Year: 1866




denunciations of Congress were accompa-
MED with threats that, if this Congress
would be perpetual as the representatives
of the people, civil war should ensue.-
Again, you find the President of the Uni
ted States seeking to bring Congress in
to disgrace by refusing to execute or car
ry out any law passed which does not suit
his purposes. His disregard for the Civil
Rights Bill and the Freedmen's Bureau
Bill show this intent. Therefore we say
that, upon this charge, we, the people OF
the United States, impeach the President
no, the Vice President. holding the
office of President of the United States,
fit or not fit-[lsughterl for high crime
or misdemeanor, or on the charge and
specifications which have made. Ap-
plause.


Let us pass on. We, the people of the
United States, impeached the President
no, the Vice President of the United
States, now occupying the Presidential
chair, because that take to be the ex-
act constitutional definition of his posi-
tion-with high crime and misdemean-
ors, in this, that corruptly and wickedly,
for the purpose of interfering with the
great birthright of the American citizen,
freedom of election, he has used the pow
er of appointment and removal to Office;
and our specification upon that charge
is this: that with the intent to devise
means by which he sat aside the great
constitutional power vested in the SEN
ate of the United States, of advising and
consenting to appointments to Office, he
has, in thirty-odd instances, appointed to
i - r
those men who, having been nominated
to the Senate of the United States, the
Senate has solemnly tried and rejected
as unfit for office.


e. Having discussed this point little fur
ther, General Butler arraigued the Presi,
dent for declaring peace with the late
rebellious States without the consent oi
Congress; for making corrupt use of the
pardoning power; for failing to enforce
the civil rights bill, and for completely
in the late New Orleans riots. In con.
clusion, he said that without waiting un'
til the President of the United States
shall do any other overt act of mischief
to Government of the United States, il
was the duty of Congress to impeach him
at once. A court of impeachment can
only sit when the true sense of the peo
pie is outraged. The question must, first
of all, be submitted to the people, and
last of all, it must be submitted to the
people. 1t is for the people to demand
of their Congress that justice shall be ad.
ministered to the President of the Uni
ted States, or it may not be done. But
we have been asked this question. How
can the President be impeached: He is
commander-in-chief of the army and ma
Wy, and the Constitution of the United
States says nothing whatever about who
shall hold the Office while ne is being i'm
peached. Therefore, if you commence
the impeachment he will order the army
and navy to disperse Congress, and he
will seize the reins of government. Where
is the remedy? Here it is. The House
of Representatives under the Constitu-
ton, is the grand inquest of the nation
perhaps might say, for illustration,
the grand jury of the nation. 1t pre-
pares the bill of impeachment against the
President, if it sees cause, and it presents
the bill of impeachment to the Senate
of the United States, which then becomes
a high court of impeachment, and the
Chief Justice of the United States sits in
that court as its presiding officer. 1t is
thus no longer for that purpose the Sen.
ate of the United States, but is the high
court of impeachment of the United
States. What shall they do? When the
impeachment is ready the Senate sends
out its messenger or sergeant-at-arms to
bring in the criminal, be he high or low
Applause. They set him at the bar
and read the bill to him. If he plead
guilty, then they proceed tosentence him,
which senteuce is, deposition and depri-
Vation of Office. When he is brought
before the bar, the Senate of the United
States may order him To be imprisoned
or to find bail, or any other proper order
that Court might adopt in criminal
case. And when the Constitution provi-
ded this mode of trial, did its trainers
mean that man who is before the Court
of Impeachment as criminal shall be t
the same time Chief Executive officer of
the Government? By no means. From
that moment he ceases to be able to exer-
else the duties of that Office until he is
acquitted And then comes the case of
inability of the President of the United
States to exercise the Office of President;
so the Vice President must take the Office
and, there being no Vice President, it
must devoIVe on the President of the
Senate for the time being. Applause.
II, in any of those steps SO taken, accor :
ding to the Constitution, the President
does not obey, as good citizen, the be-
hests of the high Court of Impeachment,
then that court, like any other court in
the land, can call upon the whole power
of the body of the people to aid it in en-.
forcing its rightful authority. Applause.
And l now serve a notice on Andrew
Johnson, that when rightful, constitu-
tional court of the Senate of the United
States calls for aid in their behalf on the
people of the United States, the Boys in
Blue will answer. Great Applause.


We are told that if Congress shall pro-
ceed to exercise their rightful authority
that then and there will be tried the
strength ofthis Government; that the Pres
ident will call upon the army and navy,
and the army and navy will sustain him.
Let there be no fear about that, because
the army and navy of the United States
are not those few men that are in the
regular service. Applause


1 have no desire to disparage either the
patriotism or the integrity of the array of
the United States, but II the army, as
such, or any portion of it, or any officer of
it, shall SO far forget the duties he owes
to his flag, and to his profession as a sol
der, as to answer any but the legal
call of his country, that small body of men
will be swept from the face of the country
IS a cobweb is swept away before the RI
sing of the morning sun. (Applause.l


More than that. We are told that this
will br ing on struggle. Very well. 1
am convinced of one of two things
Either that the struggle, ifit should come
1T all, must come in this way, or it will be
upon US in the next Presi-
Dental election, when we come to in
augurate our President-when the States
still in rebellion. if they shall not have
accepted the terms of Congress to come
back, will endeavor by aid of their SYM
pathizers North to foist upon the North
ern States President of their choice;
and in such a case it mig ht not be so clear
where exactly was the legal right. If l
am correct in my statement of the law of
and the form of trial, the


-, oloor NJ