Year: 1863

those who are endeavoring to build up re-


public based on slavery. To PROSTATE re-


bez7ion hat1aS that object a, Oielo I am lgiHing


to deuOts ary means, any time any srsrtions


l0itHin nly poooer, during the rest Of my life


[Applause. and three cheersl Now let us see


whether there is any thing worthy consider


ing in what is suggested by those who dis


sent from US, and are unwilling to prosecute


this war


/ THE POWER GIVEN TUE president.


The measures that have been recently


adopted by Congress are so lately adopted,


that it becomes any man who is careful what


he says, to be guarded in speaking of them.


The President issued two Proclamations-


both of them, as 7 have frequently stated,


disapproved. He issued both before I spoke


on the 18th Of October, and before Cover


ner Seymour spoke. Neither Of us saw any


thing in them which prevented US from IA


voring a vigorous prosecution of the war. If


there was nothing, then it is certain that


there is nothing now. [Applause.l The bill


which has excited the sensibility of several
gentlemen who have spoken in New Jersey,


and at a certain hall in this city, misses, was


bill which gives extraordinary pewers over


the purse and the sword to the President Of


the United States. They are bills which seek


to protect by indemnity the President and


those connected with him from arrest They


are opposed to another bill, as understand,


which has become the law, which authorizes


the President, in his discretion, to suspend


the writ of haBeas corpus [AppIause.l 1


viii state now, as briefly as can, what are


my views in regard to this. In the first place,


as to the bill which gives the President the


enormous power over the sword and the


purse. I agree that it makes him almost a


dictator, I agree that it is a very great


stretch of power.


I argue that, unless there may be neces-
sity for it, it should not be done. Every body


knows that in prosecuting a war under a re-
publican government, which consists of seve-.
raj States, the great apprehension is that there


may not be unity on the part of the States
sufficient to impart energy to the executive


heads-whst was predicted as one Of the
grounds upon Which our system Of govern
ment would fail I call the attention of my
Democratic friends to this, because there seems
to be particular solicitude about them now
Laughter The President was given the
power of the purse and the sword in 1889,
when Great Britain had directed fcrcible pos
session to be taken Of the State of Maine, and
Sir John Harvey had moved troops of Great
Britain into that territory to hold it, The
Government Of the State Of Maine met this
action by moving Maine troops on to the same
territory. The President Of the United States
called the attention of Congress to it, and left
it to their own wisdom what ought to be done,
Now I hold in my hand copy of the bill
that they passed on that occasion, in 1889. |
will state to you the substance of the vari-
Gus sections without OBTAINING you at this
late hour by reading the bill. The first sec
ton puts the whole naval and military force
of the United States, and the militia, at the
disposal Of the President (Applause) The
second declares that the militia, when called
out, shall be compelled to serve six months
The third gives the President power to call
out $4,000 volunteers. In those days, when
our army had never reached 5000 men, it /
was weighty manner to call out 80, 900 men
and was regarded as an enormous authority.
Iaughter) The fourth section gives the |
President power to complete and employ all
the armed vessels of the United States, thus
putting the whole army and navy of the
United States at his disposal (Applause.) |
The fifth section appropriates S1O,OOO,OOO to
carry into effect the provisions of this act
In those days ten millions Of dollars was a
great deal of mony. {Laughter) The sixth
section appropriate $4,000 to send a speci-
al Minister to Great Britain. The seventh
section authorizes him to expend a million of
dollars in finishing the Notifications upon our
and building them The eight sec
ton directs that the militia and volunteers,
when called out shall be portions OF the army
of the United States. Now, how do you
that bill passed2 If put the whole
purse and sword into the absolute power OF
the President of the United States. Clay,
Webster and Calhoun-men perhaps inferior
to the solons Of our day Qaughter,) were
of the Senate. The bill passed the
Senate, and these three statesmen-although
all violently opposed, personally and politi-
cally, to the then President OF the United
for the bill, and it passed the
Senate unanimously. (Applause.) Itpassed
the House Of Representatives, after a full dis
cussion, by a vote of 2Ol to 6, and the lead
er of that six was Henry A. Wise Clisse$
the bold Brigadier who distinguished himself
so greatly at Nag's Head Qaughter) while
bis brigade was fighting and his son dying.



Now, gentlemen, there is nothing in
my humble judgement, therefore, in the law
passed putting this enormous power in the
possession of the President of the United
States to deter me for asserting in a vigorous
Of the war. [Cheers.l lean very
well understand how, if l sympathize with
the rebellion-ifI deemed that this war should
fail could spend hours and columns in pick
ing flaws in this act But ifI believe that sub
stantial justice required that the great ends of
the war demand that the whole