Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1879-04-23

ing language, which read from thu
Record.
"ln opening the debate, | challeng,
oil comers TO show single instance il
, our history where this consent hai
been coerced"
What consent2 The consent of tn,
Executive by extraneous matter inject
J cd into appropriation bills.
: "This is the great, the paramount
issue, which dwaris oil others into in
significance"
\ | accept the gage Of battle that the
} gentleman throws down. i read from
the records and show him the instance
, he seeks. find that On the I'd day o
March, 1867, q thing occurred in this
House OF which the gentleman should
have been cognizant, for he was ther
as now an honofed mvlnLsr on this
floor. | find the following message
was sent by the then President of the
United States to the House OF Repre-.
sentatives
TO the House Of Representatives.
"The act entitled AN act making
appropriations for the support OF the
Army
All, by singular coincidence that too
was an Army bill, Just as this is.
"The act entitled IAN act making
aspirations for the support Of the Army
for tho year ending June 80, 1865, and
for other purposes, contains provisions
to which must call attention. Those
provisions are contained in the second
section which in certain cases virtually
deprives the President Of his cohstitu-
tional functions as Commander-iu. .Chiel
Of the Army, and IN the sixth section
which denies 10 ten States of this I'm
ion their constitutional right toprotect
themselves in any emergency by means
of their own militia These provi-
sions are out Of place in an appropria-
tion act. 2"
Did the gentleman from Ohio bor-
row his recently used protest from this
official protest of the Executive of the
country?
"These provisions are out Of place in
an appropriation act. | am compelled
to defeat these necessary appropria-
tions if withhold my signature to the
act. Pressed by these considerations
! grant you, he does not say eco
creed"
pressed by these considerations, |
feel constrained TO return the bill with
my signature, but accompany it with
my protest against tho section which
| have indicated"
March 2, 1867. ANDREW JOHNSON.
Is there no coercion there Why,
sir, the record is full In an act max.
ing appropriations for the sundry civil
expenses of this Government for the
year ending June 80, 1865, it was pro.
vided that in the courts of the United
States there should be no exclusion OF
any witness on account Of color, or in
any other civil action because he is a
party interested in the issue to be tried.
Is not that extraneous matter2 Yet
upon this bill the record shows that
gentleman from Ohio is found voting
in tho list of aves.
But, sir, worse than all this, find
that on memorable occasion in the
Thirty.ninth Congress, of which the
gentleman from Ohio was likewise q
member, that occurred which will new.
or fade from the minds OF the American
people. l refer to the proceedings
looking to the impeachment Of the
Chief Executive ofthis Republic, which
came so nigh resulting in conviction,
On that occasion find that colleague
of the gentleman from Ohio, Mr.. Ash.
ley, moved to suspend the rules TO al
low him to make report from the
Committee on what2 Judiciary No
sir. From the Committee on Terri
tories, in the nature Of a resolution i'm.
peaching the President of the Ameri
can Government for high crimes and
misdemeanors. On the yea-and-nay
vote | find the gentleman from Ohio
voted "ay"
And 1 find further, sir, the counts
upon which those impeachment arti
cles were predicated, and beg TO cal
the attention of this committee TO them
Mr.. Ashley said ;
al do impeach Andrew johnson
vice-Prcsident and acting President o.
the United States of high crimes and
and misdemeanors."
"Charge him with the usurpation Of
power and violation OF law
And now come the FIVE counts in the
Indictment and l beg the careful at
tention of this committee, tor | will
bring it homo to the very issue that
the gentleman from Ohio has courted
in this contest
'In that he has corruptly used the
appointing power"
= put the gentleman on his candoi
and submit to him to say whether he
ever intended to impeach the President
for that? The country knows he die
not. That appointing power had moi
been welded in such way as to merit
the censure of the gentleman himself
| Secondly, in that he has corruptly
used the pardoning power"
| Did the gentleman from Ohio near
TO impeach him for that? will an
swer for him, no Everybody knows
be did not.
I "Thirdly, in that he has corruptly
used the veto power"
And there was whore the sting came
lin. II was the exercise of that consti
tutional prerogative, IL was the en-
ployment Of the veto power, for which
the House and the gentleman from
Ohio voted these articles of impeach
mont, coupled with one other offens'
only.
"Fourthly, in that he has corruptly
disposed of the public property of thu
United States"
1 That was a mere formal count in th,
indictment, and / doubt not that the
gentleman from Ohio will admit IL.
"Fifthly, in that he has corruptly
intcrfcrcd--"
n In what2
, i'in the elections and did acts which il
contemplation Of the Constitution arr
, high crimes and misdemcanors."
. There were but two counts in tha
/ indictment upon which II was propos
cd to impeach the Executive II wa
! the exercise of the veto power and /
, was his Interference, not in elections
but his interference to prevent the in
reference of the armed power Of thi
, Government in the elections Of thi
country. Was the denuncation still
ringing in that genteman's ears whicl
the then President had employed il
his interview with General Emory, dc
nouncing as subversive OF all the prin
! ciplcs Of free government the nterfer
a,,oa oc tka ,,,,I;farv with tha riohf n