Year: 1868

Without her r,ciewing gum.


The force of habit strong as death,


And when her time shall come,


erepitaph We hope to osee----ss4o-z---.-
She died of chewing gum"


SPEECH OF MIR. WILSON.


Mr.. Wilson, Of Iowa. and Chair
man of the Judiciary Committee,
made the following eloquent speech
in favor Of the impeachment resolu-
ton, in the House of Representa-
tives, on the oath inst. Wehope our
readers will give it a careful perusal,
as none will conclude it without the
honest conviction that Mr.. Wilson is
q man of great abilities and in the
right place:


Mr.. Speaker, the peace of the
country is again disturbed by the
President of the United States. He
denies to the nation that repose
which it SO much needs. He will
not obey the law, and by it he must
be judged. I do not approach the
case under the spur Of hate or the
heat of passion. Its presence l de-
plore, but its demands l will respect
and obey. AS Representative, it
is my duty to see that the laws of
the Republic are not detied by a
criminal in office, if within the terms
of the Constitution remedy may
be found. Tne presence of the
criminal is a palpable fact. The
remedy is plain and indisputable,
and from the performance of the
duty I will not shrink. An impeach-
ment of the President of the United
States is made inevitable by his own
deliberate criminal conduct, as pre-
sented to us by the case which now
commands, our attention. We can
not escape this conclusion if we
would, for the President would
hedge us about with new acts of
greater enormity, if there be any
logic in his course of procedure,
which would compel us to take up
the GA ge that he has now detiantly
cast at our feet.


Heretofore his challenges have not
been, in my judgment, in due form
Of law, or stamped with the charac-
ter Of real crimes and misdem meanors,
and therefore l have resisted re-
sort to the extreme remedy which
the Constitution has placed in our
hands. Perhaps | have been more
cautious than most men would have
been, but no regrets come to me on
this account, for l believe | did my
duty. The considerations which
urged upon my mind and nodded
my conduct in the case with which
the Committee on the Judiciary of
this House was charged, are not to
be found in the present case. Z The
logic in the former case is made
plain, not to say perfect. by its Sc
quenee in the present one. The
President was working to an end,
suspected by others, known to him
self. His then means were not
known to the law as crimes or mis-
demeanors, either by the common
law Or by statute, and we so pro-
nounced. He mistook our judg-
ment for cowardice, and worked on
until he has presented to US, as a Sc
quence, q high misdemeanor known
to the law and defined by the statute.
If we permit this to pass unchalleng-
ed by that high power with which
the Constitution has clothed us. nc
man can measure the future troubles
of this Republic. 5


For one: I am not willing to wait
for an ascertainment of the unknown
quantities of future Presidential
crimes and misdemeanors. We
have before US the elements and the
quantities ascertained, and | am ir
favor of wiping it from the execu
tive black board by an impeachment
of the criminal who placed it there


Its presence is a source of regret
to me, and it must be of mortifica
ton to the people of this Republic
but I will face it, and they will NEE
it, by asserting the subordination O.
the President to the law of the land
He is not a maker of the law, or {
judge thereof; and it is enough fol
him to know that the Constitution
which he is sworn to preserve, pro
tect and defend, says that he shall
take care that the laws shall be faith
fully executed. What laws Thost
which are passed in pursuance O
the terms of that Constitution
which he is sworn to preserve, pro
tcct and defend. And how are these
laws passed? By the two houses o
Congress, with the approval of th'
President: or, in such cases as h,
does not approve, he shall return it
with his objections, to that hous'
in which it shall have originated
who shall enter the OH ection
at large upon their journa
and proceed to reconsider it
and if, after such reconsideration
two-t thirds Of the house shall agre
to pass the bill, it shall be sent, to
ge'her with the other house, b,
which it shall likewise be considered
and if approved by thirds o
that house, it shall become law
What kind of a law? One whicl
the President shall take care it b.
faithfully executed. The Constitu
ton does not make him judge of tn
law, but an executor thereof, and Ii
is bound to execute that which tn
making power DEGREES to be til
law of the land. Whatever may b
his opinion rs a mere .individua
member of the national family, he i
bound to yield to that higher dut