Year: 1868

VI A@A&A - A41aA n h1frs


From the St Louis Republican. May Is.


On several occasions we have expressed
fears that the revolutionary majority in the
House Of Representatives would attack the
Senate in case the House majority became
dissatisfied with the action of the majority
ia the Senate. These fears are beginning
% be realized. Reyolutionists and despots
are always equally opposed to division Of
power with any element that might assume
10 control their actions. They must Of ne
cessity rule absolutely, or they cannot ex-
ist at all 1t is the nature of both 10 be
exclusive, and 70 tolerate no power Cos
ordinate with themselves. The Radical
majority in Congress has, already, in effect,
ignored two coordinate branches Of our
government. The constitutional privileges
Of the Executive we're in their way. They
endeavored TO control them, and, when
the President tried 10 enforce one of the
few rights which they had not taken away
from him, they dragged him before the
tribunal Of the Senate, and asked that body
10 remove him. After having denied him
the exerciae of his power as the Executive,
they, in the end, undertook 10 punish him
for his manliness and courage in resisting
their unEarrantabie aggressions on his pre-
negatives under the Constitution.


Indifferent 10 the rights Of all opposition,
they are bound 10 triumph or perish. They
tried the same experiment though in a
more covert attack, on the Jndiciary-the
third coordinate branch in our govern
ment. Afraid even of the relatively in
significant power which is inherent in the
l..
further restrict its jurisdiction if it con-
tinued 10 scrutinize the constitutiOnality Of
their revolutionary acts.


They have now entered upon a new stage
in their revolutionary career. Al the close
Of the impeachment trial, they discovered
that in the National Legislature, composed
Of two branches, the Senate might not al
ways be willing 10 submit 10 their reEolu-
tiOnaTy schemes, and they do not hesitate
20 exert their assumed omnipotence even
over the Sesate, which, By the provisions
of the Constitution, is an absolutely indie
pendent part9f the legislative branch of
the government


Not only did they endeayor TO intimi-
date members of the Senate during the
| Impeachment trial, but Radical delegations
Of the House even dared to threaten mem-
bers Of the Senate on account OF opinions
expressed ia a secret session; and without
a shadow Of Jurisdiction over the Senate
did he House managers commence an in
vestigatian in regard TO the purity Of the
motives Of those Senators, whose final vote
on the impeachment il, was ascertained
would not coincide with their own revOlu-
tionary ideas. If partisanship and fear
had not already extinguished the last yes
1 tige of honor and manliness in the majority
Of the Senate, that body would have risen
as one man and repulsed with voice OF
thunder this attempt of the Radical ma
/ iority in the House, of which the
managers" are the true exponents, TO
overrule and intimidate them, and 1Dally
TO destroy the prestige of the Senate in
the minds Of the people. Glory to
the few Radical members who did defend
Che honor and independence of the Senate
but what shame that they are so few in
| number. In such times the only hope is
in the supremacy of the people, and in the
liberty Of the press, which the Radical
revolutionists can not defy with impunity,
They may edeavor to undermine our whole
constitutional structure but they cannot
impair the power Of the people, nor intiml-
date the press. If they ruin everything
they will in their turn be ruined by the
people; if they defy the highest courts o
justice and endeayOr to pervert them into
partisan tools, they never can succeed il
silencing the press. They, in their turn
will soon be impeached before the abso
lutely sovereign tribunal of the nation
Let the managers try to seduce the people
If they can, and make them the accom-
pliees of their usurpalion. In that cas-
they would discover that in this countr,
there is sovereign judge, who is not afrai'
/ of Them