led. The
legislative power is the sole guardian of that sovereignty. No other
branch of the government, no other department, no other officer of the
government, possesses one single particle of the sovereignty of the
nation. No government official, from the President and Chief-Justice
down, can do any one act which is not prescribed and directed by the
legislative power. Suppose the government were now to be organized
for the first time under the Constitution, and the President had
been elected, and the judiciary appointed; what could either do until
Congress passed laws to regulate their proceedings? What power would
the President have over any one subject of government until Congress had
legislated on that subject? * * * The President could not even create
bureaus or departments to facilitate his executive operations. He must
ask leave of Congress. Since, then, the President cannot enact, alter,
or modify a single law; cannot even create a petty office within his
own sphere of operations; if, in short, he is the mere servant of the
people, who issue their commands to him through Congress, whence does
he derive the constitutional power to create new States, to remodel old
ones, to dictate organic laws, to fix the qualifications of voters, to
declare that States are republican and entitled to command Congress, to
admit their Representatives? To my mind it is either the most ignorant
and shallow mistake of his duties, or the most brazen and impudent
usurpation of power. It is claimed for him by some as commander-in-chief
of the army and navy. How absurd that a mere executive officer should
claim creative powers. Though commander-in-chief by the Constitution,
he would have nothing to command, either by land or water until Congress
raised both army and navy. Congress also prescribes the rules
and regulations to govern the army; even that is not left to the
Commander-in-chief.

Though the President is commander-in-chief, Congress is his commander;
and, God willing, he shall obey. He and his minions shall learn that
this is not a government of kings and satraps, but a government of
the people, and that Congress is the people. * * * To reconstruct the
nation, to admit new States, to guarantee republican governments to
old States, are all legislative acts. The President claims the right to
exercise them. Congress denies it, and asserts the right to belong to
the legislative branch. They have determined to defend these rights