Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-04-11
TENNESSEE. SUNDAY. APRIL II, 1869.

ment ia going? When | became Presi-
dent your government, like a train, was
| going down an inclined plane until des-
iruction seemed inevitable. | feel that if
have done nothing more, l have been
the faithful brake to arrestit until the peo-
pie could understand what was being done.
TApplause have tried to do more, and
trusted that the government would not
run to destruction; that one department
would not seize ihs powers of the other,
and that the people would come forward
and right this great wrong.
WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN.
Then, in bidding Congress sdieu for the
present, as they had me impeached-
and impeached for what? Laughter
For standing by the constitution OF my
country. Had been disposed to accept
of office and corruption and temptation, l
could have been with them and had any
place in their power to give me, but my.
country and its constitution to me was pre-
ferable to power and place under them.
Suppose / had come forward and acqui-
esced in their opinion, | could have de-
clared myself dictator. But / preferred
the constitution of my country, its glory
and honor and history to association aud
power with those who had abandoned
| principle.
sIMoy. PURE LOYALTY.
| Let US tura for moment to the history of the
majority in Congress which has acted 10 such
/ utter disregard of The constitution. While
/ public attention has been carefully and cons
family turned to tho past and expiated sins Of
the South. the servants of the people, IN high
| places, have boldly betrayed their trust broken
| their oaths of obedience to the constitution,
and undermined the very foundations of lib
| erty, justice and good government. When the
rebellion was being suppressed by the yolur-
teefed services of patriot soldiers amid tho
dangers of the battlefield these men crept. with
out question, into place and power in the ma
| tional councils. After all dangers had passed,
| when no armed foe remained, when punished
| and repentant people bowed their heads to the
| flag and renewed their allegiance to the Gov
| eminent Of the United States, then IL was that
/ pretended patriots appeared before the nation
l and began to prate about the thousands OF lives
| and millions of treasure sacrificed in the sup
| preston of the rebellion They have since per-
| slstently sought to intame the pre- udices en-
| gendered between the sections, to retard the
/ restoration of peace and harmony, and by every
| means to keep open and exposed TO the poison
Gus breath of party passion the terrible wounds
| of four-years' war. They have prevented the
| return of peace and the restoration of the
Union. in every way rendered delusiye the pur-
poses. promises. and pledges By which the army
| was marshalled, treason rebuked, and rebellion
| crushed, and made the liberties OF the people
and the rights and powers Of the President
| objects of constant attack.
WHAT CONGRESS- HAsiDoSE.
They have wrested from the President
his constitutional power Of supreme com
have destroyed the strength and efficiency
| of the Executive Department by making sub
ordinate officers Independent of and able to
| defy their chief. They have attempted to place
| the President under the power OF bold. def
ant, and treacherous cabinet officer. They have
robbed the Executive of the Prerogstiye OF
narla ranAara1 mn an clam
ency granted to thousands OF persons under the
provisions of the constitution, and committed
gross usurpation by legislative attempts to
exercise this power in favor of party adherents.
They have eOnspired to change the system OF our
government by preferring charges against the
President in the form OF articles Of lmpeseh-
ment. aud contemplating. before hearing or
trial. that he should be placed in arrest held in
durance, and, when 1t became their pleasure to
pronounce his sentence, driven from place and
power in disgrace. They have in time of peace
| increased the national debt by reckless ex-
penditure of the public moneys. and thus added
to the burdens which already weigh upon the
people. They have permitted the nation to
| suffer the evils of 3 deranged currency. to the
Il enhancement of price of all the neeessarieS oil
lite. They have maintained large standing
| army for the enforcement OF their measures OF
oppression. They have engaged IN class leglsla-
ton. and built up and encourage monopOiles.
that the few night be enriched at the expense
of the many. They have failed to act upon i'm
pOrtant treaties. thereby endang ring our pre-
sent peaceful relations with foreign powers
Their course of usurpGtion has not been limit
| ed to inrOads upon the Executive Department.
| By unconstitutional and oppressive enact
| ments, the people of ten States of the Union
have been reduced to condition more intoler-
l able than that from which the patriots of the
| Revolution rebelled. Millions of American
citizens can now say of their opPressOrs. with
more truth than our fathers did q British
/ tyrants. that they have forbidden the govern
Ors to pass laws of Immediate and pressing i'm
/ portance. unless suspended until the assent
should be obtained" that they have refused to
/ pass other laws Of accommodation of large dis
tricts of people. unless those people would
i reIinquish the right of representation in the
l Legislature-a right inestimable to them, and
formidable to tyrants only: that they have
made judges dependent upon their will alone
Il for the tenure of their offices. and the amount
L and payment of their salaries, that they have
1 "erected a multitude Of new offices, and sent
| hither swarms of officers to harrass our people
and eat out their substance that they have
affected to render the military independent
| Of and superior to the civil power" combined
with Others to subject US to jurisdiction foreign
| to our constitution. and unaeknoWledged BY our
1 laws" "quartered large bodies of armed troops
| among US" protected them by mock trial
1 from punishment for any murders which they
| should commit on the inhabitants of these
| States" imposed taxes upon us without our
| consent" deprived US IN many eases OF the
| benefit sef~ trial by jury, taken away our
| charters excited domestic instruction amongst
| us, abolished cur most valuable laws, altered
l fundame ntally the forms OF our government,
| suspended our own Legislature, and declared
L
| US in all cases whatsoever"
THE CATALOGUE OF CRIMEs,
long as it is, is not yet complete, The c6nstitu,
| ton vests the Judicial power of the United
| States in one Supreme Court" whose JurlsdIc-
ton shall extend to all cases arising under the
| constitution" and the laws of the United
states" Encouraged By this promise Of a. re,
fuse from tyranny. citizen OF the United
| States who, by the order of q military COM
| mander, given under the sanction Of q cruel
and deliberate ediet of Congress. hsd been
denied the constitutional rights Of liberty of
conscience, freedom of the press and of speech,
| personal freedom from military arrest, of being
held to answer for crime only upon presenlment
| and indictment, of trial by jury. of the writ OF
| habeas corpus, and the protection OF civil and
| constitutional governments citizen. thus deep
| Iy wronged. appeals to the Supreme Court for
the protection guaranteed to him By the organic
| law of the land At once a fierce and excited
| majority, by the ruthless hand CT legislative
| power. stripped the ermine from the Judges,
transferred the sword of justice to the General.
| and remanded the oppressed citizen to degra-
| dstion and bondage worse than death
L 1t will also be recorded as one of the marvels
Of the times, that a party claiming for itself a
| monopoly OF consistency and patriotism, and
Boosting toe. of its unlimityd sway. endeavored,
| BY costly aad deliberate trial, to impeach one
| who defended the constitution land the Union
not only throughout the war Of the rebellion,
| but during his whole term Of office as Chief
| Magistrate but at the same time could ind no
| warrant or means at their command to bring to
| trial even the chief of the rebellion. Indeed,
4 "
repeated that for proprletys 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 extremity OF
| party management and Inconsistency on the
| one hand, and Of faction, viudictiveness, and
| intolerance on the other Patriotism will
| hardly be encouraged when. in such record.
it sees that its instant reward may be the mos
! viTulent party abuse and obloquy, If not at
| tempted disgrace. Instead Of seeking to make
| treason OdiOus," 1t would in truth seem to have
I haan their UurDOce rather TO make the ueISgee
| of the constitution and the Union q crime and
to punish fidelity to an oath Of office, II counter
to party dietatiOn, by all the means at lhelr
| command.
|, fhappiIy for the peace Of the country. the war
, | has determined against the assumed power Of
/, the states to withdraw at pleasure from the
Union. The institution OF slavery also iound
| its destruction in a rebellion commenced IN It's
| interest, 1t should be borne in mind. however.
| that the war neither impaired nor destroyed tne
constitution, but. on the contrary, preserved It's
| existence, and made apparent its real power
/ | and enduring strength. All the rights granted
to the States, or reserved 10 the people thereof,
remain therefore intact. Among tnose I,sns ~ y
| that of the people of each State to declare the
| qualifications of their own State electors. II Is
| now assumed that Congress can control THIS
| vital right, which can never be taken away from
} | the States without impaiTing the fundamental
principles Of the government Itself Ii Is neees-
sary to the existence of the States as well as to
the protection Of the Liberties oil the people;
3 | for the right to select the elector ID whom the
: | poIitieal power of State shall be lodged IN
| wolves the right Of the State to govern itself
: | When deprived of this prerogatiVe, the States
| will have no power worth retaining; All wall be
zone and they will be subjected TO the arbitrary
| will Of Congress. The government Will then be
centralized, if not by the passage OF laws, then
D | nv the adoption, through partisan influence oil
, | ~ amenlment directly IA conflict with the
original design of the constitution. ms proves
: | how necessary it is that the people should re-
I quire the administration OF the three great 1e-
i | partments Of the government strictly within
A | The limitations OF the constitution Inell