The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1868-05-14
NUMBER 30.

all men vithin its JURISDICTION ara
equal before the law, and equally sn--
titled 70 those rights Of person which
are as uuiverssl as the materisl Struc.
ture Of man, aud equslly liable {,
answer to its tribunal for justice foe
every injury done, either n = citizen
or to the State. 1t is this spirit Of
justice, of liberty, Of equality, Sens
tors, that makes your Constitution
dear TO froemen in this aud In all
lands, in ths, II secures to every mar
his rights, and 10 the psopls ss large
the iutestimable right OF self gov
ernment, aud that is the right thRt
is this day challenged by this usur-
ping President; for if he be law to
himself, the people arc no longor
their own lawmakers, through their
Representatives in Congress assom
bled. lie simply becomes their die
tator; if he becomes so, he becomes 30
by the judgement Of the Senate, nos
by tho text of the Constitution, not
by any Interpretation heretofore put
upon it b. any act OF the people, nor
by any act Of the peoples Represon-
tativos. They have discharged tkoir
duty; have presented him at the bar
Of the Senate for trial in that no has
usurped and attempted TO combine ia
himself the legislative and executive
powers Of the great people, thereby
claiming for himself power by whick
he may annihilate their Government.
We have seen that where the su-
promdoy Of their Constitution was
challenged by battle, the people mlds
such sacrifices to maiutlin il as 10
have no parallel in human history.
Senators, can il be that after this
triumph Of law over anarchy, Of right
over WI, ng, Of patriotism over troH-
sou, tho Constitution and laws are
again to be Assailed, in the capital Of
the nation, in the person of the Chief
Magistrate, aud that by the judgment
of the Senate he is to be protected in
that usurpationI | say, Senators,
that by the President, ia his answer,
aud by the representations Of his
counsel, you are deliberately ssksd
in your judgment to set the accused
above tho Constitution which he has
betrayed, and that, too, upon the
pretext that the President has the
right, judicially. TO construs that
Constitution for himself, aud judicial
ly to decide for himself the validity
Of your laws, aud to plead in jastiG-
cation at your bar, that his only pur-
pose in thus violating the Constitu.
tlon and laws is to test the validity
Of this laws, aud ascertain the con.
struction Of the Constitution BY his
own motion in the Courts Of justice,
aud thereby to suspend this proceed.
iug. | ask you, Senators, how long
men would deliberate upon the quss-
ton whether private citizen arraigu.
ed at the bar Of one Of your tribunals
OF justice for criminal violation Of
the law, would be permitted to inter
pose as a plea, in Justification Of his
criminal act that his ouly purpose
was to interpret the Constitution aud
laws for himself; that he violated
the law in the exercise of his pre-.
rogative to test lis validity hereafter,
al such day as might suit his own con.
venience, in The courts Of justice.
Surely, Senators, it is as competent
for private citizen to intefpose such
justification in answer to q crime,
in one Of your tribunals Of justice, as
it is for the President of the United
States to interpose it for the simple
reason that the Constitution is no
respector Of persons, aud vests hoith.
er in the President nor in the private
citizens the judicial power. Pardon
me, Senators, for saying il. ! speak
it in no offensive spirit; l speak from
q sense of duty; l utter but MY Own
= conviction, and desire to place it on
record, that for the Senate to sus-
tain any such Plea would, IN MY judg-
mont, bo a gross violation OF already
violated Constitution and laws Of q
free people. Can it be, Senators, that
} by your decree, you arc at last to
make this Discrimination between the
rules for a Pretident aud a private
citizen, and allow him to iGtcrpose his
private right of Interpretation, judi
cially, of your Constitution and laws?
Are you really, solemnly TO pro-
claim by your decree, as the Senate
of the United States-"plate sin
with gold and the strong lance Of
justice hurtless breaks; arm it with
rags, pigmy's straw doth pierce
it." put away, Senators, pos
sibility that the Senate of the Uni
tep States, equal in dignity TO any
tribunal in the world, is capable Of
recording any such decision, even
upon tho petition and prayer Of
this accused and guilty. President.
Can it be-, that by reason Of his
great Office, the President is
to be protected in his high crimes
and misde meanors, yiolatiye alike
Of his oath, the Connitution, and Of
the express letter of your Writtoa
law enacted by the Legislative De-
partment Of the Government.
Senators, l have said, perhaps,
more than | ought to have said I
have said morej perhaps, than there
was occasion to say (; know that l
stand in the presence Of men Rtus-
trioGs in our country's history; I
know that l stand in the presence
of men who for long years have been
in the nations councils know
that | stand in the presence Of men
who may, in some sense, be called
to-day living fathers Of the Repub-
lie. l ask you, Senators, TO con-
slider that l speak before you this
day in behalf Of the violated law Of
the people who commission ne; l