Year: 1868

ufIn6u, anu De nOiulndteQ his successor.


He offered no force, no resistance to any


law, whether the law be constitutional


or not. There was no attempt at resist
ance, nor disturbance. A mere exercise
of the power always exercised by the


President of the United States and


lever denied to him, and that exercise,


90, for the purpose of having the ques-


ion decided before the proper tribunals.


whether he had right to exercise it or


ot. The President had taken an oath


o-support the Constitution of the coun-
try, and to maintain and defend it. g. n


lie not do it by appealing to the courts
for redress-for Judgment upon the


construction or the constitutionality of
the law? That rs all he has done. What
then? Why. my friends, in less time
than it would take to draw declara-
tion upon promissory note and have
it served within the limits of New York,
one House of Congress, by a purely
party vote, with two exceptions, voted
to impeach the President of the United
States for high crime and misdemea-
nor. Now what is the ilaw2 Mr.. Girard
has fully explained it. But one single
word upon it. That point of the Civil
Tenure bill which forbade the President
removing from office those who hold Of
6ce- by virtue, of his appointment and
confirmed by the Senate, says that they
shall hold Office during the term of the
President by whom they were appoint
ed, and for one month thereafter, subject
70 the advice and consent of the Senate.
The President has undertaken to re-
move no Cabinet officer appointed by
himself and confirmed by the Senate.
He simply undertakes to remove Cab


met officer appointed by his predeces-


sor, and who refused to do what mem
bers of the Congress now supporting
him said no gentleman or man of honor


would decline to do. / am free to say
that when 1 see so great an agitation


built up on so slight foundation 1 am
amazed. 1t cannot be otherwise. What
does it all mean? Recollect that this
Congress has been seeking for long time
some ground upon which to impeach the
President. Within three weeks, think
l may say, majority of the Committee
in the House had voted seven to two, I
think, against impeachment; and there


was a declaration, almost unanimous,
that up to that time the President of the


United States had done nothing which
deserved impeachment. Very well; if
he had done nothing then, the only
thing is the order removing Stanton,
and substitutiong in his place General
of the army. Is it any wonder, now.
that the 22d of FebruarY-which should
have been devoted to nobler purpose
than seeking to depose the President
that the passion which characterized
these men on that day has now cooled
down. and that they are hesitating as to
what kind of articles to prefer2 Laugh
ter and cheers. Is it strange that the
telegraphic dispatches and the papers
announce that the trial will possibly last
longer than was expected Is it to be
wondered that when Mr.. Stanton's COM
mission from President Lincoln sees the
light for the first time since it was writ
ten, that these men should begin to ask
themselves whether they are not in
little difficulty in this case? Laughter.
My friends, I tell you there
can be but one reason for hav-
ing that impeachment proceeding
pressed in the Senate of the country, and
that is that the Radical party are deter.
mined to get control of the Presidency
in advance of the election. That's it.


l venture a prophesy, if this thing goes
through. 1 venture to prophesy. not,in
fegard to members of the House of Rep
resentatives merely, but in the aggre-5
gate, that this movement will stand
forth in history as one of the few, or one
of the many things if you please, which
have disgraced the present century,
though its individual movers will be for
gotten. But i speak in regard to the
Senate, who are to sit as Judges upon
theoPresident, one of whom says he rer-
resents the great commercial interests of
New York City and State.a Twill speak
with prophesy that the nomination Of
one President and the impeachment of
another, will stand side by side upon the
pages of history, alike odious and infam-
Gus in the eyes of the civilized world.
Tremendous applause. A few words
more my friends, and 1 have done.
[Cries of go on, go on. Who is
the chief assailant in the House,
Voice, Thad. Stephens. Who is it,
with his trembling frame and hoary
head, with one foot in the grave, that is
borne into the Senate to present charges?-
He who, standing upon the record, by
his oft-repeated declarations, that the
policy of Congress of which he had
been the chief advocate, was outside,
above and beyond the Constitution of
the country. He who, having taken
oath to support the Constitution of the
country as member of the American
Congress, boldly avows that the meas
nres for which he has voted and which
he has supported, are outside of the Con-
stitution and in violation of it. He is
the chosen man of the House of Repre-
sentatiyes to appear before the
bar of the Senate and prefer charges
against the President of the United
States for resisting the laws of the coun-
try! Will the business men and mer-
chants7o this city and country recollect
this? Our Government has stood the
test of peace and war pretty well. The
President in the hour of trial has at all
times been sustained by the people. The
Congress has had its share of public
support. But the fact has always
been recognized that the Execu-
tive, the Legislative and the Ju-
dicial departments were distinct
and independent, and that the safety of
the whole country rested upon this, fact.


If the business men of New York and


of America do not rise and demonstrate


against the attempt of Congress to seize
upon the executive Office by the vote of
a mere party majority in it, then farewell