The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1868-03-13
DAILY PRESS.
PORTLAND.
Friday Morning, March ID, 1858.
Impeachment.

~4....l.e a.. -, !,
i0'ell'"'Se' on 'nc ie'oi"NioiiS Iepoi1oo
the Committee on Reconstruction for the In
t peacl,ment of the President, the House bein
Of tho time in 1,ommittea of the Who'll.
'fH
Mr. Chairman, the question under consiC
Grafton is one of great magnitude and impol
tance. The power to impeach the Presden
of the United States is one of the hIshes
preroga.ives of this House. The reasons 10
comforting this authority upon this body lie a
the foundation OF our form of government
The fundamental principle of this Govern
ment is, thai all power Is derived from th
people: THAT all Just governments deiiv,
their authority from the consent of the gov
erned." Acting upon this principle in th
| formation OF our Government, its founder
provided for three grand departments through
which its powers should be exercised, tn,
legislative branch of the Government repre-
senting the people. 1t is themedium through
which the will OF the deople finds expression
In the form OF law. The executive ant judi
cial departments execute and administer il
will. Ii possesses the comprehensive powe
"to provide for the common defense and thu
general welfare of the United States" Ii
providing for an executive officer, to be calle(
President, whose tel OF Office was fixed al
four years, he people prudently reserved tC
themselves the right to remove that officer b,
impeachment, when, in their Judgment, ht
became guilty of high crimes or misdemeanors
They did not define in the Constitution thf
official misdem. anors tor which the exercise
OF this power should be evoked, but wisely
reserved the right to Judge ior themselves in
each case that might arise. To this House is
| delegated the sole power to impeaeh, and tc
the Senate the sole power to try impeach-
ments; and from this high tribunal there lies
no appeal. impeachment is not the infiction
OF a puniShment, as its effects extend only to
| removal rom office. 1t object is to secure
the faithful administration OF office, and there
by to preserve tie Constitution and the liber-
tics OF the people. As holding office is not a
| right, but privilege conferred by the people
the lawful deposition from Office by the people
through their Representatives is not the de-
| privation Or violation OF any personal right
whatsoever. 1t Is simply the assertion OF the
| right to unmake by the power Il at made
the demanding by the master of the un-
| iaitl1tu, steward the talents he has misused.
AS the people cannot act directly upon great
| public questions but cnly through their
chosen Representatives., ard as they cannot
reach any executive or udcial officer during
his official ,erm except through this represen-
taave agency 1t becomes us to be visilant and
| watchtul OF the great interests committed to
| our charge, and to see to 1t that no officer,
| however high, chosen to execute the peoE les
| will, as expressed through their Representa-
tives, shall, in the tancied security OF his Of
| ficial tenure betray the high trusts committed
to his charge. Congress, as the agent of The
people, has all the rights of its principal, with
all the duties of an agent.
1t is the exercise OF this high prerogatiye
andthe discharge OF this sacred duty that Con-
gress, as the agent OF the people OF the United
States, is now called upon to assume and lul-
| fill. Entertaining these views as to the power
and duty OF Congress, and believing that An.
drew johnson has, during the past two wears.
disgraced the high office whose duties he has
been called to discharge; that he has used his
position Tor his own ambitious purposes and
TO the detriment OF the best interests of the
country, have, during that time, entertained
no shadow OF doubt, either as to the cons itu-
tlonal right OF Congress to impeach him or as
to the expediency Of its exercising that right.
And, SIR, when in December last gave my
vote in this House for his impeachment did
so only regrettiug that an carrier opportunity
had not been afforded me, and that the requi-
site majority was wanting to make that vote
effective.
1t is not strange that in 1860 and 1861 Con-
srcss should have sat- here discussing legal
quibbles until walked from their lethargy by
an actual conflict OF arms. The Threats OF a
great party, just then defeated in a political
cor tort, to resist the authority or an Admin
lstratlon wnlch tney declared to be sectional
and unconstitutional, were very naturally re-
earded as idie Vapormgs, unworthy OF serious
consideration. But, sir, alter the terrible eX-
perlence through winch we have passed since
That time, ana KnoWlng as we now do the
desperate character OF the adversary with
which we have to contend, and knowing as
we do that Andrew johnson is as much the
agent OF the rebellion as was Jefferson Davis,
1t is strange that we have so nearly repeated
the foly oil those days. SIR, what has An
drew johnson done? What constitutional
duties has he neglected, which render him Ii
able to and deserving OF impeachment, inde-
pendent OF this last act OF open violation OF
law tor which he IS now arraigned? He has
usurped the prerogatives oi Congress in as
suming to set up governments in the rebel
States; persistlng in bis usurpations after the
assembling of Congress, and insolently in
forming us in his first annual message that he
had completed the work Of reorganization,
and that we had nothing to do but to accept
il and to Judge of the eiection and qualitca-
ton of such members as his States might
send to us.
Sir, whatever excuse might have been Of
fered for the Executives taking the rriimin-
ary steps in this work of reorganization, his
subsequent course in using all the power and
patronage OF the government to sustain his
usurpations and to force his reconstruction
policy upon the country IN opposition to Con-
gress, which alone had jurisdiction OF the mat
ter, admits OF no pallialion or defence. This
action OF the President has been denounced
as hIgh-han led usurpation by all the lead
ing Republicans in Congress anu in the coun-
| try, and has been condemned by overwhelm.
| ing majority in nearly every loyal State in the
| elections by which the Representatives of this
| Congress were chosen. And vet the great
| usuper has been allowed to GO on, using eyery
means in his power to sustain his usurpations
| and defeat the action OF Cong, ess and the will
| OF the people as therein expressed. In at
| tempting to carry out his policy he has stirred
| up the worst passions of the people and kept
the country in an excited and unsettled con-
dition, to the injury OF all its great material
| interests. Two years ago, on the 22d day of
| February-a day hallowed in our calendar
he harangued mob within sight OF this Cap
itol and endeayored, by the most violent and
incendary appeals to its worst passions, to in
! cite it to violence against Congress, then ID
session.. He has repeatedly denounced Con-
gress as an illegal ard unconstitutional body,
whose acls were OF no Dlnung force, thus
using the influence OF his high position to
bring the iaw-maklng po.. er OF the country
| and the laws which 1t passes and which he is
sworn to execute INTO contempt.
he has dlsgEaced ms nigh ofhce and hum'l-
lated the nation De'ore the world by traveilng
through the country making low and indecent
political harangues. lie has thwarted every
measure passed Dy congress Ior recognizing
the ooutnern otateS. encouraSln9 the people
IN those states 10 commune tnelf hostiilly to
tue government, ana 1nus preventing res
toraIion VI Tue Culoh' Dy ln'scohstruinS laws
| auu eVaoiuS Ineli eAecuo'oii accoIoing W lneli