The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1868-04-08
GENERAL BUTLER,s SPEECH
[Continued.l
ARTICLE TENTH.

/
ARTICLE TENTH.
Article 10 alleges that intending TO set |
aside the rightfui authority and powers Of
Congress, and to bring into disgrace and
contempt the Congress Of the United States,
and to destroy confidence 10, and to excite |
odium against Congress and it's laws, he, An
drew johnson, President Of tho United
States, made divers speeches, set out therein
whereby be brought the Office Of President
into Contempt. ridicnle and disgrace. To as
certain these charges, there will be put ia
evidence short notes Of reporters in each in
stance who took these speeches, or examined
sworn copies thereof, and one instance where
the speech was examined and corrected by
the private secretary of the President himself.
THE REPLY.
To the charges of this article the respond
ent answers that convention of delegates. Of
whom he does not say, sat in Philadelphia
for certain political purposes, mentioned and
appointed committee to wait upon the res.
pondent as President Of the United States
that they we're received, and by their chair
man, Reverdy johnson, then and now Sem
ator of the United States, addressed the res.
pondent in a speech, copy Of which the res>
pondent believes, from substantially correct
report, is made part Of the answer that the
respondent made reply to the address Of
the committee. While, however, he gives us
in his answer copy Of the speech made to
him by Mr.. Reverdy johnson, taken from
newspaper, he wholly omits to give US an au>
thorized version of his own speech, OF which
he may be supposed to know quite as much,
and thus saved some testimony. He does
not admit that the extracts correctly or justly
present his speech But, again, he does not
danv that II anos 80 tho sauna ss pat
out. As to the speech at ST. Louis, be does
not deny that he made iii says only that be
does not admit it, and requires in each case
that the whole speech shall be proved.
GRATIFYING ASSURANCE TO THE PRESIDENT
In that, beg leave to assure him and the
Senate his wishes shall be gratifed to their
fullest fruition. The Senate shall see the
performance, so far as it is in our.power, to
photograph the scene by evidence on each Of
these occasions, and shall hear every mate
rial word that be says.
HIS DEFENSE.
His defense, however, to the article is,
that he felt himself in duty bound to express
opinions Of and concerning the public char
acter, conduct, Flews, purposes, motives and
tendencies Of all men engaged in the public
service as well in Congress as otherwise, and
that for anything he may have said on either
OF these occasions he is justified under the
constitutional right Of freedom of opinion and
feedom Of speech. and is not subject to
question IN impeachment or incnlpation in
any manner or form whatever
He denies, however, that by reason Of any
matter in said article, its specifications alleged
he had said or done anything indecent or I'M
becoming the Chief Magistrate of the United
States, or tending to bring his high Office into
contempt, ridicule or disgrace. The issue.
then. finally, is this: That these utteranees
OF his in the manner and form in which they
are alleged to have been made, and under
the circumstances and at the time they we're
made, are decent and becoming in the Presi-
dent of the United States, and do not tend to
bring his Office into ridicule and disgrace.
We accept the issues. They are two: frst,
that he has the right to say what be did Of
Congress in the exercise of freedom Of
speech and second, that what he did say in
those speeches was highly gentlemanlike
and proper performance in citizen and still
more becoming in a President of the United
States
HIS RIGHT TO MALIGS CONGRESS CONSIDERED.
Let US first consider the grave matter Of his
assertion of his right to cast contumely upon
Congress, to denounce it as body hanging
on the verge of the Government, pretending
to be Congress, when, in fact, it wss not a
Congress: Congress pretending to be for
the Union, when its every step and act tend
ed TO perpetuate drsunion and make disrup-
ton Of States inevitable. A Congress in q
minority assuming to exercise power which,
if allowed to be consummsted, would result
in despoiism and monarchy itself; Congress
which had done everything to prevent the
Union of the States; Congress factious and
domineering Radical Congress which gave
origin to another rebellion Congress upon
whose skirts was every drop of blood that
was shed in the New Orleans riots Yon
will find these denunciations had a deeper
meaning than mere expressions OF opinion.
1t may be taken as axiom in affairs OF ma
tons that no usurper has ever seized upon
the legislature of bis country until he had IA
miiarized the people with the possibility of
so doing BY yituperating and denouncing it.
Denunciatory attacks upon the legislature
have always preceded slanderous abuse Of the
individuals composing it, have always accom-
panied a seizure by despot of the legislative
power of country. Two memorable exam
Piles in modern history will bring to the rec
election of every man Before Cromwell
drove ont, by the bayonet, the Parliament of
England, and his partisans had denounced,
derided, decried, and DETAINED it, and thus
brought it into ridicule and contempt, he vii
flied il with the same name, which, II is sig
ni6cant fact, the partisans of johnson BY q
concerted cry, applied to the Congress Of the
United States when he commenced his mem.
orabie pilgrimage and crusage sgainst it. II
IS still more significant fact that the justii.
cation made by Cromwell and by johnson for
setting aside the authority Of Parliament and
Congress respectively, was precisely the same,
to.wit: That they were elected By . part OF
he y1nnvIo Whan A. !.
soldiers, finally entered the Hall Of Parlia-
ment to dispense It's members, he attempted
TO coSer the enormity Of his usurpAsion by
denonncing this man personally As liber-
tine, that as . drunkard, smother ~ the be-
trayer of the liberties of the people. John,
son started out on precisely the same coursel
but forgetting the parallel too early, he pD-
cialned this patriot as assassin, that states
man traitor, threatens to hsBx the man
whom the people delight TO honor, and tris-
tie out with thrcatniugs and slaughter against
this man whose services in the cause Of hu.
man freedom, have made his name g ! hohse-
hold word wherever the language is spokep..
There Is, however, an spprec,able difference
between Cromwell and johnson, and there il
like difference in the results accomplishea
By each. Whens Bonaparte extinsuished ne
iegislature Of France, be rated until through
nis pfe.s and his pArtizans and BY bis own
remuneration, he brought its authority into
oisgrace and contempt, and when finally he
drore the Council of the nation from NJ
chamber, hike Cromwell, be iusfi6sd himself
by personal abuse Of the indiyidrals them.
selves as they passsd by him.
Inst the attempt Of Andy Johuson 10 0ya~
throw Congrsss has failed, Il btcause of
want Of abiity and power, not Of snalisnity
and vii. We ars too aFe y overlook the