Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1868-03-18

der loot and defy the peoples power? For
one, sir, would be willing to delay indefi-
nitely, 1T you please, the final action of the
House upon this question, If | were fully
assured that the President from this time
forth would have respect to the obligations
of law, and not undertake to usurp the au
! thority of this Government in defiance of the
peoples Constitutio and the peoples laws.
But, sir, have had evidence enough in the
| transaction, IT'S it is spread upon your record,
to satisfy me that the President of the United
States is SO bent upon his own destruction,
or upon the destruction of the peace of this
great country, that he is capable of rushing
to any extreme of madness whatever. | pro-.
pose to do it, as | said before, not in the
| spirit of a partisan, but in the spirit of
representative Of the people, acting under
the obligations Of his oath, and having due
regard TO the requirements of the Constitu
ton and the laws.
No one in this land would rejoice more
than myself to know that when this case shall
have been presented to the Senate of the
United States as high conrt of impcach
ment it shall become clear to the satisiac-
tion of that body that the President of the
United States has only erred in Judgment.
and has not intended to invade the Constitu-
ton or to defy the authority or set aside the
supremacy of the laws. | would rejoice at
hi- Anf.itt"I TINS hnnnrahly, for his own
sake and for the sake of the Constitution of
my country. But, sir, as | said before. in
the light of what he has already declared
and placed upon the record, am precluded
from the conclusion that he meant anything
else than to defy your power and say to you,
in the language of his advocate. 90 Whatever
laws YOU have pas-t,u whatever laws you
may pass | will disregard them my own
Judgment whenever see fit as being not in
pursuance of the Constitution of the United
States, and let YOU do your worst That is
his position. The gentleman from New York
himself 30 understood it. The President
having taken that position. and criminallv
violated the Constitution and laws, propose
to put him on trial.
! The gentleman talks about liberty. Lib
erty, sir is as dear TO me and mine it can
be to the gentleman or to his. | stand here
to-day for that liberty which is regulated by
law, that liberty which belongs alike to us
+ all, and which is not the exclusive right of
/ those who hold high official station. As for
/ this lnwess liberty, the liberty which the
+ kite shows to the dove the liberty which the
wolf shows to the lamb, will have none of
it. The people of the United States. trust,
will have none Of it. They will insist upon
/ it that in this country men shall enjoy the
( liberty of obedience and subsection to law
law Just in itself and protective of all.
There surely nothing in this statute
that operated oppressively upon the Presi-
dent of the United States. 1t was simply a
statute under the Constitution of the United
States, enabling the people of the United
States - exercise their own powers as to the
mode and manner of executing their own
laws | ask the President to submit to it.
to submit to it gracefully, to submit to it
decently, to obey it, and to set the example
TO all the people of the land that the first
duty of the citizen is obedience to the peo-
pies laws, as it is the first duty of their
Chief Magistrate to see that they be faithfully
executed.
If the President will thus deport himself
we will have no contest with him but If. on
the other hand, he exercises powers of Office
in criminal violation of the Constitution az
well as of the statute. |. for one, ask the
question NAV he tried, tried before that tri-
bunal which alone can, under your Constitu-
ton. decide it. If the law be valid. the act
of 1867. clearly. upon the record, the Presi-
dent is guilty of crime. If the law be not
valid and the Constitution does not have the
operation and effect which | have given it
and which believe belongs to it; if, on the
contrary, the President of the United States
has really the power, Notwithstanding the
act of 1867. Notwithstanding the provision
of the Constitution to which ] have referred
10 create vacancies in every Office of the Re
public at his own pleasure during the session
of the Senate, and fill them at his pleasure
without the consent of the Senate, doubtless
that high tribunal will be equal to the task
of SO asserting and so deciding the law to be
That being done, the President goes unin
jurcd, and only his accusers are condemned
No wrong, then, can come to the President
no wrong can come to the House. no wrong
can come b the country if the House shal
| f1t tn tho resolution and send
Representatives to the bar of the Senate il
the name of the people of the United States
to demand the impeachment of Andrew
Johnson for high crimes and mIsdemeanors
in that he has in violation of the letter o
, the Constitution itself, in violation of th'
statute passed in pursuance of that Consti
; tuition. created vacancies in offices while th
, Senate was in session and filled them again
, without the advice and consent of the Sen
+ ate.
For myself | can entertain no doubt as t.
the legal question. have stated my owl
Conclusions and it abides with members 0
the House to state theirs, either by tn
words they may utter in this debate or b
: the vote they may finally give when the
come to decide that question whether tn
President shall be permitted to go on in hi
usurpations and take charge of all the exec
utive offices of this land by creating vacan
:, ces in the presence of the Senate, and fill
: ing them without the consent of the Senat
: with agents of his own, who go through th
streets of the capital and declare their pun
= pose to execute his orders in violation of th
Constitution and the laws by force. [ hav
= no fears myself of the people interfering wit
q this matter. They are just and impartial o
. this question.
The gentleman talks about the Democrat
: party interfering with it in some way. Their
= was a Democratic party once in this countr
: = that undertook to Interfere with the supren
= acy of your Constitution and your laws, an
. there was an uprising of the people froI
the rock bound coast of New England to th
golden gates of California. \ million and
. half of men mustered t. the field and stampe
Z out in fire and blood this treason of that Dem
= ocratic party and so it will be with an
n party that sets itself above the supremacy {
. the peoples laws. The people have write
70 in the Constitution that should be til
= sole Judges first, as to whether crime or mi
demeanor has been committed by the Pres
= dent. They have provided in the Constit,
y ton, if we so find upon our oaths 1T shall
u our duty in their names at the bar of tt
II II Senate to demand his impeachment. The
n have provided further. having presented I'll
II accusation and proofs at the bar of the Sci
= ate, the Senate shall be the sole body to d
= termne the question, and all men shall
u u bound by their Judgment.
= Why talk about the Democratic party
:, any other party daring to lift its ham
= against this constitutional proceeding? b.
= r the gentleman answers, of course, that v
u are not acting under the obligations of oil
oath that we are not acting intelligently
n that we are not acting in the light of ey
le s a.. IT, 90, D., f.ots =, Srs+a;n :,
II 1 must judge for myself whether there a
IL facts to sustain us or not. The gentleman