National Republican., 1879-04-04

b rovolutionize the judicial system OF the country,
proposing to rob co ordinate branch Of the GOV,
eminent proposing TO strip the Supreme Court OF
Consultation had clothed Il with That amend.
Court should declare any act Of Congress to be un-
constitutional. the judgment should be carried up
TO the Supreme Court, and if two-thirds OF the
members of that court should not affirm the iudg-
ment the sana should be held reversed, and on the
eall oi yeas and nays the gentleman from ONO is
found voting aye.
eight members, and by that amendment six were
required TO override the opinion of District Court
declaring unconstitutional any of the iladvsed,
nasty, crude, and partisan measures OF the Repub-
hcan party. Revolution What was there that
the party tho gentleman NO ably led had not done
rdnv ,Se y, % hn ~ bn5 d oa ali
coners TO show single instance in the history OF
the country where the consent of the Executive
had ever been coerced. lie (Mr. Blackburn) ac.
Cepted the gage of battle which the gentleman had
thrown down. He would read from the record and
SHOW him an instance. On the I'd OF March, 1857,
Andrew johnson had signed an army appropria-
ton bill under protest. feeling, as he said, CON
strained to return the bill with his signature, but
accompanying 1t with ais protest,
was full oft. He found that in the Thirty-ninth
congress that had occurred which would never
iade nom the minds of the American people. He
referred TO the effort which was made, and which
came so nigh resulting in the successful impeach-
ment OF the Chief Executive Of the country. The
Exieeutiye had been mpeeched Of high crimes and
=
lazy. First-"1n that he has corrupty used the ap-
pointing power" Had the gentleman from Ohio
intended to impeaoh him for that2 Thegentleman
knew that he had not. second" In that he has
coTiiptly used the pardoning power" Had the
gentleman intended TO impeaoh him for that2 Ev.
erybody knew he had not. Third" In that
he has corruptly used the veto power"
There was where the sting came in.
IL was the exercise of that prerogatye, Il was the
House voted those articles of impeachment
rourth-"1n that he has corruptly disposed Of pub
lie proper,yP That was mere formal count in
the Indictment. Fiith-"in that he has corruptly
interiered with the elections" Those were the two
counts In this indictment on which II was proposed
To- impeach the Executive. One was the exercise
Of the veto power and the other his interference,
not In elections, but TO prevent the interference Of
armed power in elections. Those counts had been
from Ohio was on the record every time as voting
In their favor. And he had been supported in his
action, and had had standing by him, voting side
by side with him to impeach the President for the
obscure, and who, but for q combination Of acct
dents would have remained to this day, and until
his dying day, in that obscurity for which nature
and his Creator seemed to have designed hm-side
by side with tho gentleman from Ohio had stood
and voted Mr.. Hayes, of the same State. Applause
OH the Democratic side and In the galleries.
And now by what sort of authority had the gem
teman from Ohio come TO threaten the House with
probable and possible action of the Executive
What provision of the Federal Constitution under
took TO cothe anybody, either the President him
self or one of his privy council, even including his
PREMIER the Secretary of state TO stas he had done
on the floor of the House last Saturday and by his
presence and approval seem TO intimidnte overawe,
and brow-beat the American Congress? tDerisive
laughter on the Republican side.l Who had com
missioned the gentleman from Ohio TO tell the
House that had better be careful because the issue
was made, and the President would not to coerced
into message Of approval?
Did the gentleman from Ohio or any other gem
teman, put such a low estimate on the selErespeet
the integrity. the courage, and the manhood of the
House, without regard to party, as TO believe that
Supl threat haunted intimilate the
law-making branch OF the Government and shape
It's action on measures of legislation? Hcproccedcd
to quote from Mr. Garfeld's speech TO the effect
that no petition had been presented to Congress for
the proposed repeal. Did the gentleman mean to
stand by that declaration? Did he not know that
the Congress just expired bore upon Its files peti
ton after petition in contested election cases, pro-
tests against the presence of the military at the
polls, denouncing the usnrpation and demanding
the repeal of this law? Did he fail TO remember
that Che State of Louisiana n sovereign state had
sent her memorial in which, in thunder tones, she
mathematical the present lazy? But the gentle
II Is generally true that the grave silenced the
tongue of detraction but the gentleman from Ohio
forgettng himself in in his his speech forgot also to OBJ OBJ
hand the very bin which had been introduced on
the 9th Of January 1861, by Senator Powell of KEN
lucky, and he had before him the manly, states.
maulike, and patriotic utterances which Senator
Powell had delivered upon the consideration OF
that bill lie challenged gentlemen to find within
the limits of that measure line sentence, word or
SYLLABLE which the present bill sought to repeal
Did not the gentleman from Ohio know that the
amendment TO Senator Powclls bill had been In
corpOrated upon il on motion of Scirator Pomeroy
and that every Democrat had voted against 1t, Sen
ator Powell among the number? II was not can
did IL was not fair for the gentleman from Ohio TO
place dead statesman in such false position,
III 1877 the gentleman from Ohio had made n
speech OH tho fioor in which he had declared that
the minority TO which the Democrats then be-
longcd, but to which, under Gods providence, they
no longer belonged) was guilty of tion, be.
cause II insisted that extraneons matter should not
be placed upon appropriation bills. He had said
that that was revolution and where did he stand
to-day? II was revolution then for the minority
TO resist the majority; il was revolution now FOL
the majority TO resist the minority.
Continuing, he said Let one take the darkened
pages of his cOuntrys history for the last seventeen
long years. and read 1t carefully, and tell me then
whether 1t lies IN the mouth OF THIS leader OF
once great but now waning party, TO read lectures
to anybody, either on the score of revolutionary
legislation or eXtraneous Introduction OF legisa
tion on appropriation bills. Better far in the face
of the record which they have made-better tC
listen patiently to the confirmed inebriatc as he
deals ON the virtues of temperance, or better LEI
The queen of the DENT monde elaborate the beauties
of female virtue or let tho devil prale of the
| scheme of universal redemption, than for homi
lies on good morals and lectures on revolutionary
| legislation to be delivered from such source
| Applause OH the Democratic side.
| Hnying read the act of George H., he continued
From that day till now do declare that 1t Is no
within the power of any man to find scion OF the
the Saxon race that has not ever held III utter con
| tempt the effort of him or them who sought tc
control tie freedom Of the ballot by the employ
mont of military power lApplanse on lthe Dem
ocratic side The very army OF this country pro
tests against such prostitution of It, see before
| me the distinguished Generalin- Chief of the
American army General sherman was occupyih{
Mr.. Garliclds seat, and do not believe that
overstate the fact when say that from him down
TO the lowest subaltern 1t is difficult to ind com
| missioned officer who has not ,repugnanee FOL
| tho service which, under this prostitution
of the army, he has beenscalled ON to perform
II Is this question that is before us. We are de
claring that the ballot shall be free. We are deny
ing that 1t is either constitutional, legal, Just lair
ance of the servant. We willing to discuss the
| question and, for my part, shall oppose any limi
tation to be put on this discussion. II we cullo
stand OIL an issue so broad, 50 constitutional SC
catholic so free and SO fair rs this, then tell me
| in Heavens name, what earthly battlements are
strong enough get bchind2 Let II go 10 the coun
try that one party IN this Congress asserts that tnt
mauacles shall fall nom the limbs OF ireemen, hnc
that the army shall not hold It's mailed hand AT the
| throat of the sovereign, and that the other party
declares that, rather than release its grasp II VII
bring the Government to starvation, and those
| with whom stand identified are willing TO aocep
| the issue Aye, more, we go further, and admit tha
we are the ones who make the issue, ana we art
| ready for you 10 accept II.
| Planting ourselves on this broad ground, we wei
come the controversy. For the hrSt time IN eight
| cen years the Democracy is back in power in boti
branches of Congress. We propose 70 celebrate hei
return TO power by wiping from the statute boob
those degrading restrictions on heemen and by
| striking away tie shackies which partisan legsla
| tion has imposed, We do net intend TO stop unit
we have stricken the last yestige OF your war meas
ures from the statute book-lke those which weN
born of the passions incident TO civil strife, 1nt
which looked alone to the abrdgement Of the lib
critics Of the Cizen--Nnd until we have an untrnnl
meied election, and an unsupervised ballot and al
absolute free right for the cilzen 10 deposit NJ
ballot as the condition precedent which we ofie
| TO you for the passage Of this bill
| If the gentleman irOm Ohio (Mr. Garteld) Is Z