the Constitution
of the United States. He must have known
that he could fill vacancies during the recess
OF the Senate, but at no other time. He could
make temporary appointments, but it needs no.
argument to show that he could not create the
vacancy to fill the Office. II he may create
vacancy, and remove an officer, why
should he not remove Lorenzo Thomas, and
so go OIL from day to day until the end OF
his term. The gentleman (Mr. Banks) had
argued That the Secretary OF War was not
within tho operation OF the civil tenure act,
but the President recognized the act as en-
bracing ahe Secretary Of War by the very act OF
suspend:ng him last summer. He complied
with it by giving the Senate his reasons within
the time designated in the Tenure of Office act.
The Serate (A1r. B. argued) was the place OF
final renort for Judgment in these cases, and
tho Supreme Court could not review the act OF
the Senate or pass judgment upon it. That
Senate has decided that E. N. Stanton was
Secretary OF War, the President OF the United
States 70 the contrary notwithstanding; and
under the law the President could only appoint
another Secretary when the Senate agreed to
Mr.. Stanton's removal. But the President has
chosen 10 violate the 5th section Of tho Tenure
Of Office act, and has defed the representation
CT the people. The gentleman from New York
tells us to beware, but did the gentleman not
know that it is written i'll the constitution
that the President shall be removed
from (fice on conviction Of high crimes
and plisdemeanors Did he not know
that power of impeachment was vest
cd in the House Of Representatives un
under she constitution? There is enough IN
the facts already disclosed in the Presidents
correspondence upon this snbject to draw the
inference that the President is guilty under
another. act beside the Tenure OF Office act
lie ferred to the act Of 1861, which makes it
a crims for the President or any one TO pre-
vent nj officer from exercising the functions or
his Office. It was plain under this last act that
the President hal interfered with an ot1cer
put in his place by the Senate. There were
some facts that had como TO the knowledge OF
the committee that should here be mentioned.
This General Thomas to-day appeared at the
War Cfice and noLlhed Mr.. Stanton that he
(Ihomas) would not recognize HIM (Stanton)
as Secretary OF War that he would keep pos
session. and that be would take the mais for
the War Office and all by the direction OF the
President.
After some further debate it was agreed that
The TOlG OF Inc lIupeuCuuleuC tSoo'uetO S.'oA1~N
he taken on Monday at P. NJ. and the House
then adjourned.
THE EXCITEMENT AT THE NoRTH-wHAT THE
PAPERS SAY ON THE SUBJECT.
The New York Tribune says:
Mr.. Johnson will achieve no coup detat. Ma.
ture. in denying HIN the ccurage proportioned
To his vanity, has made him proof against
great crimes. His forte lies entirely in pecca-
diloes. When Congress concludes to impeach
MIN for petty misdemeanors, it will find plenty
OF them. But if it waits for high crimes, he
will serve out his term in feverish peacefulness
and empty feints:
The New York Herald has the following
Characteristic paragraph:
Tho removal of Stanton of itself was an act
cf defiance against the expressed will OF Con-
cress sufficiently astounding to both houses;
Int coupled with these promotions OF the old
minis. erria General Thomas, and OF the man
who never lost n BATTLE" the 'rock OF Glnral-
FAR" the fighting General Thomas, there was
enough to satisfy the Senate and the House
that shero was mischief in tho wind, and that
the case OF ''the man at tho other end OF the
ayepuo" had assumed phase which admitted
of nc delay. Tho case ut Washington as IL now
stands is simply this: II the Radlcals lall 70 20
net promptly and decisively they are gone; II
they attempt to act decislvely tney may 1all,
and from their failure Andrew johnson may
cut out all competitors and walk over the pro
ken fragments Of the Republican party into the
next Presidency.
The New York World remarks
Wa suppose the President will make no i'm
medlate attempt to eject Stanton by force; and