The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1869-03-24
ers of the President an object of constant

ers of the President an object of constar
} attack.
They have wrested from the President hi
constitutional power of the supreme CON
mand of the army and navy they hav
destroyed the strength Of the Executiv
department by making subordinate officer
independent of and able to defy their Chic
Magistrate; they have attempted to plac
the President under the power of bold
defiant, and treacherous cabinet officer
they have robbed the Executive of tn
prerogative of pardon rendered null ant
void the acts OF clemency granted to thou
sands of persons under the provisions O
the Constitution, and committed gros,
usurpations, legislative attempts to ex
ercise this power in favor of party adhe
rents they have conspired to change the
system OF our Government by preferiue
charges against the President in the form
OF articles of impeachment, and contempa
ting, before hearing of trial, that he should
be placed under arrest, held in DURANGO
and, what it became their pleasure to pro
nounce his sentence, driven from place and
power in disgrace; they have in time Of
peace increased the national debt by q
reckless expenditure of public moneys and
thus added to the burden which already
weighs upon the people they have per-
mitted the nation to suffer the evils of q
deranged currency to the enhancement in
price of all the necessaries of. life; they
have maintained large standing army for
the enforcement Of their measures of Cd.
preston; they have engaged 10 class lesis.
iation, built and encouraged monopolies,
that the few might be enriched at the ex-
pense 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 Executive De-
partment by unconstitutional and oppres-
sive enactments. The people of ten States
Of the Union have been reduced to con-
dition more intolerable than that from
which the patriots Of the Revolution re-
belled.
Millions of American citizens can now
say of their oppressors with more truth
than their fathers did of British tyrants,
that they have forbidden the State govern
ments to pass laws of immediate and pres.
sing 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 relinquisb
their rights of representation in the Legis-
lature, right inestimable to them aud
formidable to tyrants only. That they
have made judges dependendent on their
will alone for the tenure of offices and the
amount and payment of claims.
That they have erected a multitude of
new Offices and sent thither swarms Of Off
GERS to harrass our people and take 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 q Jurisdiction
foreign to our Constitution and unacknow-
lodged by our laws. Chartered large bod,
les of armed troops among US and protec-
ted them by o mock trial from the punish
ment of any murders which they should
commit on the inhabitants. Imposed tax
es on Us without our consent. Deprived
US in mary cases of trial by jury. Taken
away our characters; excited domestic in
surrection among us; abolished our most
laws; altered fundamentally the
form OF our government; suspended our own
Legislatures, and declared themselves in
vested with power to legislate for us in all
cases whatever. This catalogue of crime,
long as it is, is not complete. The Con-
stitution vested judicial power in a. u-
preme Court, whose jurisdiction shall ex-
tend to all cases arising under the Consti-
tuition and laws of the United States. En-
by this promise, refugee from
tyranny, citizen of the United States also
BY order Of a military commander, given |
under sanction of cruel and deliberate |
sdiet OF Congress, had been denied the con |
stitutional rights Of liberty of conscience
and freedom of the press and of speech,
personal freedom from military arrest, Of
being held to answer for crime only upon
oresentnsent ofan indictment. of trial by |
Jury, of the writ Of habeas corpus aud the
of u civil and constitutional
government. A citizen thus deeply
xronged appeals to the Supreme Court for
The protection guaranteed him by the or
,anic law of the land. At once fierce
md excited majority, by the ruthless hand
IF legislative power, stripped the ermine
rom the judges, transferred the sword Of
ustice to the General, and remanded the
oppressed citizen to a degradation and
bondage worse than death.
1t will also be recorded as one of the
narvels of tho times that party claiming |
or itself a monopoly of constituency aud /
and Boosting of its unlimited
sway, endeavored by costly and deliher-
tie trial to impeach one who defended the
Constitution and the Union, not only
throughout the rebellion, but during the
whole term Of Office as Chief Magistrate,
out ut the same time could find no warrant
Or means at their command to bring to
rial even the chief of the rebellion. In
Iced the remarkable failures in the cases
we're so often repeated that for propriety's
'ake, if for no other reason, it became at
asst necessary to extend to him an uncon-
litional pardon.
What more plainly than this illustrates
he extremfties of party management and
inconsistencies on the one hand, and Of
action, yindictiveness. and intolerance on
he other. Patriotism will hardly be en-
outraged when in such record it sees
hat its instant reward may be the most
7irulent rarity, abuse and obloquy, if not
lisgrace. Instead of seeking to make
reason odlous. it would in truth seem to
lave been their purpose rather to make
he defence Of the Constitution and Union
/ crime, and to punish fidelity to an oath
If office. Happily for the peace Of the
country, the war has determined against
he assumed power of States to withdraw
It pleasure from the Union.