Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-06-02

granted to thousands Of persons under The
provisions Of the constitution, and Com
mitted gross usurpations by legislative at
tempts to exercise this power in favor Of
party adherenis; they have conspired to
| change the system Of our government by
/ preferring charges against the President
in the form OF articles Of Impeachment
and contemplating, before hearing or trial,
that he should be placed under
arrest, held in durance, and, when
| it became their pleasure to pro-
nounce his sentence, driven from
place and power in disgrace, they
have in time Of peace increased the ma
tional debt by reckless expenditure of
public moneys and thus added to the bur.
dens which already weigh upon the peo-
pie, they have permitted the nation to
suffer the evils OF a deranged currency to
the enhancement. in price of all the necessa-
ries of life; they have maintained large
stacding army for the enforcement
lof their measures of oppression; ,hey
have engaged in class Legislation, built and
encouraged monopolies, that The few might
be enriched st the expense of the many;
they have failed TO act upon important
treaties, endangering our peaceful relations
with foreign powers.
Their course of usurpation has not
been limited to inrOads upon the execu-
tive department by unconstitutional and
oppressive enactments. The people OF
ten States of the Union have been re
duced to condition more intolerable
than that from which the patriots Of the
revolution rebelled. e FaE
Millions Of American citizens can now
say Of their oppressors with more truth
than their fathers did of British tyranis,
that they have forbidden the Ssale govern
ments to pass laws of immediate and press
ing importance unless suspended until
their assent should be obtained; that
they have refused to pass other
laws for the accommodation of large |
districts of people unless these
people would relinquish their |
right of representation 10 the Legislature,
a right inestimable to them and !
formidable to tyranis only; that they |
have made judges dependent on their
will alone for the tenure of offices
and the amount and payment of claims;
that they have erected multitude of
new officers and sent tbither swarms of |
officers to harass our people and take out |
their substance; that they have affected /
10 render the military independent of and
superior to the civil power; combined
with oilers 10 subject US to a jurisdiction
foreign to our constitution and unscknowl-
edged by our law; quartered large bod
les Of armed troops among us and pro-
Lected them by mock trial from
The punishment Of any murders
which they should commit on the
inhabitants imposed taxes on us
without our consent; deprived us in
many cases of trial by jury; taken away
,ur charters excited domestic insurrec-
ion among us; abolished our laws;
altered fundamentally the form o
,ur government; suspended our own legis-
atures and declared themselves invested
With power to legislate for US in all cases
The speech was three hours and hal
n delivery, and is pronounced the best If
ort of Mr.. Johnson's life. The vast crowd
the whole time, and the speaker
vas continually interrupted by applause
md manifestations of approval.]
REPORTER.