The Union flag. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1865-187?, 1869-05-07
. JONESBOROUGH, TENN. FRIDAY MAY T. 1862 "

0tner order can pESVhH Nueh ~ 20 iNNN' ''-l
even motion to adjourn cannot be enter
taned, but the Houses sit there In silence
and listen TO the readipS Nobody can ASK
o questloh or exp'eiu, bGt in silence tue clerk
calls tE5ro and II thersis a two-third Vole
for ha hil pesse5 in lPite OF the gresl-
DENTS yat0, and teconesa law. Now Ethsre
IS auyJj ing wrong IN that ] would 'hko to
know Il see old e1-legislators before me,
and gsr tlemen Of legal talent better yersed
in tbe law and the Constitution thGn | am,
but lf have nistated, I should like 10 have
them correct mq, Now, will ask you II 1t
is not lust as much to your interest to have
the legislative branch Of the government
preserved as ii Is that the President should
preserve the executive or the judicial If
there is o bad law PASSED IL is not for the
Chief Magistrate to say that law shall not
he observed or enforced. To the courts be-
longs the question Of deciding.upon the con-
sttutionality or uuconstitutionality Cf any
measure. Is 1t in the scope Of q Presidents
duty to villify Congress lie is sworn 70 see
that the lars are executed.
You've got the constitution, but it has
been slightly changed from what it vas in
the days Of your forefathers. But how did
his GOMEZ It was brought about regularly and
Just as tho instrument provides, all dcne ac-
corditg to law. Wherein the name ofjua;ice is
there Nnything wrong in this, and yet that
rnenwil come up here deliberately aud try
to make you believe that congress has
Usurped power and gone beyond the limit
assigned IL by the Constitution. He'd read
bis own obituary, and be supposed that he
would be entitled to belisH as one risen from
the dead. III deal w;lh him fairly aud
squarely Are you rto believe man in the
full bloom ofhfe or aftsr be is dead and
comes back resur-ected Laughter I'm
not very fast, my friends, but ''youll End
me mighty constant
Il He vetoed their bills and aent them back,
did he? Well III tell youj 1871 what we did.
Passed thoes same bills over his vetoes, high
and dry. The judiciary is the only branch
5F the Government that cen declare an hct
null and void. The President can't do it.
deny that Congress, ever neurped any power
We have always stuck close to the eonsttu-
ton, and if we did not, ,,is NOT the Presi-
dents business to arraigp us.
THE sEooNsTRUc.IoN ACTS.
will refer to the Reconstruction acts
right here Just to show you hew monstrOus
it is for that maD Johnson to 60 about the
cOputry talking as be DOGS. r
We had the war. Everybody knows about
that, tut the act of rebellion having set
aside all laws, the States although lin the
Union, bad no governmGEt The work Of
became necegsary of cougse.
He went into 1t Rfst He rad the right to
appoint military governors and provide for
the provisional administration OF the laws
until such time as the legislative branch of
the gnverhTen shOhld ratify all this. He
knew this well enough aud we find him
sending word to Marvin and Sharkey, two of
his appontees ''YOur governments are pro-
visiOnal aud will remain so uatil rec ogni5ed
bt the law-makihg power" r.,
Why did be say that Because the Su-
preme Court had decided, IN the celebrated
Dorr case III Rhode Island that the court
had no Jurisdiction over the .oase--that it
was political Question. The recognition Of
State governments belonged to the legislative
branch of the government, and from their
decision there was no. appeal.
The CORgress had the whole matter in its
hands then. The President, as commander
in-chief Of the armies, had the right to ap-
point provisional governors. appeal to
lawyers here present, to know if | am not
stating The case hitly.
But when Andrew Johnson sent out these
provisional governors. Tell me, Il you
please, where he got the power--the con-
stitutional Tight--to say who should vote, or
who should hold Office he had no more
right, meta Bit than the hpmblest private
citizen IN the crowd before me. Yet this
man will come forward an deliberately
charge Congress with usuTpation. Did not
be violate the Constitution when he prescribe
I'll tha qualifications OF voters, who should
hold oh -e, wien be applied his rule of dis |
crlmnouoa on account of race or color, and |
denied the cu,ored men the ballot. ask
where DID ne get TIE authority. And yet
this IS tie GAn who says, "lf no one else
will be your MOses, / wilhp You under
stand MIN, do you, my eolored friends
| Lengihened aAd loud cries of 1--WE know
himrl
Wen, be wentahead. The last great issre
was met 10 November last, and what Was.the
result Why, the people came out in their
ratified the acts Of Congress IN a
spirit not to be mistaken, but poor kndy !
was speved out of the mouth OF Democracy
iu New York, and tell you, my friends, hst !
when a man gets so low thas the Seyrnorr
and Blair Democracy can't todch him he is
buried so deep tbatgou'll have TO dig tor
him. Cries ofthat's So
They started out with their plaf.erm, De.
claring the reeonstructioa. laws uuconsti-
tutiOnal. You remember the hroadhead lei. |
ter which declared that Il Seymour wa
elected he would have thsrrieAt TO declare
the acts Of Congress null grd Yoid, uncou-
stitutional, snd If need be, 70 force bis de-
cree with the military. We. met all this.
first in ths battle feld then in the caavass OF
last year, and defeated them both times. the
Sd OF last Noyehhsr proving TO us a glori- !
Gus gictory--Cengress in the right and JOHN
son 10 the Uroag No longer ago than last
week iuithe cae Of the Texas bonds sold to
Childs Co., Congress was sustained oy the !
courts. Unsatbfed with the verdict OF the
people and de Supreme Court; nov ia the'l
face Of al this We have this man leaving bis
ruisl home in Greeneville, that asylum cor
which be bad 20 often sighed, aud going
about the cou1try string up striie and con.
tention and bad feeling when We want peace
aud harmony. b
, say let each branch Of the gover1r-en,
act In It's own phere 60 10 the grooves that
have been marked out; and let me ask ron
right here II yon ever ye. knew Of govern.
mSnt being ruinedlby-the legislative power ?
never did, bat have kuewn nations, to be
hurled 10 ruin and des,ructloB folioWink the
eounsels Of 'ua such men as Audrew John
sOn. corrupt. deuaQogicel. void Of trnth ara