Year: 1867

alone Of its citizens, or ofthuse who have
wronged the Union and incurred your
hatred ad malice, but you are sui gat-
ing the Republic, the Constitution, ,isil
liberty, aud all that to the freeman makes
life desirable or even tolerable. Your
triumphs are not alone over fallen and
conquered enemies, but you are triumph
ing over the fall of your county, over the
destruction Of the States that compose
the Union, over the destruction of the es-
sential, the underlying principles of repub.
licanism, over civil government.


History declares the Roman republic
ruined itself by its triumphs, the excess
es of its conquests and power. Rome,
the mistress Of the world, when enslaved
by tyrants and oppressed by military gov
ernments, had reason to deplore the sue
cess of its arms and look back with regret
on those happy times when its power did
not reach beyon italy, or even when its
dominion wos almost confined within its
own walls.


Like Rome may we not when too late
have occasion to regret our excesses, our
conquests, our military governments, our
oppessions. May we in yielding to the
demands of party passion, to political ma
lignity, and the aDimosities engendered
by our recent stuggle, not find that we
have lost our Constitution and the free
governmental it was intended to secure.


President, as was his duty, referred these
requests to the Attorney General, the
law officer of the Government, for his
opinion and advice. He considers it
carefully and gives his opinion, And,
sir, who Of this House has denied or even
dared to criticise one of his conclusions?
No. lawyer here has venturcd to put him
self in opposition to that opinion. And
| venture the opinion that, SO far as
they had considered it, one half of the
Republican members ofthis House agreed
with the Attorney Generals opinion of
the law at the last session. l appeal 10
the honorable gentleman from the Pitts
burg district of Pennsylvania, and the
honorable gentleman from the Cleveland
district of Ohio, than whom there are no
ADLER lawyers on that side Of the House,
if they had any opinion at the time that
bill was under consideration that We
were by it directly or expressly confer
ring the enormous power upon these mil
itary departmental officers of removing
at their will and pleasure governor ofa
State or Judge of a court? Was it
supposed that the little satrap at New
Orleans was, under that bill, to make and
unmake governors, judges, and mayors ?
Who of us dreamed that such things
could be done except by gross abuse of
power, by usurpation


1t might have been expected from the
merryandrew of that department as an
act of.unauthorized military power, but
who believed it was conferred by the
act? Under what provision was it thought
to be granted? Where do you find it
There is no such language as you employ
in this bill to express and confer it. The
President has not interfered even as |
think he ought. lie has not turned the
usurper-the insuller Of his superior, his
supreme commander out of Office, or
even turned him over to court-martial
for trial. A ii is going on there as though
this ficer had law and right a d Justice
in his administration, and for all he is
doing and would do