The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1906-03-02
STATESMANSHIP.

our ONCE the Otner DAY IL uecdLie net
essary to remove some old books that
occupied an elevated place on a top
shelf
We carelessly turned over the musty
pages of one of the old books which
happened to be a volume of the Con-
gressional Globe of 1868.
The first thing our eyes rested on
was a resolution of the Hon. Charles
Sumner, of Massachusetts, refusing to
print President Andrew Johnson's
Message to Congress.
In the course of his remarks Mr..
Sumner said:
There is really a reason, indepen-
dent Of economy, why we should not
circulate extra copies Of the preSi-
dents message. 1t has already been
characterized as a libel; unquestion-
ably it is libel; it is an incendiary
document, calculated to stimulate the
rebellion once more and to provoke
civil war. 1t is a direct appeal to
the worst passions and the worst
prejudiceS of those rebels who, being
subdued on the battlefield, still re-
sist through the aid of the president
of the United States. 1t is the evil
dence of a direct coalition between
the president and the former rebels.
If Jefferson Davis were president Of
the United States he could not send
to this chamber message different in
character. l have often said that An
drew Johnson was the successor of
Jefferson Davis, and this message is
a complete confirmation OF all that /
have heretofore said. / hope the SEN
ate will not put its hands into the
public treasury in order to circulate
over the country a document which is
so offensive to congress, and which,
just in proportion to its influence, is
calculated to arouse the worst senti-
ments throughout the rebel states. ]
move to strike out the words relating
to the presidents message"
In the light in which We read it
now the presidents message was a
very mild public document
Notwithstanding how rife the times
were then, the presidents utterances
were very ably defended by Senator
Dixon Of Connecticut.
The debate is a most interesting one.
Among other things Senator Dixon
said:
1.-The senator says it is arrogant"
presumption" "in bad taste" on the
part of the president of the United
States TO call himself the defender of
the constitution; that it Is unconsti-
IItional language. Let us see the
oath which he is required by the con-
stitution to take:
Il do solemnly swear Cor affirm)
that l will faithfully execute the Of
flee of president of the United States,
and will, to the best of my ability,
preserve, protect, and defend the con-
stitution of the United States"
That is the very language of his
oath. What is a defender Of the con-
stitution but man who is bound to
defend it? Is that arrogant language?
Now will the senator say that That
oath throws no light on that subject?
1t is very different form of oath
from that which the senator himself
takes. He takes no such oath. The
constitution only requires a senator To
swear to support the constitution
Why was the oath in the .wo cases
expressed in different language? If
the president of the United States sees
fit to declare himself, after having
sworn to defend the constitution, its
elected defender" l can see nothing
in that disrespectful to congress, nor
can | see anything arrogant in IL. IL
is his duty To defend the constitution
of the United States in all proper, ie-
gal, and constitutional modes.
What shall we say when Abraham
Lincoln found himself in a position in
which he was bound to defend the
constitution of the United States and
save this government from destruction
without law, and, as some said against
law? Ii anything which President
Lincoln ever did endeared him to the
hearts of the American people IL was
his taking the responsibility in April,
1861, of defending the constitution of
the United States."
Things grew from bad to worse in
Congress and the president Wa. az
raigned at the bar of the Senate for
"high crimes and misdemeanors," but
failed of Impeachment by one vote.
Suppose That reason instead of pas
sion had r,led the hour, what evils
would have been averted?
But like active VOLCANOES these pas
sions finally burned themselves out,
and Charles Sumner himself made a
memorable speech in which he advo-
Gated the return of the battlefiags"
to the Southern states, and Horace
Greeley, who led the fight for impeach-
ment, became the nominee of the dem
ocratic party for the presidency!
This leads us to remark that nearly
all our great statesmen changed their
positions on some great question OF
national policy. and none of them es-
capped criticism.
1t has been SO from the administra-
ton of Washington to the administTa-
ton of Roosevelt, and will continue so
until the end of time
Criticism, or to put it in a milder
form. publicity" is at once the
strength and safety Of the republic.