The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1868-03-04
take the mails for the War office and all
by the direction of the President.
WAsHlScroN, February "a.

WASHINGTON, February "a.
The debate on impeachment continued
throughout to day, members generally
expressing their views or assigning rea-
sons for their course We can only ap-
pend the remarks of TuAD. STEVENS, con-
cluding the debate as follows:
Mr. Stevens, of Pennsylvania, closed the
debate. He said: l agree with those
gentlemen who have gone before me, that
this is a grave subject, and should be
gravely treated. 1t is important 10 the
high official who is the subject of these
charges, and it is important to a nation of
forty millions of people now free and rap
idly increasing to hundreds Of millions.
The official character of the Chief Exec
utivc of this grand nation being thus in
volved, the charge, if falsely made, is It
cruel wrong; if, on the other hand, the
misdcmcanors and usurpations charged
against him are true, he is guilty OF as
atrocious attempts to usurp the liberty
and destroy the happiness of this nation
as were ever perpetrated by the most dc.
tcstable tyrant who ever oppressed his
fellow-men Let US, therefore, discuss
these questions in no partisan spirit but
with legal accuracy and impartial justice.
The people desire no victim, and they
will endure no usurper The charges, so
far as shall discuss them, are few and
distinct. Andrew Johnson is charged
with attempting to usurp the powers of
other branches of the Government; with
attempting to obstruct and resist the ex-
ecuton Of the law with msprision of
bribery, and with the open violation Of
laws which declare his acts misdemean-
ors, and subject him to fine and imprison-
ment; and with removing from Office the
Secretary of War; during the session of
the Senate, without the advice or consent
of the Senate: and with violating the
sixth section of the act entitled can act
regulating the tenure of certain civil Off
ccs' There are other offences charged
in the papers referred to the committee,
which may consider moro by themselves.
In order to sustain impeachment under
our Constitution do not hold that 1T is
necessary to prove crime is an indictable
offence, or any act maluna in Sc. l agree
with the distinguished gentleman from
Pennsylvania on the other side OF the
House, who holds this to be a purely po-
litical proceeding 1t is intended as a
remedy for malieasance in office, and to
prevent the continuation thereof Be-
yond that it is not intended rs personal
punishment for past offences, or for future
example. impeachment under our Con-
stituton is very different from impeach-
mcnt under the English law. The fra
mers of our Constitution did not rely for
safety upon the avenging dagger of Il Bru
tus, but provided peaceful remedies which
had two systems of jurisprudcncc-one
for the trial and punishment of common
offenders, and one for the trial of men in
higher stations, whom it was found diff
cult to convict before the ordinary tribu-
nails. This latter proceeding was by i'm
peachmcnt, or by bills of attainder, gene
rally practiced 10 punish official malefac
tors; but the system soon degeneratcd
into political and personal persecution,
and men were tried, condemned. and cx
ecuted by this court from malignant mo-
tives Such was the condition of the
English laws when our Constitution was
framed, and the Convention determined TO
provide against the abuse OF that high
power, so that revenge and punishment
should not be inflicted upon political or
personal enemies. Here the whole pun
| ishment was made TO consist in removal
from office, and bills OF attainder were
wholly prohibited. We are TO treat this
question, then, as wholly political, in
which, if an officer Of the Government
abuse his trust, or attempt to pervert to
improper purposes, whatever might be his
motives, lie becomes sub jected toimpcach-
ment and removal from Office. The offence
being ndictablc docs not prevent impeach-
ment, but is not necessary to sustain it.
[See Story's Commentaries, Curtis on the
Constitution, Madison, and others Such
is the opinion of our elementary writer's,
nor can any case OF impeachment tried
in this country bo found where an at
tempt was made to prove the offence Grim
inal or indictable. What, then, are the
official misdemeanors of Andrew Johnson
disclosed by the evidence?
On the ID day Of March, 1867, Congress
passed an act entitled can act regulating
the tenure of certain civil Offices" Among
other provisions, it enacted that no officer
who had been appointed by and with the
advice and consent Of the Senate Should
be removed from office without the con-
sent of the Senate; and that if during
the vacation suspension should be made
for cause, such cause should be reported
to the Senate within twenty days after
their next meeting. If the Senate should
deem the reason of the suspension sum,
cient, then the officer should be removed
and another officer appointed i'll his stead;
but if the Senate should refuse TO concur
with the President and declare the rea-
sons insufficient, then the officer suspen-
dcd should forthwith resume the functions