Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1869-03-16
PRESIDENT JOHNSON.
His Farewell Address to
tho People Of the INT.
ted States.
vIADlCATl0R OF THE COURSE OF
MS ADMINISTRATOR

VnuILAt IuN VI Inc LUUhSt Ur
MS ADMINISTRATOR
Argument Of shsp Majority I'm
Congress.
Concluded.
Let Us turn, for moment, 10 the hi tory
Of the majority in Corgress, which has act.
ed in such utter disrs gard ,f the cons.itu>
ton, while public attention Las been care
fAliy AID constaatly turned 70 the past and
sxpialsd Gins Of the south. and tbs servants
Of the people in high places have boldly
outraged tnsir trust, broken their oath Of
obediencs, and undermined the very found
s1isae d iisssty, justice end goo1 govern.
0ent. When The rebellion VS. being sup.
pressed BY the volunteer services Of pAtri.
stic soldiers amid the dangers Of the battle.
field, so0s nsa ersps, witbost question in
to place and power. ia the national coun.
sils. Aftsr oil the danger has passsd, when
no armed foe remaioed, whom . penitent
people bowed their heads to the fsg and
reaswed choir sllegianss to the gJvsssosnt
Of the Uaitsd States. then IL wss n a. the So
pretended patriots appeared before the IA
ton and began to pirate about the thousands
Fl ives and millions of tTet sure sacri ed
IN the supprs ssion Of the rebellion. They
have since perss,ently sought 10 infiamc
tie prejudice sngendered between the sec
tons, and rctsrd the gest0rA ion Of peace
aud harmony, and. by every msans,so keep
open and opposed to the poisonous breath
OF party psssion tine terrible wounds Of .
four years war. They have prevented the
return Of peace and the restoration Of the
unioo In svesy way reodered delusive the
purposes. prsmixss, end pledges by which
the army was arshaled, treason rebuked,
and the rebellion crushed and made the
libsrlieo IL the psoplo aa6 The sights and
peWsrs IF the Peesident objects Of constant
sttasks. They have wrs.ed from the
President his constitutional power Of the
Supreme con0and OF the army and navy.
they have destroyed the strength Of the
executive department. BY making subordi
nats officers ls6epsndsnt Of, end able 70 d.
~, thor chief msgsstrats. They have a..
tempted 10 place the President usdsr the
power Of . bold. defiant, and trsacherous
Cabinet officer. They have gsbhsd the ex
ecu,ivs Of Oas1ons ssndescd nun and void
acts OF clemsncy granted to thousands Of
persons under the provision Of the consti.
tuition and commisied gross usurpation BY
legislative attempts TO exercise this power
in favss 81 party sdhs'snis. They have
censpssed 70 change the system Of our gov.
.rnnent in the form Sfar,icles Of impeach-
msnt. and contemplating before hearing or
trial, Thea he should DO plsced under ar
rest, held in durance, and when il became
sha A. H1~ IN
driven from place end power in disgrace
They have, in time Of peace, increased the
national debt BY reckless expenditures Of
the public moneys, and added to tie bur.
lens which already weigh upon the people
They have permitted the nation 10 suffer
the evils Of desaseed currency and 40 %
.ancssseDt In price Of oil the niece ssssies OF
life. They have maintained large stand
ing army for the enforcement Of their meas
ares Of oppression. They have engaged ID
class. legislation, built and encouraged
that the few may 10 enriched
At the txpcr Sc Of the many. They have
failed to act upon important treaties, there
by endangering eur peaceful relations with
Tor, ign powerp.
Their course Of usurpation has not been
limited to inroads upon the executive
department., by Unconstitutional and
oppressive cnactments, tho people often
States Of the Union have been reduced to a
more intolerable than that from
shich tho patriots If the revolution
rebsllsd. Millions u American citizens
can now say Of their opprcssor.. with more
truth than our fathers did Of British
yrants, That they have forbidden
governments to pass laws Of immediate
and pressing Importance, unls.s suspended
until their assent should no obtained that
they have refused to pass other lave for
the accommodation U large distiicts OF
people. unless these people weuld
tsiinquish the right Ct representation in
the Legis'sturs,-a right inssiimable to
them, and formidable to tyrants only that
they have made Judges dependent on their
vii alone fIr their tenure OF office, an the
amount and payment Ct their salaries; that
they have erected q multitude Of new
offices, and sent hi,her swar,ns If officers
TO hArrass our people and est out their
substance that they have effected to
render tbs military independent and
superior 10 the civil power; combined ith
others to subject Us to . jurisdiction
ir.ign TO our Constitution and acknowl-
edged by our laws; quartcred large bodies
~ armtd troops among Us: protected them
ny mock trial, from punishment 70 any
murders which they should commit on the
imposed taxes upon Us
without our consent; deprived us, in
many cases, Of trial BY jury AIKEN away
our charters I; excited domestic insurrcc-
tion amor Z us abolished our most vslua-
bio laws altered fundamentally the forms
Of our governments suspended our own
Legislatures. and declared themselves
invested with power to legislate for " in
al eases whatsoever"
This catalogue Of crimes, Icing aS il 10, is |
not complete. The Cons,itution vests the
judicial power Of the United States In one
supreme court, whose jurisdiction shall
extend y oil cases aiis,ng under the
Csnstituticn and the laws of the United
States. Encouraged BY this promise .
refugee from tyranny, . cilizsa Of the
United States, Who, BY order Of . military
commander. given under the sanction Of .
cruel and deliberate sdict Of Coogrese, had
been denied the constitutional rights Of
liberty Of conscience, freedom Of the press
end Of speech. personal freedom from
military arrest /; Of being held to answer,
for crime only upon presentment tf sn
indictment, Of trial BY : jury. Of the writ
Of habsas corpus, and the protection Of
civil and cess,ilutisnsl government. A
citizen thus deeply wrong.d appeals to the
supreme court for the protsc zion guaranteed
lia ~ ~ organic Law Of the land. Al
sncs fierce and excited maj ority, by the
ruthless hand Of legislative power, stripped
shs ssmenes from The judge. traAsssrsed
the sword 81 justice to the general, and
demanded the oppressed citizens 10
degradation and bondage worse than
death.
IL will alss - secerded @ one II the
marvsls Of the times, that party claiming
sss itself monopoly Of consistency and
patriotism, aad 6sasaine Of i'd unlimited
swsy. endsavorsd, BY costly aud dsliber-
sts trial. . iopsech one who defended tho
Constitution and the Union, not only
throughout the War of the rebelliou, but
during his whole term Of ONCE as chief
magistrate bot, at the same time, could
hnd no warrant Or means ~ their command
to bring tn trial sven the chief Of the
Rebellion. Indeed, the remarkable failures
in this case were 10 often repeated that.
for prcpriety's cake, il for no other reason.
II became at last necessary to extend 10
him an unconstitutional pai dsn. What