Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1875-04-03
UNITED STATES SENATE.
Extra Session.
An Able and Timely Speech BY Senator
Johnson.
he Flags Grant Alive, and Warns the
People Against His Usurpations.
Stirring Appeal 10 Save the Country
and the COnstitation.

IS Stirring Appeal 10 Save the Countr
It and the Consultations.
WASHINGTON, March22. The gal
: leries were densely crowded long be
q fore the hour of meeting, and by tn,
0 time the Senate was called to order
. not even standing room was to be
obtained in the galleries, dbor.ways OF
passages leading there. Upon the
g floor were large number of members
v of the House of Representatives and
e others entitled to the privilege of the
!, floor.
The consideration of the unfinished
:. business, being the resolution aplrov-
ing OF the action of the Presiden. in
, regard to louisiana was resumed, aid
Mr.. johnson, of Tennessee, being ell
! titled to the floor, began to speak at Il
minutes past II o'clock.
In opening his speech, Mr.. johnson
said, the fact that he had obtained the
floor Saturday night had possibly
created an expectation on the part o.
many, which, he was sorry to say, could
not be realized. Mr.. johnson said
This resolution proposes to cover act;
and measures which | think clearly
in violation of the organic law
of the land without authority
That being so, | cannot give my
consent to the resolution, and will be
compelled to vote against it. | think
1t proper that | should give some few
of the reasons why L cannot give it my
vote. In the first place, Mr.. Presi-
dent, 1t seems to me that the consider
alton of a resolution embracing ques-
tiOns of such grave Importance, is not
legitimately before this body. In other
words, it is not legitimate to consider
1t before Senate convened as this has
been convened, to act solely upon bus
mess pertaining to the Executive De-
partment. If it is legitimate to act
upon the measure now under eonsid-
Grafton by this body, it is legitimate to
consider every actand every question on
which the administration has acted
| since its advent into power. 1t does
not seem to be travelling much further
out of the record for the Executive to
come forward and presume to act in
defiance of the Legislature, than for
/ the Legislature to come forward and
/ approve acts of the President. Ordi-
nary measures are presented for the
consideration of Congress, and when
they are acted on, it is the duty of the
President to consider them, and to ap-
prove. or reject them. Mr.. johnson
argued at length that the Senate had
no authority to act on the resolution,
especially In the absence OF the other
house. He contended that the reso-
lutiOns of Senators Morton and Fre-
/ iinhuysen were the same in substance,
with mere modification in the matter
of verbiage to suit the party views of
some individuals. He next referred
to the trouble in the Tennessee Legis-
lature in 1866, and the action of the
Federal Government instructing Gen.
George II. Thomas, in command of
the Federal forces there, to strictly
abstain from any interference. His
Instructions he said, were as follows:
WASHINGTON, July 10, 1S66.-Gen.
Grant will instruct Gen Thomas that
the facts stated in his telegram do not
warrant the interference of the mill
tary. The administration of the laws
and the preservation of the peace in
Nashville belong properly to the State
authorities, and the duty of the United
States authorities is not to interfere in
any controversy between the public
authorities of the State, and Gen
Thomas will strictly abstain from any
interference between them.
: Here is a precise case, and that was
the action of the Government. 1t was
believed that it was a civil strife,
contest between two divisions of the
civil government, and was case, as
stated in the telegram sent back to
Gen. Thomas, similar to the one
in Louisiana. That dispatch was
signed by the Secretary of War, and
was written in the presence of the
President, and sent to Gen. Grant to
send to Gen. Thomas. He was told
that this was not case calling for the
interference of the military, and he
(Gen. Thomas) should abstain from
interference under any circumstances
whatever. 1t would seem that this |
marks line between the civil and |
military athority. There is a prece-
dent for the Government in that case.
The cases are almost parallel, and !
that was what the Government did |
then. What are we told now? We |
see then that the present President OF |
the United States was familiar with |
and understood what was the action |
of the government in cases of this
kind, and of the duty of the military
and civil authorities. We see then
that the question was not unknown to |
him, and he has not acted without \
proper and sufficient information upon
the subject. If he has been informed |
of and acted on and carried out the
order or telegram that | have read, he
must have understood it, and have
known that it was the true doctrine
and principle upon which cases of this
kind should be managed by the military.
He then referred to the removal of
Gen. p. Sheridan from the command
of the Fifth Military District on Aug.
26, 1867, and said it was in consequence
of the wall which came up from the
people of that section Why was' it
that this man Sheridan had been selec-
ted and sent back to those people, who
before condemned him and prayed for
his removal? He (Johnson) knew the
determination of the people of the
South. Their great object was to be
restored to the Union. He would tell
some of those who were acting
behind the curtain, that if they ex-
pected to stir up another strife, and
amid the war-cry and strife, have one
ride into power for a third term they
might bid farwell to liberty. Ap-
plause in the galleries.
The President pro TEN. (Mr. Fer
ry, of Michigan)-The chair will in
terfere with the gentleman from Ten
nessee, to inform the galleries that it
is in violation of the rules of the Sen
ate to express approval or disapprOval
of the proceedings of the Senate. The
Sergeant-at-Arms will put sufficient
force in the galleries to preserve order.
Mr.. johnson, resuming, argued at
length in opposition to third term,
and spoke of the United States officials
receiving presents, and in this cOnnec-
ton, said that this question of gift
taking would be just as legitimate a
subject to consider here to-day as the
subject We have under consideration.
We could consider just as well a resO-
luton expressing an opinion with re-
ference to officers of the United States
receiving gifts from citizens OF the
United States. Why not consider
subject like this? Let the popular
heart understand and let it respond.
1t is time we turned our attention to
u IL IL .nnroI,, nlIndn 20 Il