The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1868-06-19
Presidency 70 impeachment and removal from
his own hiph oficc .r..

his own high office" r..tsi-., -
oud and third articles. On the 2ist February
assuming 10 have removed Mr.. Stanton, tn
President. In writing, authorized Genera
Thomss TO sot q Secretsry Of War, and sp
pointed him Secretary of War ad faitrfm
there being no vacancy In that Office. or pre-
tencs Of vacancy, except the letter to Mr.. stan
ton Of the same date, the Senate then being 10
csssion snd not beng advised upon TIE sub
The President. In bis answer. Insists that si
The dsts OF The letter and 10 delivery 10 Gen.
ersl Thomas there Was vacancy In the oi6os
Of Secretary OF War caused BY removal; thai
Notwithstanding the Senate wls in session, ],
wes lawful and IN accordance With long -estab-
lished usage 70 empower said Thomas 70 oct q
Secretary Of War ad iatsrin and that II the
tenure-of-ofhos act Be valid, IN doing 20 hs VI
olated mono OF its provisions. E - l.r...
Whether there wAs OF not vacancy In that
ofice will depend upon the sfieet given to the
letter OF removal sddreessd y Mr.. Stanton,
which Was not acquiesced In, and under Nach
no removal de Jaeto WAS effected and whetht,
was Justified by any usage srising under any
provision oflaw. II Is not pretended that anl
act OF Congress expressly coufers this powel
while the Senats 10 In isesslon, much les tha
the power b drawn from any express provision
Of the Constitution. No parallel In the histor,
OF the government Is shown or Is believed e
exist. Tho only case st oil approaching II Il
that OF Timothy Pickering, where the removal
and the nomination to the Senate Of his success
or were Simultaneous. and were essentially one
and the same oct, and was In and Of itself the
mode adopted by the President Of obtaining
the advice and consent Of the Senate TO the re-
moval. But In thp case was an attempted re-
moval without reference to the Senate and In
dependent oft, and the appointment. Of .
Secretary ad fnferim. and no nomination to
plication of the Constitution, laws. nor usage
was the removal Of Mr.. Stanton and the desig-
nation Of General Thomas % Secretary Of War
ad intsrim authorized. 1850
But Il Is insisted that the removal Of Mr..
Stanton having created o vacancy the President
was authorised to fli it temporarily by the
designation Of Gen. Thomas. under the sct Of
1895, and that that act was not repealed by the
act of 1863. This latter act repeals all acts and
parts OF acts Inconsistent with It's provisions ;
and II Is said that Its provisions are not incon
slstent In some one or more particulars With
the former act upon the same subject, and to
that extent ut least 10 not repealed. This con-
struction Is quite too narrow: The Question is
nos .iN .h.sn.t .t 'n0 nv y. p ~. ~
nes"u'eo 'no v'noI aoN Su' Nne,"e' ~ 'o W.
the law upon the particular subject. II %,
then. by Hell-establisbeI rules of legal inter-
nretstion h d,,e, onerate ,o rs,.a, TIE FORMER
avs "non ,hst srh;s.s '" 'sP'"' '"'
Now 1t Is apparent from m examination Of those
statutes that the act or 1869 was such statute OF
vision. Tho act Of liy2, upon tho sams subjset,
made tho provisions for the case % % q %yssansy Sy
death, and certain temporary disabilities IN tho
State, War. and Treasury Department That o.
iIy5 proyided that IN case OF sscaney aoi az
Dotn alMs ~ tne cases p,'oo y,
thatiho riesMent mignt sutnoI.e ~ ps,ssvta ,st ~
e. The net Of isss provides lSat in case Of rsHs
nauon, ueatn, aosenvo uol .uo s.as s,'.
nent, or sicknsss ~ tns nSsa W uo eAss .
usuePaIsuivn.s, uIo Iosu'ns "sy .ss,n ~
dnti.g All Iny o'"e' a'pa''"'"'' a''' W pe''o'" '"'
a1r,es, ME, So ,,o.,,. x,,,., ., ,h. ,.u ., An.
.,ht"s 1, w.. nhIs.t. Of so,h n,to.
statutes, provIdos ior vacancy by rssignstion, not
"rov,dst nv sn.s,acsiIyN an3 az. nces the r"ie m
otb nre Ststpss ~ 10 tbe pernon % be suthorissd
IN nsttn,m tSs aoiics tsmnoPsriivI And male pro.
visons fcr the other dana rfments and All ants tho
.n,s,In. ~ Wy shs nssPen. ch.o.sd .tsta of aI.
~. anTt ~ So,ktsS ~. A.. at oS ia6S ~.
intended 70 be . revision Of ths whole law upon
-, .no " .s. eia pto,,V , ~. a. Ssna1s
!" ~ ~. . UaV Uas ,.. ~ m aS ~n,.n.v hv Sasth
1as;sosI ssa nv sss sha, ,a snnu,n2sn.nts ~ ~
Il. IL. -
heads OF departments, dc. anu IN csso q. vsoency
y ~ Iemosal 70 ausnorhe any peIon on PenQns
.nst tne act SI lecI was ,nIenuea 20 lev .s u,
u ~ ~ cIesa Iotn tne s,s1 1men. VI VIZ W
me S9lnmtteS on tno yualciaty wn9 tepGI.ca we
.ct non MT itumpuI tnst " " was nis unnsIs'snu sn
'nE sns' "a'a repeal al 'o'"ef ~" up0n 'nA'
'u3ce. tes .,,s.,.n. ,rs,,,.
ID nus Sns pIsVso qusson asan y. 'nc T's.s otS ~,
ton anu spPolntment ol uenorh Lhomas W ia,.
I saiuIu'oas1H oy ,ie , Scnse, anu .'pSs ThI. ~
~ souoa On tne S' reoiuAsy "es Auis "'
EoSoLui
"A ,n o oGnSto nauS ,S p,s.dsn, ,ting
~ Wy eonuuuica.ve v, s9 ,"S sh
That he had removed Edwin N. stanton, secretary
" NAT, and hsI designated Lorenzo Ihomss W SCI
- SecIetaiy OF MAr az nl"nm' ih%eie,oIS % s
risf s"ssr iis csn.iisi'sn and loo. Of tho United
nc rresaent M no n.h.r o,roar Sme
,eotetsry OF War anu designsS any osnsI onccr
" periorm the duties OF mat ounce oa 'nIsumi -.
n,s,ns at m n O a s srp"
~ usl Inc resolution nnsiiy psssed inc oenA'e
Hlthout divisions
To those who would weaken tne torco ot thn
ccord, or nna excuse IoI tne rresoen. .n ,1.,,
hat II the senate wouls % Istaln ,,s se,ospo0s' W
command the respect OF others, u mu,. msna ,y ny
70 DEGREES until reversed ior erroI, anu NOT sor ne
held obedience u them: The President tells tho
senate. In his communication upon tho subject.
hat as early as August last he had "dsternined TO
AIRY Tor the Department OF WAR" That tho Issue
now for the third time distinctly before the Sen.
Ite, twice by tho action Of the President and now
surrender Of the recori Of the Senate Is q sur.
ender M n pubiic officer 10 the predetermined |
'urno.c !, nd neysonsi will of the PRECEDENT IL Is
,s.fias. a., s,v .usI resuit vould Ia the ,lepOsi.
,o,' ~ i,,h n,,IIc oassr vi,L"ut cause. a ri
Jul ~ ~ The law of The land and or The
i,n npna' p ,n.'is'a,i,n a,,La,i,w of ,be country
upleine lesnNo as a"',,, ,sI,h i,J,s
whoever eohlenipinNs ,ns,.n, suyn ~ a...,,,irn %
efence my rrspno ,,sa .oL 5 at a,r s,s,.,n ~,
lsurpation totai'y suo'ers"e " ou' s's"" W
government. n. ,o,o.,,,o, ., ,h.
~ oniy I.ioans W oonsu .,, ne m p,.', ~ " ,aIS IA
o9nsel ioI tho rIesaen. n, .s ,,,",sta IN in'n,'
guilty on an assumsa ,Inm nny' ~ ,s'. io,.n, lii,
pret,ns tue law IN lausnn liz o,i,o ", .o aaa'S ,S,n.
rnlch the rIesuent re.cu. ano pI, pII,o ~ ,'., y, VIZ
,mcer, hs acu, speeen pS suh ,hpa."iyI poiyyI m,S n,o"
'venS W. siJaS y, n Thn n,siitv the n.,,iruisr
'riy be consldered. ne W " ". ',ep,.t .un,
lct may 10 lsnss'oa rnn, st1n s,nd =, bsJ
Atlon anu puoIlc Sonuu., ,,.I,.r or the ..,. .ou
IN ndetetminlnS .nc S '.san, " " tho psss,S.n,
olslned ". t99cnlns ne ins ,su Is,,o y. ~. .n,.
20 msy consmoI MneaoL ~ 'v sn. ' ~ ~, .Sw ~.
'edent oihcia. copduet, MneueI WY ni1 Pssg
,uDIlo anu oholsi OF p.s raa P,,os ,,sn..
y tney arose out ., somc pIesss
9 Peono ea,Eenoyj ". .sn,n.J mi"eanSac, or
aL Hsauon % e sa., sst'isd actsrnInstias to
~. ~, ,r liz .ha hsd hscoms d,aa,sesbis I'm
IN, n, Al, Ssss,ds and bccauso n Wss his pIeas-
~ ~, ~ ionys, so tolsrais hIm in hiaofcs In thIs
~ wv ~