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Show SOSE O TOl'K lilt'j:ssi That's What V. S. (irant IVlls iho Ueiuoeraiic House. He Jinn Discovered llmt 'I'iiurc Is ii Constitution. Ami There olhing lu II AaiuBt Loji Urouvh. Washington, 4. The president today to-day sent the following m;sage to the house : To the ILitse of lleprcsentatict.,: I have given very attentive consideration considera-tion to the resolution of the home of representatives p.ised on the o.l of April, revuestiug the president to inform in-form the house whether any executive execu-tive offices, acta or duties, ami, if so, what, have within a speciihd lime been performed at a distance from tho seal ot government established estab-lished by law, etc. I have never ' ueeitated and still do not he.-itale to : communicate to congress and to either branch thereof, all information which the constitution makes it the duly of Iho prpoideut to give, or which my judgment may EUgge-.-.t tu me, or u request from either bouse may indicate to mt wiil be useful in tho discharge of the appropriate, dutias confiJe-d to them. 1 fail, however, how-ever, to find in tho constitution authority given to the house of representatives, re-presentatives, one branch of congress in which is vested the legislative power of the government lo require of the executive, an independent branch of the government co-ordinate with the senate and house of representatives, repre-sentatives, an account of his discharge dis-charge of his appropriate and purely executive oflice, acts and duties, ' either as to when, wheru or how performed. per-formed. What t'ne houso nny require-aa a right in a demand upon tho executive, for information is hunted to what it is nectary for the proper ili.-oh.i ro of its powers of legislation, or ol impeachment An inquiry or a revolution revo-lution of the house a-j to wh-jre Ihe cxecutive ftcH have, within tin; last seven years been performed, and at what distance from any particular j-pot, or for how long a period al any one lime, etc., does not necrsH.irily belong to the province of legislation. It dura not prole- to hi nuked for tuat object. If this information be sought th rou ah inquiry of the president as to hii executive acts in view or in aid of tho prwu of impeachment im-peachment T.'btcd in Iho house it is flfked in derogation of trie iniierciitn.ilur.il right, recognized in this country by constitutional guarantee which protects every citizen, citi-zen, president as well as the humblest in tho land, from being mado a witness against himself. During the lime that I have had tho honor to occupy tho position of president of this government, it has been, and whilo I continuo to oc cupy that position, it will bo my earnest endeavor to recognize and tu respect tbc several trusts nnd duties and powers of tho co-onlinau; branches of tbo government not encroaching en-croaching upon them, nor allowing encroachments upon tho proper nowcra which the people of the Unilnl States have confided to me; but aiming aim-ing to preserve in their proper relation rela-tion the several powers and lunclionn of each ol tho co-ordinate branches of tho government, agreeably to the: constitution and in acei nlanco with tho solemn oath which 1 have laki n to preservo, protect and defend thai instrument. In maintaining the righiH secured by tbo constitution to iho executive branch of tbo government I am compelled to decline any spei i tic or detailed answer to the request of the bonne for information as lo any executive nMieer'M nets or dutir,, and of any thai have been performed at u distance Irom the seat of government, govern-ment, cslablmhed by law, and lor how long a period, lit any one time, and in what part of tbo United Stairs. If, however, the house of representatives re-presentatives deairen to know whether during tin period of upwards ol seven yearn, during which I have held the olticu of president, I have been absent from the unit id ';overn-inent, ';overn-inent, and whether during that period I have performed and have neglected to perforin any of the duties of my olli'io, I freely inform the houm) that Irom the, tune id my entrance upon t'ne duties of my oilico 1 have been in the habit, as were all of my predecessors prede-cessors with the exception of one who lived only one month alter assuming ttie duties of his othce, and one whose continued presence in Washington Wash-ington was necessary from the existence exist-ence at the time of a powerful rebellion, rebel-lion, of absenting myself at times from the seat of government, and that during such absence- I did not neglect nor forego tho oiiligatmnB or the duties of my oflice, but continued to discharge the executive officer's acts and duties which were n quired of me as president of the United ri tales. (Applausoon tho republican side.) I am not a wart; that a failure Ovvurnd in any one in.'lance of my exerci.-in'Z the functions and powers of my office in every case requiring their discharge, of my exercising all the necessary executive nets in whatever what-ever part of the United States I may at the time have been. Fortunately the rapidity of travel -and of mail communication, and the facility ot almost instantaneous correspundmice with officers, at the seal of government govern-ment which the telegraph affords, the president, in whatever section of the Union he may be, is enabled in thes? days to maintain as constant and almost as quick intercourse with the departments at Washingt -n as may be maintained while ho remains in the capital. The necessity of the performance of executive acts by the president of the United States exist, and is devolved upon him wherever ho may be wi'hin the United Stales during ins term of oflice. By the constitution of the United Slates his civil powers are no more limited or ranablft nf limitation as lo the id ace where they shall be exercised, than : arc those which he might be required i Lo discharge in his capacity of commander-in-chief of the army and navy, which latter powers it is evi- :k-nt he might be called upon to exercise possibly even without Ihe hinds. If the ellorls of thoie re-.-ontly in rebellion against tho government had been successful in driving tho late president of the United States hum Washington, it is manifest that ho must have discharged bis functions, both civil and military, else A'lierc than in the place named by law as the seat of government. No ,ct of congress can limit, suspend or confine this constitutional duly. 1 am not aware of tho existence of any act of congress which assumes this to be a limit or restricts the exercise of the functions of the executive. Were j thero such acts I should nevertheless recognize the superior authority olthe constitution, and should exercise the powers required thereby of the president. presi-dent. The act to which reference is made in the resolution ol the house relates to the establishment of the deal of government and the providing of suitable buildings and the removal thereto of the offices attached to the government, etc. It was not under-f.oi under-f.oi d at its dste, and by General Washington, to confine the president in the discharge of his duties to Ids actual presence al the scat of government. govern-ment. On the 30: h of March, 17VI, shortly after tho passage of the act referred to, General Washington issued an executive proclamation having reference to the subject of tins very act, from Georgetown, a place remote from Philadelphia, which wan then the feat ot govci nment, where the act leferred to directed tint all odices utlaeiifd to li.e scat of government govern-ment should fur the time remain. Ti at none of his Miecis rs have nu-nainc the idea l.mt their ex ecutive cilices could be performed only at the peat of governm nt i eviib'uetd by the hundreds upon hundreds hun-dreds of such a; ht performed by my prtdc-. c-;ur in an unbroken line from Washington to Lincoln Lin-coln ; a he1 noriuJum of the yrnti'.il i. .it nre and eharacti r of nme of which acu is .-iihmitled lurewith, and io q';-;t:on has been raised as to tho validity of thuo a. -Is nr to the righi.1 or propriety ot the executive t" extreme l::c powers of his olliee in any put ! lh; United States. U. S. GliANT. Washington, M iv -1, '70. It will be ob.-ei vtd that Ihc m sage is dated W..j'liinitlon, without the U. S., and Ihe pr'lix "Kxecutiw Man.-iuu." Ac oiopanying the niea-rage niea-rage i a memorandum of the ab-nenets ab-nenets of prc.'.dci.u of the United States from the national capital during dur-ing each of the several administrations, administra-tions, and of pubhc and executive acts performed during ibo time ol such absences. Washington was absent 1S1 days, and did some of the most important official biifiL.t-s-j in our liistor) at a distance- 1mm the capital. John Ail mis was ahsuit ') days; Jefb.Ton, T'.'n d ivs; Van Huron, Hu-ron, I-'d; Tyler, HY.; Polk, 7; Taylor, Tay-lor, ol; Fillmore, fiO; Pierce, 67; iiuchanan, 07. No mention is made of tho nbfK'uces o( I'rc-ideul Lincoln 'or Johnson. |