Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1868-03-03

II upon particular and pressing matters
b but upon all pending subjects Of legisla'
o ton, so that BY this reckless and arbitrary
r suspension of the rules, and the wantor
o abuse OF the previous question, the rights
y Of the minority have been utterly disre'
4 garded, the House OF Representative has
: ceased to be deliberative body, and th,
. minority have been ruled out upon thu
Q most important question without any
! proper or reasonable time for debate OF
/ consideration. To such an extent has
! dangerous and oppressive practice beer
: carried, that measures affecting vitality
/, the whole country, and the dearest int
: rests Of our constituents, as we believe
to the subvsrsion Of our republican form
of government in their very nature, de
handing Of the people and representa-
, tives the most careful examination and
scrutiny, have been hurried through the
form oflegislation, without being printed,
without one word Of debate or one
|, moment Of deliberation, or without, in
deed, opportunities. The undersigned
protest against the operating order en-
J forced by the majority as the order Of
the House. These alarming abuses OF
power might not seem to demand this
formal protest il we were not. forced to
the belief that determined intention
exists with the majority to revolutionize
the Government by destroying the other
coordinate branches, and vesting all
the power Of the Government in
Congress. In the steps taken to
depose the President of the Uni
ted States we are admonished that
there is no end to this oppressive
measure to cripple the power and silence
the voice of the minority. The resolution
was rushed through the House under the
operation Of the previous question refer
ring the matter to the committee. The
committee, in hot haste, sitting when
the House was in session, in violation of
one of its expressed rules, considered
| a I'D by a strict party vote adopted and
DR. esented to the House for action, and
the a was exhibited one of the most extra
| ordinary spectacles ever witnessed in
deliberative parliamentary body.
Some of the members were allowed thirty
minutes, some twenty minutes, some five
minutes, and some one minute, to decide
the most momentous questions ever pre-.
scented. Many could not even get one
minute under the arbitrary rule of the
majority, and even more than half the
party voting to enforce the previous
question, who desired to be heard, were
only permitted to print their speeches in
the Globe after the question upon
the resolution was decided, bs and
which were never delivered in
the House. No comment can demon
strate more completely than the facts
themselves the viciousness and illegality
of such proceedings; but this wan.on
and excessive use of the power of the
majority does not stop here. While the
committee were in session upon the
further proceedings to remove the Presi-
dent, and in anticipation of its action,
under the operation of the previous
question, without debate, in violation of
an express rule, new, special and most
extraordinary rules for the conduct of
this proceeding, changing without pre-
vious notice the standing rules of the
House, were adopted to further limit de-
bate and more completely to place
the minority within the power and
at the mercy of the majority; thus
while the majority Of Congress are work
ing upon the other coordinate depart
ments, the executive and judicial are
endeavoring to subjugate and bring them
both under the will and control of Con-
gress, the minority of the House of
Representatives are steadily and surely
being stripped of all power. and their
constituents deprived Of all representa-
ton in the counsels of the republic; we
do, therefore, most solemnly protest
against the indecorus and undignifed
haste with which the majority of this
House inaugurated, presented and rushed
through by strict party vote, in plain
and palpable violation of one of the
standing rules of the House, the resolu-
ton demanding the impeachment of the
chief magistrate of the people for alleged
high crimes and misdemeanors in office,
when the gravity of the charge and the
character Of the high Office against which
this attack was directed, and the unfore-
seen and tremendous consequence which
might result therefrom to the peace and
prosperity Of the people, called for the
exercise of the calmest and wisest |
Judgment and the most unprejudiced and |
Impartial elaboration on the part of those |
who had such proceedings in charge, |
we do most solemnly protest against this |
thrice repeated attempt to degrade and |
break down one of the great coordinate |
branches of the government, through the |
spirit of party hatred and vengeance |
against the person who, by the Constitu- !
ton, is in the rightful and conscientious |
discharge of its functions, thus consum-
ing the precious time which ought to be |
faithfully devoted to an earnest effort to |
relieve the pressing wants of the peo-
pie, restoration of q torn and dis |
tracted country to union, and to good |
order, and to tightening the bur
den Of taxation, which is pressing
down ell the energies OF trade and COM
meree to the point of universal bank
ruptcy and ruin. We do again most |
solemnly protest, and most profoundly |
deprecate all attempts to array hostile |
antagonism against each other of the de-
partments Of the Government upon |
the mere question ofthe conslitutionality !
or construction of law of Congress, the |
proper jurisdiction and hnal adjudica
ton Of which belong exclusively to the |
judicial tribunal and we hereby warn |
the people Of the United States that the |
public liberty and the existence Of free |
institutions are involved in this suicidal |
struggle, and that they are in imminent
peril Of utter overthrow. We do further
most solemnly protest against that wild
and radical spirit Of innovation upon the
early and wellsettled practice of the
Governments practice established by
men who framed the Constitution and
who best understood its spirit and mean
ing-which puts the Chief Magistrate of
the republic, the representative of the