The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1868-03-06
EXTRACT FROM "A SPEECH
OF
JAMES R. D00LITTLE Jr.

JAMES H. DOOLlITLE Jr.
i've clip the following able speech, OF
James n. Doolittlc, ON the Campaign
Digest Of February 27th.-ED. p. d.
Mr.. CHAIRMAN AND GsxrLsxxN:
In addition to the words of the letter
which l have read, | have little
more to say. But the kindness Of
the committee in inviting me to adj
dress sou on this occasion cannot be
overlooked. I am asked to raise
my voice in opposition to tyranny
and ,usurpation. I would speak
Though hell should yawn and bid
me hold my peace. These arc not
the days to indulge in specious de-
lusions and groundless, hopes. It
behooves patEistic men to glance
with anxious Eye, upon the strange
and portentious deeds that are being
enacted before us, and ask with so
lioitudc, What is their meaning?
Whittier do they tond? Will they
bring us peace aud prosperity. aud
ensure tho sanctity Of the law; or
will they bring the evils Of poverty
and civil war! Will they leave us
. republic. or make Us an. empire :?
The acts Of Congress for two years
past have tended to convert the
Governments into !. dcspotism. What
is q despotism ? It is government
Of unrestricted power-one in which
the legislative, executive, and Ju-
dicial functions are all ncentrated
into one branch. If : single hand
yields all this power the government
is an absolute monarchy. Ifa hun
dred hands together WELD the same
power the government is an abso-
solute, aristocracy. In either case
equally q despotism. The French
convention was as much . despotism
as the French empire. It was the
purpose Of the trainers of the Con-
stitution to prevent anything like .
dcspotism in the United States.
They therefore divided the powers Of
the Government into three depart
mepts and SGT up barriers between
them which can never with safety be
transcribed. In its legislation has
Congress respected those barriers,
or has it sought to break them down?
BY the Constitution tho President
is vested with the immense power of
removing all subordinate officers. BY
the tenure-of-of6ce bill Congress de-
priyes hiu of this perogatiyo Of his
office and appropriatcs it to itself !;
and thus BY ono blow. .bcy strip the
Executive Department of half its
power. BY the Constitution tho
President can be removed from Office
only on conviction Of high crimes and
misdemeanors. Congress il. framing .
bill to suspend and remove the Pres
idsnt, without being convicted Of high
crimes and misdcmcanors. They 50
frame the Law that the President
will be mere pupet to dance aud
wriggle ct tho will or caprice Of .
bare majority Of the House of Rep
rsscntatives. The dignity Of his
Office will be gone. By the Consti-
tuition the President is made Com
mander In Chief Of the army. The
House Of Representatives have Al
ready passed an act taking the con-
troll fthe army away from him. and
comforting it upon . subordinate, and
declaring it > crime for the Presi-
dent to interfere. If no asserts his
constitutional right he can b i'm
pcached. removed from Office, and
thrown into prison for years. I'm
agins the President Of the United
States. tho successor Of Washington
and Jackson and Lincoln. hurled
into dungeon and deprived Of his
liberty because be dsres to command
an officer Of tho army. Congress
thus encroaches upon the executive
department until tho Office Of Presi-
dent il but the skeleton Of what it
was. But the usurpation hoes not
stop here. Other barriers are to be
broken down Our ancestors sstab-i
lished another branch Of the Gov
ernment-the judiciary-whose Prov
ince 10 to hold the other two de-
partmcnts in check and give final
Judgment upon thoir acts. either for
them OF against them, Congress is
unwilling to allow fair examine :.
ton Fits acts; and therefore. when
such an examination il about to be
had, It rushes in hot haste to prevent