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aid down their arms and surrendered their territory to the victorious Union the government and final disposition of the conquered country BELONGED TO CONGRESS ALONE; according to every principle of the law of nations。
Neither the Executive nor the judiciary had any right to interfere with it except so far as was necessary to control it by military rule until the SOVEREIGN POWER OF THE NATION had provided for its civil administration。 No power but Congress had any right to say WHETHER EVER OR WHEN they should be admitted to the Union as States and entitled to the privileges of the Constitution of the United States。 And yet Andrew Johnson; with unblushing hardihood; undertook to rule them by his own power alone; to lead them into full communion with the Union: direct them what governments to erect and what constitutions to adopt; and to send Representatives and Senators to Congress according to his instructions。 When admonished by express act of Congress; more than once repeated; he disregarded the warning and continued his lawless usurpation。 He is since known to have obstructed the re…establishment of those governments by the authority of Congress; and has advised the inhabitants to resist the legislation of Congress。 In my judgment his conduct with regard to that transaction was a high…handed usurpation of power which ought long ago to have brought him to impeachment and trial and to have removed him from his position of great mischief。
I trust that when we come to vote upon this question we shall remember that although it is the duty of the President to see that the laws be executed; THE SOVEREIGN POWER OF THE NATION RESTS IN CONGRESS; who have been placed around the executive as muniments to defend his rights; and as watchmen to enforce his obedience to the law and the Constitution。 His oath to obey the Constitution and our duty to compel him to do it are a tremendous obligation; heavier than was ever assumed by mortal rulers。 We are to protect or to destroy the liberty and happiness of a mighty people。 and to take care that they progress in civilization and defend themselves against every kind of tyranny。 As we deal with the first great political malefactor so will be the result of our efforts to perpetuate the happiness and good government of the human race。 The God of our fathers; who inspired them with the thought of universal freedom; will hold us responsible for the noble institutions which they projected and expected us to carry out。
The Clerk then read the Resolution and the House proceeded to vote; as follows:
Resolution providing for the impeachment of Andrew Johnson; President of the United States:
Resolved; That Andrew Johnson; President of the United States; be impeached of high crimes and misdemeanors in office。
YeasMessrs。 Allison; Ames; Anderson; Arnell; Delos R。 Ashley; James M。 Ashley; Bailey; Baker; Baldwin; Banks; Beaman; Beatty; Benton; Bingham; Blaine; Blair; Boutwell; Bromwell; Broomall。 Buckland; Butler; Cake; Churchill; Reader W。 Clarke; Sidney Clarke; Cobb; Coburn; Cook; Cornell; Covode; Cullom; Dawes; Dodge; Driggs; Eckley; Eggleston; Eliot; Farnsworth; Ferries。 Ferry; Fields; Gravely; Griswold; Halsy; Harding; Higby; Hill; Hooper; Hopkins; Asahel W。 Hubbard; Chester D。 Hubbard; Hulburd; Hunter; Ingersoll; Jenckes; Judd; Julian; Kelley; Kelsey; Ketcham; Kitchen Laflin; George V。 Lawrence; William Lawrence; Lincoln; Loan; Logan; Loughridge; Lynch; Mallory; Marvin; McCarthy; McClurg; Mercur; Miller; Moore; Moorhead; Morrell; Mullins; Myers; Newcomb; Nunn; O'Neill; Orth; Paine; Perham; Peters; Pike; Pile; Plants; Poland; Polsley; Price; Raum; Robertson; Sawyer; Schenck; Scofield; Selye; Shanks; Smith; Spalding; Starkweather; Aaron F。 Stevens; Thaddeus Stevens; Stokes; Taffe; Taylor; Trowbridge; Twitchell; Upson; Van Aernam。 Burt Van Horn; Van Wyck; Ward; Cadwalader C。 Washburn; Elihu B。 Washburn; Williams; Washburn; Welker; Thomas Williams; James F。 Wilson; John T。 Wilson; Stephen F。 Wilson; Windom; Woodbridge and the Speaker126。
NaysMessrs。 Adams; Archer; Axtell; Barnes; Barnum; Beck; Boyer; Brooks; Burr; Cary; Chanler; Eldridge; Fox; Getz; Glossbrenner; Galladay; Grover; Haight; Holman; Hotchkiss; Richard D。 Hubbard; Morrissey; Mungen; Niblack; Nicholson; Phelps; Pruyn; Randall; Ross; Sitgreaves; Stewart; Stone; Taber; Lawrence S。 Trimble; Van Auken; Van Trump; Wood and Woodward47。
On motion of Mr。 Stevens the following resolutions were adopted:
Resolved; That a committee of two be appointed to go to the Senate and; at the bar thereof; in the name of the House of Representatives and of all the people of the United States; to impeach Andrew Johnson; President of the United States; of high crimes and misdemeanors in office; and acquaint the Senate that the House of Representatives will; in due time; exhibit particular articles of impeachment against him and make good the same; and that the committee do demand that the Senate take order for the appearance of said Andrew Johnson to answer to said impeachment。
Resolved; That a committee of seven be appointed to prepare and report articles of impeachment against Andrew Johnson; President of the United States; with power to send for persons; papers and records; and to take testimony under oath。
The Speaker announced the following committee under these resolutions:
Committee to Communicate to the Senate to the Senate the action of the House ordering AN IMPEACHMENT of the of the President of the United States。…Thaddeus Stevens; of Pennsylvania; and John A。 Bingham; of Ohio。
Committee to declare articles of Articles of Impeachment against the President of the United States。George S。 Boutwell of Massachusetts; Thaddeus Stevens; of Pennsylvania; John A。 Bingham; of Ohio; James F。 Wilson; of Iowa; John A。 Logan; of Illinois; George W。 Julian; of Indiana; and Hamilton Ward; of New York。
CHAPTER VII。 IMPEACHMENT REPORTED TO THE SENATE。
THE PRESIDENT'S ANSWER。
On February 25th; 1868; Messrs。 Stevens and Bingham; a committee of the House; appeared at the bar of the Senate; and Mr。 Stevens said:
Mr。 President; in obedience to the order of the House of Representatives; we appear before you; and in the name of the House of Representatives and of all the people of the United States; we do impeach Andrew Johnson; President of the United States; of high crimes and misdemeanors in office; and we further inform the Senate that the House of Representatives will in due time exhibit particular articles of impeachment against hint and make good the same; and in their name we demand that the Senate take order for the appearance of said Andrew Johnson to answer said impeachment。
The committee retired; and after debate the following resolution was adopted by the Senate:
Resolved; That the Message of the House of Representatives relating to the impeachment of Andrew Johnson。 President of the United States; be referred to a select committee of seven; to consider and report thereon。
On the 26th; Mr。 Howard; from the select committee appointed to consider and report upon the Message of the House of Representatives in relation to the impeachment of Andrew Johnson; President of the United States; reported the following resolution:
Whereas; the House of Representatives。 on the 25th day of the present month; by two of their members; Messrs。 Thaddeus Stevens and John A。 Bingham; at the bar of the Senate; impeached Andrew Johnson; President of the United States。 of high crimes and misdemeanors in office; and informed the Senate that the House of Representatives will in due time exhibit particular articles of impeachment against him and make good the same; and likewise demanded that the Senate take order for the appearance of said Andrew Johnson; to answer to the said impeachment: Therefore;
Resolved; That the Senate will take proper order thereon; of which due notice shall be given to the House of Representatives。
On the 28th; Mr。 Howard; of the Select Committee appointed to prepare rules for the government of trials of impeachment; reported a series of rules; which were adopted by the Senate on March 2nd; after a three days debate。
On the same day; the following gentlemen were elected by the House of Representatives as Managers to conduct the prosecution of the impeachment of the President before the Senate
Hons。 Jno。 A。 Bingham; of Ohio; George S。 Boutwell; of Massachusetts; James F。 Wilson; of Iowa; Benj。 F。 Butler; of Massachusetts; John A。 Logan; of Illinois; Thomas Wilson; of Pennsylvania; and Thaddeus Stevens; of Pennsylvania。
On March 3rd it was ordered by the Senate:
That the Secretary of the Senate inform the House of Representatives that the Senate is ready to receive the managers appointed by the House of Representatives to carry to the Senate articles of impeachment against Andrew Johnson; President of the United States。
In the Senate; on the 4th; the following formal proceedings were had:
The managers of the impeachment on the part of the House of Representatives appeared at the bar; and their presence was announced by the Sergeant…at…Arms。
The President pro tempore: The managers of the impeachment will advance within the bar and take the seats provided for them。
The managers came within the