•., , ; i . . " . - • . , . • . . . . . . • . . . . .• : i , - ..:, ,I::: : ! • • . .. - .: t _ .. • • . . . . T. . ' : • ....: Tf ' ... .o. T • 1. T . . . ,t. 1 .. .. • , .... . . .. •.::: . . _ . .4..: • - . • :-. 7 ; - j=. L' , •"-' - ' i ... -A.,: .• H . , •,,,,.. ,y, ....: . -,...., ... • . , 'cri • , % 7', , .. • . . - . . ... . 1 ...—, . 4 - ;,7 , , 1 •t -7 ,',* -",.', FiT, „•., ~ ,J 4 , . .. . ..:_ „.. .....,- , ...: , .4 • . ..{ . dat i V F. , ..• „ ~ 11 " .f . .. '.- 'e l".. - ~,... ' • .. . . . .... ~. . 4.% - A • . 1, .' • :s2: _ i ..A.,.. . A. J. GEARRITSON, Jos TUB MONISM! DENOCRAT. A. ME X teogra icrist "ir of as Great Straggle 'between , Liberty and Despotism for the last Hundred tears. A party in the Northern states of A merica calling themselves Republicans, have formed a political alliance with the African race of the South, recently the slaves and servants of the white race. Ev ery negro in the ten conquered States of the Union bas been armed with a bal lot who bas arrived at the age of 21 years. Every black man hi the Northern states would have been endowed with the same high privilege, if the leaders of that party could have forced it upon them . , in the same manner as at the South—which was at the point of the sword. The whole ne gro race in America have been courted and solicited by this party to become their allies. And for what purpose? The avowed object of these negro votes is crush out Democracy from the nation. Fifty years ago this same party formed an alliance with all the Indians in Ameri ca, and this alliance was for the same ob ject—the overthrow of Democracy, and the establishment of British monarchy.— The author of the Life of Gen. Harrison says: "Iv! the year 1806 Tecumseh had ma tured a plan which the great. Pontiac had attempted in vain.;-to unite all the West ern tribes in a league agairist the whites, under the expectation that the combined Indian force would be sufficient to destroy all the western settlements, and drive the whites out of the great valley of the Mis sissippi. He possessed an intuitive hatred toward tho white man, against whom he Lad sworn eternal vengeance. His bro ther was a celebrated prophet among the tribes, and prophecied , a speedy-downfall of the whites, the restoration Of the In dians to all their hunting grounds, and flee resumption of the customs of their ances tors. " lip to the year 1811, Tecumseh and his brother were engaged in consiant in trigues against the United States. A 'thou sand young warriors had rallied around Lim, sallying forth in greater or smaller parties to commit the most atrocious deeds of depredation and murder along the whole western frontier. In'" the fol lowing year the British government form ed an aldanee with him and his tribes— promoted him to the rank of Brigadier General, and gave him command of all the Indians who co-operated with the British armies in the campaigns of 1812- 13." What a beautiful illustration is here giv en of the sublime doctrine now taught by the Republican party of the " brother. hood of the human race !" the " equality of mankind!" The white aristocrats of Great Britain, " at one ,bound," elevated the savage Indian race upon a platform of equality with themselves, and Brigadier General Tecumseh was ordered to main tain this equality with the tomahawk and scalping knife. These instruments took the place of the ballot, bow in the hands of the Degrees, to maintain their equality with the white people of the South. But how was it with the white-race in America, descended from the same race in Great Britain ? Mr Cr_aik, an English author, says If there was a brother- hood between us,,it, had become a broth hood of C - ain I" Yes! These white bro thers in England could hire their red bro thers in America to murder and exterm inate all their white brothers who refused to submit to their tyranny and oppress ion. They had a great affection for their dear 'lndian and negro brothers, but a des perate hatred toward their white ones. Color was .a mark of ' distinction _with those British aristocrats, as it. is now with the same party in America. Would you not rather assobiate with a negro than a Democrat? ask the Republicans. And why? Because the negroes will help them build up a monarchy and an aristoc racy, both of which Democrats abhor.— Many of the leaders of the Republican party, promised the negroes of the South the lands of the white people there,if they would vote for them, and sustain their grit' It party of " moral ideas." This was the same promise the British govern ment made to their Indian allies. In one of "Brigadier Gen. Tecumseh's" speech es, he says to Gen. Proctor: "Listen! When war was .declared, our father,;the king of England, stood ukt and gave US the tomahaw k; and told ',o34ttley were now ready to strike the Americans; that he wanted our ;assistance; and that he certainly would get,ns our lands back which the Americans had taken us. The WV beton thipour „British fatbertay.e the hatchet to Elie red children, *ben tar old chiefs were , alive; they are ail now dead. In that war our father was thrown on hie back by the Americans, and oar father took them by the hand without our knowledge, and we are afraid he will do so again at this time. "Our ships are gone away, and we are very much astonished to see our father tying up everything and preparing to run away the other, without letting his red children know what his intentions are.— Yon always told us that you would never draw your foot off the British ground ; but now, father, ,we see you drawing back, and we are sorry. We must compare our father's conduct to an animal that carries its tail upon its back, but when affrighted it drops it bet Ween its legs and runs off." "In the war before this," Gen. WaA ington and his . brave armies "threw our British father on his back," and in the war where Brigadier General Tecumseh led the red children of the British father, the Democrats, who are now put under the negroes, astonished poor Tecumseh by compelling his father to " tie up every thing and run away" off' American soil, and they are now receiving their punish ment therefor by having the black race arrayed in deadly hatred against them, with the ballots in their hands of which the Republicans have robbed them, in or der to trample them in the dust. It remains to be seen whether the party that conquered Indianr, negroes and white tyrants in two bloody wars, will tamely submit to be ruled now by negroes, who have been not only their own slaves, but the slaves of the party who have placed them above their own white brothers, while proclaiming " all men are created equal," The number will show how hard Dem ocrats had to fight against Indians, Brit ish and Federalists in 1812, to preserve the liberties bequeathed to America by Washington. General Hancock. An interesting interview between Gen eral Hancock and the Chief of Police of NeW Orleans is described in the Picayune of that city. The latter official, it appears, had certain prisoners in his custody, and had deteintined to disobey a writ, of ha beas corpus issued from a civil court. The account in the Picayune thus refers to the interview : General Hancock stated to Major Will iamson' Chief of Police, that he had learn ed that a writ' of habeas corpus had been issued, and that owing to some illegality it was probable that it, would not be obeyed. That writ, Mr. Chief of Police, (remarked General H) must be obeyed. I will hold you responsible in this matter. Those prisoners must be produced. Ibe lieve you will produce them, but I will mysall take the necessary precaution that they be produced. I have issued an or der that the writ of habeas corpus is to be observed, and it shall be. I am here to protect the dignity of the government, and the rights of the people as to lite, lib erty, and property, must be preserved. So long as I am in power here, the law shall be respected. I know nothing, Mr. Chief of Police, about this case, do not know what these mew are charged with, but it is sufficient for me to.know, and you to know that a writ ohabeas corpus has been issuediand that writ shall be respected. I will sink the boat in the• middle of the river with 'cannon that takes these men on board, and intercept any train of cars that car rieszihem. If the law is not observed, Wheind what is safe ? I may be taken sway, you may be, any of us may be. Jus tice Junin be upheld. I hold you, there fore; Mr. Chief of Police, responsible for the delivery of these men before Judge Theard, in obedience to that writ. A Warning. An -affair occurred in a neighboring town a few nights ago which should serve as a'warning to all housekeepers. FOur persons were nearly suffocated to death by tilling a stove with coal before retiring for the night, and leaving the damper closed. The family slept up stairs and some of them were .awakened about four o'clock in the morning by violent headaches and smothering sensations.— ' Two.young ladies who slept together in one room became entirely insensible. For tunately the father and mother entered 1 the room before it was too late, and mau -1 aged to get the window open, but, the I rush of fresh air reacted upon them and they fell prostrate to the floor. Luckily one of the young ladies revived sufficient ly to call in the assistaniie of a neighbor, i and a physician was summoned who ad ministered restoratives. The parties fin nally recovered, after suffering intensely from the gas they inhaled. Housekeepers should be careful to leave their stoves in proper condition at night, and especially when used in sleeping rooms.—{Ex. —Some three years ago a man was ar restedin New York and incarcerated in a foul and loathsome cell of a dungeon by military edict, his only crime being that, he ltq , d spOken disrespectfully of ?dm. Lincoln"—but she was the wife of the goveFement Oen- The Radical -papers are bow; saying worse things about her than were ow dreamed of by any Demo crat.. MONTROSE, PA., TUESDAY, JAN. 7, 1868. piiii44:tootiloovA Speech of lion. G. TV. Woodward, of Pennsylvania, in the House of Representa tives, December 13th 1867, in the Com mittee of the Whole on the state of the Un ion, on the law of impeachment. Mit. WOODWARD. Mr. Chairman, Ido not wish it to be supposed that my re marks will be in reply to my friend on the right [Mr. Van Trump] as to the gen eral views which he has taken of this question. I consider them both whole some and timely; and I have nothing to sky in reply to them. What! wish to say has reference to the legal question to which he has alluded; and in respect to that I believe he has presented the argu ment as well as it can be presented. It seems to me that in the circumstan ces in which we stand we are in great danger of making a bad precedent. A preposterous proposition to impeach the President of United States is brought for ward, and in the zeal of gentlemen to condemn it and get rid of it, I think there is danger of our marring the face of the law. I entirely concur with those gentle man who voted against that proposition ; but I do not concur with very many mem bers of the political party with which I act in regard to the law of impeachment. I find this impeaching power in the Constitution to be a popular power—a power designed for the protection of the rights of the people against their rulers, and one that should be liberally construed and in proper cases freely used. The Constitution was made by the people and for the people, and not for the rulers. Now, sir, it is provided in the Constitu tion that all civil officers may be im peached for " treason bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors." As I understand the argument of the gentle man from Ohio, [Mr. Van Trump,] he would cut out from that provision the words " and other high crimes and mis demeanors," and maintain that the Presi dent or any other civil officer of the Gov• eminent is impeachable only lOr the crimes of treason and bribery. I think we have not the right to thus emasculate the funda mental law. We are to take it as it is written, and we are to hold the Presider.t of the United States and all other civil officers impeachable for "treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors" —taking the meaning of those words not merely in their common law sense, nor in the sense of the parliamentary law, but in the sense of the Constitution of the Uni ted States. The whole question is, what do those words mean in our Constitution? Mr. Van Trump. With the gentle man's permission I would remark that what I meant to say was that., in the ab sence of any legislative enactment speci fying what particular acts come under the general terms " high crimes and mis demeanors," an officer cannot be impeach ed for such acts. Mr. Woodward. I entirely concur with the gentleman that the courts of the United States have no common law crim inal jurisdiction; that the only crimes punished by Federal law are those which the Federal law has defined to be crimes; but I do not agree that the words and niisdeineanors" as used in this con stitutional provision are to be limited to such statutory offenses. Mr. Van Trump. The gentleman will permit me to inquire how he would go about framing an indictment upon the. general terms " high crimes and misde meanors." Mr. Woodward. I would observe, sir, that this provision is not a provision for indictments, but a provision for impeach ment. That is the answer to the gentle man. There is no indictment to be fram ed for " high crimes and misdemeanors." The question is, for what offenses may a civil officer be impeached ? Now, let us try to get at the meaning of this word " misdemeanor," because af ter all the discusssion must comedown to that. I submit that the constitution of Pennsylvania, formked in 17e0, soon after the adoption of the Constitution of the United States, defined that word, "mis demeanor" as employed in the provision fur impeachment. The constitution of Pennsylvania defines it to mean a " mis demeanor in office." It says : " The Goyernor and all civil officers under this Commonwealth shall be liable to impeachment for any misdemeanor in office." I submit, sir, that that is an interpre tation of the word "misdemeanor" as us ed in the Federal Constitution, and that we should understand by that word a misdemeanor in office, a violation of any of the tacit or express conditions upon which the office is held, whether or not that violation be indictable under the criminal law of England or the criminal law - of the United States. It may be such an offense or it may be something which is not indictable under either of those codes. I am very happy to end, Mi. Chairman, that this opinion has the most respectable authority. I have before me Curtis's,bis tory of the Constitution, from whiCh will rpka s -'l3b aft, 'eitrnit•-hfilegc - nrie this impeaching power: "Among the separate functions assign• ed by the.-Coastitutiirm 10.-timAlonses of Congress are those.of prsenringond leg hipeszehment. Ao nopeaobriebt, the report of the committee of detail, was ! treated as an ordinary judicial proceed-1 ing, and was-placed jurisdic tion of the :Supreme Court. That this was not in all respects a suitable provis ion will appear from the following consid erations : Although an impeachment may involve an inquiry whether a crime against any positive law has been commit ted, yet it is not necessarily a trial for crime; nor is there any necessity in the case of crimes committed by public of ' curs for the institution of any special pro ceeding for the infliction of the punish ment prescribed by the laws, since they, like all other persons, are amenable to the ordinary jurisdiction of the courts of jus tice in respect of offenses against positive law. The purposes of an impeachment lie wholly beyond the penalties of a stat ute or the customary law. The object of the proceeding is to ascertain whether cause exists for removing a public officer from office. Such a cause may be found in the fact that either in the discharge of his office or aside from its functions he has violated a law or committed what is technically denominated a crime. But a cause for removal from office may exist where no offense against positive law has been committed, as where an individual has from immorality or imbecility or mal administration become unfit to exercise the office." Now, I suppose that to be a fair con struction bf the Constitution and law in regard to impeachment ; and I cannot help thinking that if the lawyers of this House would apply their minds to a true analysis of this subject' they would come to this conclusion. For an office bears in the law a very striking analogy to a fran- Chise. They are both ranked by all the elementary writers as incorporeal heredit ments. They both . proceed from the grant. of the sovereign power. They both exist in the hands of -the subject or citi zen for the limited purposes for which they are granted. They are both gov erned by very much the same principles of law. And in regard to franchises (which are generally held in this conutry by corporations, but which may be held by individuals) the law is well settled that they are always held upon the - tacit condition that there be no misuse or abuse; and for misuse or abuse they are forfeitable. It is well settled that it is a tacit con dition of a grant to a corporation( that the grantees shall act up to the end or design for which they were incorporated; and hence throng!' neglect or abuse of its franchises,-a corporation may forfeit its charter as for conditions broken or a breach of trust. It must be willful abuse or improper neglect, something more than accidental negligence, excess of power, or mistake in the mode of exercising an ac kno‘idedged power. It is said a single act of abuse or willful nonfeasance may he insisted on as a ground of total for feiture; bnt a specific 'act of nonfeasance not committed willfully or negligently, nor producing mischievous consequences to any one, and not contrary to any par ticular requisition, slight, deviations from 'the provisions of a''cliarter would not ne cessarily be either-an abuse or misuse. Such is the lava of franchiies. Now, of. flees which are similar in their elementa ry nature to franchises are held, I submit, 'by a similar tenure; and inhering necessa ri:y in that tenure is the tacit condition t hat there shall be no "maladministration," as Mr. Curtis calls it—no misuse or abuse, as we would say in the case of a franchise. Now, impeachtifent under our constitu tion is the means by which the people en force this remedy against a defaulting of ficer, just as a scire fades or quo Warrant() is the remedy for enforcing their rights against a defaulting corporation. If a corporation or an individual holding a franchise from the Legislature may forfeit that franchise for misuse or abuse, so, I hold, may any individual holding an office forfeit it for misuse or abuse or misde meanor, which the constitution of Penn sylvania says means misdemeanor in of fice—doing that which should not be done, or leaving undone that which should be done. This, it seems to me, is the true exposition of the meaning of the word " misdemeanor" as employed bytour con stitution. It will be objected to this view—it has been already objected to on this floor-- that that does not . sufficiently confine the power of impeachment, and that in times of high party excitement, as an honorable gentleman says, Congress would be en gaged in nothing but impeachments. Mr. Dawes. I would ask the gentle• man if he holds that the word " high" in the Constitution is applicable to misde meanors as well as crimes ? Mr. Woodward. Itbink it is. - Ithink it applies to both crinaes and misdemean ors and is employed to designate crimes or misdemeanors in office. The word " high" is used because the offence is one committed in office. Mr. Dawes. Then, does . it S not,follow that every misdemeanor comna' iited in o'f -000..s::a 4jgh,tnirdeneanor 7 : Does the gentleman mean to gay that eti'eryintisde raeanorinsAcq tlligh.,Talsdernepor?" Mr. Woodw.ard. .I.,lnean to say that ever y_wisdepieangrin.otilr.o:is a high-pis demeanor defined and limited a$ we define and lima tho laws of corporation is re-1 gard to 'franchises. Mr. Broomal. Will the gentleman al low me ? Mr. Woodward. My time is limited. I hold the . floor by the courtesy of the gentleman from Ohio, [Ur. Lawrence.] Mr. Broomal. I was going to move that the gentleman's time be extended. Mr. Dawes. I hope there will be no objection to the gentlemen occupying as much time as he wants. The Chairman. If there is no objec tion the time of the gentleman from Pennsylvania will be extended. No objection was made. Mr. Van Trump. As I differ from the honorable gentleman, for whose opinion I have the highest regard, I wish to in quire whether, if the word "high" applies to misdemeanors as well as to crimes, it is not left to the court to measure and decide how high the misdemeanor should be. Mr. Woodward. We talk about the "high sheriff," and I believe the common law uses that term in regard to the first sheriff while there are a series of under sheriffs. Perhaps the word "high" here does not mean much more than in that case. I think that as a matter of con struction the . word " high" would un doubtedly apply to misdemeanors as well as crimes, and I have no objection to call ing any misdemeanor by a man in office high in the meaning of the Constitution. It is a high crime and misdemeanor to violate the condition upon which any man holds a public office. That is my propo sition. Of course, sir, it must be a wil ful violation, knowingly done, and it must be to the prejudice of somebody, either the public or an individual; but where a public officer, of whatever grade, does willfully pervert his office to the preju dice of the public or of an individual, I hold that be has committed a high misde meanor. Mr. Dawes. Will the gentleman allow me to put au inquiry ? Mr. Woodward. Yea, sir. Mr. Dawes. I would ask the gentle man how he reconciles that last position with the citation from Curtis which he has read, to the effect that a man may be impeached for imbecility in office ? If it must be a willful departure from the du ties of the office bow can it be possible that a man may be impeached for imbe cility in office?. Mr. Woodward. Well sir, Mr. Curtis was speaking there of the condition upon which offices are held. 116 enumerates perhaps more fully and accurately than I have done the modes in which offices shall he forfeited, and he mentions imbecility. I certainly do not mean to argue that im becility is either a high crime or a mis demeanor, though Mr. Curtis treats it as within the impeaching power. lam lim iting my observations to the very words of the Constitution. And now, sir, I proceed to notice the only objection to this interpretation of the Constitution which has impressed me— the danger of the abuse of impeachments in times of high - party excitement. (lea; tiemen fear we- would be occupied with impeachments most of our, time, and that through prejudice and passion there would be danger of great wrong to faithful of ficials. Sir, Ido not share those fears. I think we dan safely trust our political institutions, and that we have no occasion to cramp and confine them lest they hurt somebody. I think what we have seen in this house and in this country in the last week shows that we have no occasion to emasculate the Constitution in order to protect a worthy officer from partisan feeling. Not withstanding the great prejudice against the President of the United States,a large majority of this House, upon the best ex position and showing the Committee on the Judiciary could make, resolved not to go into the matter of impeachment. And had he been brought before the Senate, composed of a majority of the same polit ical complexion of this House, no mar, doubts that upon that showing he would not have been convicted. Most assured ly no impeaching body would have con victed any officer upon a mass of evidence so irrelevant and inconclusive as that. The circumstances of this very case show that there is no such danger as gentlemen suppose. Suppose a public officer has been guilty of crimes and misdemeanors, or of a fail ure to perform properly all the duties of his office. He has been brought before the constitutional judges of his country; he has had a fair trial with all the forme of common laW; he has been defended by counsel, and has been fully beard. Now, are we to assume that the constitutional tribunal for the trial of official offenders would be any more corrupt or .incompe tent or any more likely to be swayed by partisan considerations than the courts of the country would be ? It seems to me that it is an impeachment of our institu tions to hold any such doctrine. But if we admit that a majority of this house would wantonly impeach an innocent man from partisan considerations, and that tWo thirds of the, Senate would convict an in- L necent Man under the influence of part'. sen-passion, then let me remind ,gentle lien that there,is a corrective that Lies - I entirely beyond, the house of represehta tives and the Senate, and the Supreme iVOLUIVIE XXV, NUMBER 2. Court of tho United States, and: all the other tribunals and departmet►ts of the Government; and that is the people them selves. If such an ongrage ,as gentlemen, fear should occur, there is a power in this , country who would impeach the impeach ers and reverse their decree. That has already been done Fiore than, once. Mr. Van Buren was reje,eted by the Senate, when nominated to a foreign mission, from political and partisan con siderations, and the people made him President. The Senate of the United , States condemned General Jackson} the people came forward and expunged that resolution. The people are always watchful of their pulic officers, and notip ing more surely meets their disapproba tion than the prosecution of a faithful of ficer. rho cannot get justice of the Sen. ate and the House of Representatives, be can surely obtain justice from the people. Now believing, as I do believe,, that this proposition to impeach president Johnson was, as I have, already said, ut terly preposterous, I neverthelesssay the,t, if the fury of party passion bad carried, a majority of this House and two thirds of the Senate to the result of convicting Fret' ident Johnson, you would have seen how the people would haVe pronounced their verdict upon such action. Mr. Eldridge. Will the gentleman al , low me to ask him a question ? Mr. Woodward. Certainly. Mr. Eldridge. The gentleman suggests that there is a remedy in the people. wish to know, it' the President had been impeached and removed from office, hoW the wrong to him could ever have been redeemed ? 31r. Woodward. Beyond all contro versy. The people would have reelected President Johnson if be had been im peached. Mr. Eldridge. But the Constitution prohibits him under such circumstances from ever bolding office again. ' Mr. Woodward, The' people would have re elected him, nevertheless ; they would have reversed that decision. Mr. Eldridge. But bow could they t& verse that decision ? Mr. Woodward. The title ottbe man whom they should elect to office may be questioned; he may not be competent to enter upon the duties of his office. But I am speaking of the popular judgment in opposition to a wrong constitutional tri banal of the Government. I say the people would have reversed that judg mem; whether they could have conferred the office of President upon him again is a question for the lawyers. I think we are not to be frightened from a true construction of the Constittr tion of the United States by an improba ble or remote contingency. What have we heard in answer to this ? 1 confess I do not understand any argument drawn from the common law of England or the parliamentary law of impeachment to be applicable to this question under our Constitution. Then what is the result ? The result must be that we must construe the Constitution more liberally—liberally enough to secure ,a„faithful administra. Lion of the offices which the people liave established, not for the" . officers, but: for, themselves, and which they bave,hedged around and guarded by constitutional provisions and guarantees. 0 Mr. Dawes. If the gentleman isnot , an noyed by these interruptions, as I,am seeking light and listening with profound attention and respect, I desire to ask, in view•of his remarks just made, whetber there are not many provisions of the con stitution of the Uunited Sites inopera tive until there has been legislation in reference to the measure of their opera tion ? And may not the same thing be true of this provision for impeachment, that while the power is lodged in the Constitution, yet it is so lodged that% maybe comparatively inoperative with out legislation under it; and may itnot be so designed by the framers of the Con stitution that the full scope and effect of this provision of the Constitution, like that in reference to naturalization and other kindred provisions of the Constitu tion, are to be defined and measured within the limits of the Constitution by such legislation from time to time as may be deemed wise and necessary ? • , Mr. Woodward. Undoubtedly . . the gentleman is right as to many provisions of the Constitution. The Constitition can do no more than outline the powers which the legislative department carry into effect. lint I do not think this is one of those. It seems ti me this pro. vision, so to speak, executes itself; gist it is capable of being executed withapt leg islation. The action on the part,ef the house of Representatives strictly tes#M bles the action of . a grand jury in present ing bills of indictment, and the the Senate resembles the ..actibn, Of ,tho dieial body under the criril.iiifil,code." general statute having d4ned'impetiebii ble offences, and from thteir 'nii(oro being incapable of 'antecedent deflnition,it must be left to some judging power to clitelte what are high crimes andliiiideniestipti?, and whether, in given case, ttier r lmye been proyed, and' this pOWer,,wlth;tikis the Senate. Stich I:subnilteis tar of thii provision of ilk, Constuutipb. 'All tWtis . 'pecciiiry ter be' 064 fiefolvd,te grandjUry, to 'present 'tor the cotit of last rOdrtt9 filßy 1t