Year: 1868




and often afterward2 Nobody objected to that
and no crowd hooted him or badgered him rs they
did me. Other Presidents have done the same
thing. But do they propose to impeach me on q
question of taste and dignity? Is it dignifed in
Mr.. Wade to go around the country, calling me o
ID traitor; and must be impeached if J. say q
word in reply? p


From this particular point by an easy transition,
we passed to the charges of


,INTox1cAToN.


The President said he was perfectly willing they
should investigate his condition on that trip. The
public had been led to believe that he was intoxi
Gated all the way, from the time he left Washing
ton till he got back But let them take the trouble
to find out and they would discover that that was
great mistake.


"They'll find out at any rate that didn't drink
half as much as one or two others, about whose
condition nobody dares to say word. ."


II think I can guess the name of one of them, y
said I. didn't he go from Cleveland to Detroit,
and wasn't it announced with great flourish of
trumpets that he had left your party in disgust?'
eyes," replied the President, ''he went to De-
troit; but it wasn't because he was disgusted with
my politics at ALL In fact he wasn't in condition
to know much about politics just then"
The President seemed to feel quite vexed over
the reflection that he was the only one who was ac-
cused of hilarity on that circle trip "Its very
strange" said he, ''that some men will be abused
like the devil for drinking glass of whiskey and
water while others in equally important stations
may almost roll in CUTTERS and not word is said
about it. 1t is so of different men in Congress- -
Some of them arc abused as drunkards if they are
seen drunk once and others are drunk all the time,
and not word is said about it. So it is with me.
The people have been told all sorts Of lies about me
in this particular, but there never has been any
thing proved against me, though they have tried
it often enough. Out of all the witnesses examin-
ed about that trip of 1866, there is not one who
proves that was drunk. But the people are told
it through the press and politicians the news
papers and on the stump-and have never taken
the trouble to deny it. Yet the man to whom l
have just now alluded has been in this very room
so drunk that he couldn't stand straight On his
legs. I'd like to know why I'm abused all the
time for what 1 don't do, and why never word is
said about him for what he does do. 1t is very
queer system of morals, Think to say the least of
it. There is no fair play about it, nor any cf that
even-handed justice that should characterize the
people in their treatment of public men. II they
want to investigate my conduct or any subject con-
nected with it, they are at perfect liberty to do so
but think they owe it to me and to themselves
that they should not abuse unjustly at the same
time they cover up the crimes of Others Fair
play is a jewell they say, and don't think l have
forfeited the right to ask it."


This was said in tone of evident good humor,
which at the same time showed that he felt very
keeny the injustice Of the popluar notion that he
drinks all the whiskey consumed in Washington
City,. 1t is, perhaps, worth while to add that it is
fact susceptible of the best Of proof that his ag-
gregate consumption of spirituous liquors in the
past year has not amounted to pint in excess of
the wine he has drank at state dinners. But, not
withstandng this, doubt if it is possible to per
suade the loyal masses that he ever goes to bed
SOBER just as, on the contrary, with regard to the
gentleman who 'got disgusted with his copper
headism" at Cleveland, and had such funny way
of showing his disapprobation, it would be useless
for an angel from heaven to come down and swear
that he ever INDUCED in anything stronger than
cold water.


UsURPATION.


Abiding to the charges of 'usurpaton, so free
| ly made against him and his administration, he
said he would like some one to point to asingle act
of usurpation ever committed by him. $50 far
from usurping power not belonging to the Execu-
tive," said he, II have simply attempted to resist
the encroachments of the legislative upon the ex-
ecutive department. The whole course Of legisla-
ton, for the past two years. has been an effort to
encroach upon the constitutional powers of the
Exccutive-to curtail them and destroy them. l
have exercised the negative power vested in me to
resist these encroachments. The power is, in its
nature, conservative, and not aggressive. The ag-
gressions have all come from the other end of the
avenue"


He then spoke very earnestly in illustration OF
these points, showing that Congress, and not he,
had attempted to usurp powers not belonging to
| it. 1t was great mistake, he said, long since
pointed out by Chatham, to suppose that repre-
sentative body could not play the tyrant az well
as single individual; and that the tyranny Of the
many was more dangerous than the tyranny of the
few, quoting from Chatham speech, which hehad
recently been reading, in " hich the great English
statesman arraigns the House of Commons for acts
of tyranny and usurpation.


SOME POINTS OF EVIDENCE.


The President complained that the whole case
against him thus far was made up of what could
be cleaned from the private conversations Of unau-
thorized persons and that in all this not single
proof had been given that he was party to any
of the alleged plots or conspracies, or that he had
any knowledge whatever of them. Itold him that,
in view of this fact it would be well enough to in
troduce in the trial private conversation between
Mr.. Stokes, of Tennessee, and Senator Sumner,