The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1868-04-28

lueDI Oh MT. luOludS tu 'htSi.
withstanding the Senate declared that
he had no power to remove the Secreta-
nv of War and designate any other Of
! ficer to perform the duties OF the office
adj interim, he continued Thomas in
office, this offspring of assassination,
said Mr.. Stevens, and turned upon the
| Senate, who have thus rebuked him In
constitutional manner.
After the death of Mr.. Lincoln, in
stead of being content with the posi-
tions the people had given him, he
sought to become thereafter the Chief
Executive of the nation. This he knew
could only be done by changing princi-
pies, and creating new party to sus-
tain him. Alter some little hesitation
heresolved upon that course and per-
petrated a betrayal of the party that
had elected him, and the principles he
professed-baser than the betrayal OF
Judas Iscariot, who betrayed only a
SINGLE individual. Mr.. johnson sacri-
feed a whole nation and the hottest OF
principles.
MIR. Stevens then discussed the article
charging the President with usurping
the legislative powers, and proceeded
to show how he had interfered with the
work of reconstruction; he then briefly
reviewed the whole case; compared the
services of Mr.. Stanton with those of
Mr.. johnson; noticed the claim OF the
counsel that no removal of Stanton had
takcn place, because Mr.. S. still held on
| to the office, and concluded by saying,
"If the President is not willing to OK
ecute the laws of Congress, let him re-
sign and retire to his village obscur-
| ity."
Mr.. Williams then took the floor.
After speaking of the august charac-
ter of the tribunal and the intense in
terest which is felt all over the country
by the entire people, who are awaiting
with anxiety the verdict which is either
| to send thrills of JOY to an afflicted land
| or rack il anew with the throes of anar-
chy and despair.
lie proceeded to state that the matter
| now presented for discussion was not a
quarrel between two officials, but an is
sue between the American people. He,
| too weuld ask, "Who is Andrew john
sou ?" and would answer tie question
| in a different manner from the Presi-
dents counsel.
He then iatimated that Mr.. Johnson's
opposition TO secession in the Senate
was perhaps prompted by doubt
whether the step was advisable at that
time. But however that might be, he
would consider him as he is now, as he
had been since he came into power. Mr..
Williams held that the masterhelp to
all his conduct as President, was his
desire to favor and uphold traitors and
force the rebel States into the Union on
his own plan against the the express
will of Congress and the loyal people,
and went on to recte a great number
of acts of the President, which he
claimed were uSurpatiOnS aud offences
explicahie only on the above suppose
ton. The elimination of the long
series of usurpations of his oath of Of
! tiCe and indecencies was his attempt to
displace Mr.. Stanton in contempt of the
tenure. ofotfice law.
Mr.. Wilson took up the answers he
made to the Presidents counsel to the
charge of violating that law and first
discussed the proviso which it Was al
legged excluded Mr.. Stanton from its
operation. He had himself suggested
that amendment and explained its
meaning and he had never dreamed
such "a construction would be put
] upon it as read by the Presidents
counsel. 1t would be contrary to
the purpose of the bill. Mr.. Stan.
| toms case was certainly meant to
be covered by it. 1t was not the orig
mating cause of its introduction. He
claim d that the principles of construc-
ton require the proviso to be construed
in the light of the purpose of the law,
and held that the objection made was
that Mr.. Stanton did not come within
| it's effect because he was not formally
appointed by Mr.. johnson. This might
almost be termed bubble.
The Senate here took recess.
On Resembling, Mr.. Williams con-
sidered the point set up by the defence
that the law is unconstitutional, which
he characterized rs defiance and chal-
lcnre to Congress, from tho fact that
the Constitution DOES not provide fol
removals, except by impeachment. He
drew the inference, q legislative body
must possess the sole power OF Judging
when good behavior ceases and when
removals should be made. He also
claimed that the right TO remove sin
certain cases was either power dele
gated to the Executive by Congress OIL
merely implied by the Constitution and
| therefore not to be intended to apply
to all cases"
He then discussed the judicial au
/. thOritics cited by the Presidents coun-
sci, arguing that they afforded no cOun'
tenance to his views, but settled the
point that Congress may fix tenurcs OF
Office So as to prevent removals by the
President, and that his power to re-
move so far us il existed was only i'm
piled from his power to appoint against
/ the legislative construction which was
adduced in support of the Presidents
theory on this subject.
/ He cited passages from Webster'S and
/ Calhoun'S speeches, and the writings OF
Kent aud Story, to show that the inter
probation put ON the Constitution by
worthy of reversal, and called attention
to the fact that tue laws referred to
were passed by avery small majority in
| the House and in the Senate only by
the vote Cf the Nice.President, who had
Il direct interest In their passage.
lie denied that all wisdom had
died with our fathers and claimed that
this Congress had as good right to
cOuslrue the Constitution as its prede-
cessor. Maintaining the power of Con-
greSS TO determine tho tenure of office,
/ he referred TO numerous laws fixing the
tenure of various offices at "a certain
sumber of years.
At this point, o'clock, on motion of
Mr.. Morrill,, of Verrsont, who stated
that Mr.. Williams was unwell aud
would not be able to finish his speech
to-day, the Court adjourned, and the
Senate, after receiving several execu-
tive communications, also adjourned
soon afterward.
HOUSE.
Mr.. Ortiz offered 4 resolution of in