The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1868-02-25
Mr. KELSEY. of Naw york addressed Che


curse had no power to perform his officia
functions. Suppose the President was i'm
| peached in time of war for treason. and should
,ndjn impea :hment l'uTe ader to the enem,
the capital, the army, his judges and himself
what would prevent him from doing so a.
COmmander-in-C Chief, if the impeacbme al
court had not power TO restrict him in the
exercise OF his functions? 1t was nonsense to
say tnat tie court could try prisoLe I'M
| less 1T had jurisdiction of the person tried flr
suppose tue trial of the President for treason
should end IN conviction, how is Judgment to
be enforced if the criminal had control of the
army and navy? 1t seemed, therefore, very
| PLAIN that when an offender was imDeache 4
and summoned before the Senate for trial, all
his powers to perform official functions were
| suspended He believed that law governing
the subject should be passed, but even without
special act, the law and the Constitution
| were as he contend ed. -
Mr. Blaine. of Maine, having twenty min
utes assigned TO him, said the House was
ABOUT TO act under the plain authority of tba
constitution, and that it was not. therefore
necessary tor gentlemen on the other side 10
war; congress to beware for it was not pro.
posinS 10 40 anything outside the provisions al
the constitution. He did not underestimate
tne Importance of the occasion, but he did not
apprehend that the people of the country would
pe at an convulsed by the movement, for they
knew That Congress had authority to do it, and
| that there was necessity for tba exerc;sa "a
that authority. He submitted that III re was
no question of law involved in the matter at
all. The President had openly and plainly
vloiated the law, thrown down the gauntlet
ana dared Congress to the issue Congress
must accept and must meet the issue
Mr.. Washburne of Illinois declared he
should vote for the resolution before the
| mouse Acting with majority of the Re-
publican members of the House, he had not
| nltherto favored impeachment against the
President of the United States, not because
| he did not believe HIM morally guilty of i'm :
| peachable offences, not because he did not ex-
| ecrate his administration but because he felt
that IN the cases heretofore presented, there
mlght De doubt OF his conviction. Rather
than branch out on doubtful experiment la
had been disposed not to risk Impeachment in
| hopes that the President, warned of the mower
| OF the House and indebted to its forbearapce.
would 50 conduct himself as to avoid the ne
cessity OF resortins to the extreme remedy of
the Constitution. But all such homes had
been disappointed, every act of forbearance
had been put fresh invitation to further and
| more Migrant aggressiOns, until at last he had
nung himself against the very bulwark of the
constitution, defying the laws and overriding
| a coordinate branch of the Government The
time had now arrived when the peoples repre-
| sentatiyes could no longer delay vindicatiop
| OF the Constitution. To him the pathway of
duty was plain. He scorned the threats which
nau oeen made upon this floor. He feared no
appeal 10 the people, but courtAd such an an
peal Gentlemen had not read history if they
mad not learned that in all contests between the
executive and the commons the representatives
OF The people had triumphed in the end That
great party which, with patriotism. couraoe
file ity and heroism, had carried the coun,
| try In triumph and glory through the war,
| would now tail in its great mission that par
| W winch had overcome the undivided and
compacted strength of all the rebels in arms.
substances and supported by the sympathy of
two-hfths of all the Democrats not in one n re-
Deiion, would not now be overcome by a band
| OF mercenary camp followers of corrupt and
| reasonable administration. The time had
now come when the President should be
promptly ,mpeached for his last great crime
committed against the Constitution. His
| longer continuance in office was a perpetual
anu enduring menace against the peace and
| prosperity OF the country. The whole official
course OF the President had been marked by
| wicked disregard OF all obligations of public
/ duty, and by degree of perfidy. treacherv
and turpitude unheard OF in the history of the
rnlers OF free people, As mendae ious as he
was malignant, he had used his official posi-
ton to hurl down and destroy the purest and
! noblest in the land, His administration has
been constant and prolonged warfare against
all m ltefial interest ; it had prostrated
business, it had oppressed labor, DESTROYED
| States, impaired the public morals Sur
rounded by red-handed rebels, counseled by
e ene worst men that had ever crawled like
| hlthy reptiles at the footstool of power he has
used all the vast authority. of the Government
to prevent reunion of States and the resto-
ration OF peace. harmony and happiness to
Ine country. The loyal men in the rebel
States have been brought to a condition under
his administration from Contemplation of
which all men recoil with horror Murder ra-
pine, lncendiarism, robbery and all crimes
stalk through the whole land, and every day
ne remains IN Office adds to the long list of
Vlctlnis OF rebel vengeance, cruelty and hate
With such President, nearly all Denart-
ments of the Government have become de-
moralzed or corrupt to an extent which could
ind no parallel in the history of any country
OF age; Inc Attorney General was not salts
ned with being the medium through which so
many mail robbers, counterfeiters and public
| piunderers have been pardoned. and turned
loose upon the country, he has, with ostenta-
tious and boastf1l audacity, proclaimed that
| he will not vindicate the laws of Conoress
| Look at the Navy Department with its profii-
gacy and its extragance, robber.es and perse
| cutlons OF the most honest and the best naval
officers Of the country. The administration
| OF the Treasury Department WAS character
ized by the most appalling frauds with count
| less millions OF revenue stolen to go into the
| pockets OF thieves, partizans and plunderers
| or to make up vast political fund to demon
alze and corrupt the people. See the Interior
department., with the land jobbing and In
dian contracts and copfupt extension of na
tents; the Post Office Department arraioned
before the House by COMMITTEES of the
House; and the State Department arraieped
before the rulers of the earth for it's failure to
vlndieate the rights of the Nation and the
| citizens OF the Nation. Confronted as we are
this day BY this stat" of things, so threatening
| to the National existence and SO destructive
| to all that IS held dea" to posterity, where is
the patriotic man of any political organiza-
ton that does not call upon Congress sternly
TO 40 its whole duty and purge she Capitol Of
the crimes which now defile the Nation?
Mr.. Woodward, of Pennsylvania, denisd the
| rI0lt OF the Senltn ia fry nos OH
The House was not composed as the Constitu-
ton required of members chosen by the peo-
pie of the several States;" nor was the Senate
composed of two Senators from each State y
So sure am 1 that tie American people will
respect this objection, that if were the Pres
idents counsellor would advise him if you
prefer articles OF impeachment to demur, both
to your jurisdiction and to that OF the Senate,
and issue proclamation that while he held
| himself lmpeachabie for msdemeanors in
| Office before the constitutional tribunals, he
never woulo subject the Office he holds in trust
for the people to tho irregular, unconsttution-
al, fragment2ry bodies who propose to strip
him of il. Such proclamation, with the army
and navy ID hand to sustain it, would meet a
proper response that would make an end OF
impeachment and the impeachers
Mr.. Woodbridge sustained the impeachment
resolution. He declared his belief that in no
other way than by impeachment could the
majesty of the law and the future safety OF
the Republic be maintained. 1t was a solemn
duty that the House was called upon to per-
form. No man more than he regretted it. No
| personal friend OF the President would have
been better pleased than himself to hav,
seen Mr.. johnson remain in the Executive
chair until the end of his constitutional term
of office; but the President had assumed a
prerogatiye dangerous 10 tho liberty Of the
people. The threats of the gentleman from
| New York (Brooks) did not intmidate them
Their constituents were looking to them and
expected every man would do his duty. The
commercial centres might for day be rufied
and the National securities abroad might be
depressed, but people ever jealous and watch.
full of their liberties, would thank God that
their representatives had courage enough to
meet the emergency If tumult and riot and
bloodshed should follow they would not be
caused by the execution of law He would
assure the gentleman from New York Brooks
that if such would be the result, ten thousand
swords would leap from their scabbards a mil.
lion bayonets glsten in the sunshine, br ave
heroes would fill up the ranks, the honor O
the old flag would be maintained, peace ant
quiet be restored, and the nations of the eartt
would again learn that the United States wa.
Government of law
Mr.. Wood addressed the House against the
impeachment resolution, He said this pro-
ceeding is as unwarfant6d as it is uppreoed.
ented. The President has been guilty of M
legal or moral offence under the Constitution