The Van Buren press., 1869-03-30
JOHNS0Ns FAREWELL
ADDRESS.

prcsslye enactRents. .I..
The people Of t@n States OF the Union
have been reduced 10 condition more
intolerabe than that from which the pat.
riots of the Revolution rebelled; ....
Millions Of the American citizens can
now say of their oppressors with more
truth than our fathers did Of the British
tyrants, that they have forbidden the Coy.
eminent to pass laws of immediate and
pressing Importance until their assent
should be obtained. ....r.. ....
That they have refused to pass other
laws for the accommodation oflarge dis
tricts of the people unless their people
would relnguish the right Of representa-.
ton in the Legislature, a right inestlmable
to them and formidable to tyrants only.
That they have made judges depend
ent on their will alone for their tenure OF
Offices and the amount or payment of
their salaries. ....... ......
That they have erected multitude of
new offices and sent hither swarms of Of
icers to harass our people and exc out
their subsistence. Id.
That they have affected to render the
military Independent and superior to the
civil power. .. .... I......... .
Combined with Others to subject us to
jurisdiction foreign to our Constitution
and meteorological by our laws. l'
CHARTERED large bodies of armed troops
among US, and protected tnem by mock
trial from punishment for any murders
which they should commit on the inhabi-
tants. . U."." ...s
Imposed taxes upon us without our
consent. trIU 80 Tod .n..a.3
Deprived us in many cases of trial by
jury. r ".'.'..
Taken away our charters a. oily
Excited domestic Instruction among
Abolished our most valuable laws. 't
Altered fundamentally the forms ofour
Government. .
Suspended our own Legislatures and
declared themselves invested with power
to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
This catalogue of crime, long as it is,
is not complete:
The Constitution vests the Judicial
power Of the United States in one Su-
preme Court, whose jurisdiction shall ex-
tend to all cases arising under the Consti-
tuition and the laws of the United States
Encouraged by this promise of refuge
from tyranny, as citizen of the United
States, also by the order of military
aprpnon,lor uiyn,, ppf1nr tbn ~
Court and deliberaso tsgict of Congress,
press and of speech; personal freedom
from military arrest; or being held to an
swer for crime only upon presentment
and an Indictment; of trial by jury; of
the witt of habeas corpus, and the protcc-
ton Of civil and constitutional govern
ment.
A citizen thus deeply wronged appeals
to the Supreme Court for the protection
guaranteed him by the organic law Of the
land. AT once fierce and excited ma
jority, by the ruthless hand of legislative
power, stripped the ermine from the
Judges, transferred the sword of justice
to the General, and remandcd the Cypress
ed citizen to degradation and bondage
worse than death
Ii will also be recorded as one OF the
marves Of the times that party claim
ing for itself Il monopoly of consistency
and patriotism, and Boosting OF its unim-
tied sway, endeavored by a costly and de
liberate trial to impeach one who defend
ed the Constitution and the Union. not
only throughout the war of the rebellion,
but during the whole term of office as
Chief Magistrate, but at the same time
could find no warrant or means at their
command to bring to trial even the chief
Of the rebellion. Indeed, the remarkable
failures in the case were 50 often repeat
ed, that for proprietys sake, if for no
other reason, it became at last necessary
to extend to him an unconditional pardon.
What more plainly than this illustrates
the extremeties Of party management and
inconsistency on one hand and of faction,
yndctiveness and intolerance on the
other. Patriotism will hardly be encour-
aged when in sHch record it sees that
its instant reward may be most viruent
party abuse and obloquy, if not attempt
ed disgrace Instead OF seeking to make
treason odious, it would, in truth, seem
to have been their purpose rather to make
! the defense of the Constitution and Union
crime, and TO punish fidelity to an oath
| of office, if counter to party dictation, by
all the means at their command.
Happily for the peace of the country
the war has determined against the as
sumed power of States to Withdraw ut
pleasure from the Union. The Institution
of slavery also found its destruction in a
rebellion commenced in its interest. 1t
should be borne in mind, however, that
the war neither impaired nor destroyed
the Constitution, but on the contrary pre-
served its existence, and made apparent
its real power and enduring strength All
the rights granted 10 the States or reserv-
ed to the people are therefore in tact.
Among those rights is that Of the people
Of each State to declare the qualification
Of their own State electors. 1t is now
assumed that Congress can control this
vital right, which can never be taken away
from tie States without impairing the
fundam, tai principle ofthe Government
itself ! is necessary to the existence Of
the State as we'll as to the protection Of
the liberties Of the people, for the right
to select the elector, in whom the polti-
cal power of the State shall be lodged,
involves the right Of the State TO govern
itself When deprived of this prcrogative
the States will have no power worth re
tanning all viii be gone, and they will be