The Sun.
London, England, 1868-03-31 00:00:00

PROGRESS OF IMPEACIDIENT.

On Friday, the 6th March, the Chief Justice
took the chair of the presiding officer in the Senate
at one o'clock, and called the Senate to order—the
journal of the procee ling on the trial of Andrew
Johnson being read by the Secretary, Mr. Forney.
The Chief Justice then reminded the Court that at
its adjournment last evening it had under consider-
ation the motion of Mr. Johnson, that the case of
the Senator from Ohio be postponed until the other
Senators are sworn in ; when a long debate ensued,
interrupted by dilatory motions, points of order,
and other Parliamentary tactics, which ended in
the withdrawal of Mr. Hendricks' objection, on which
Mr. Wade came forward and took the oath. The
Chief Justice then rose and said—" All the Senators
having taken the oath required by the Constitution,
the Senate is now organized for the purpose of pro-
ceeding to the trial of the Impeachment of Andrew
Johnson, President of the United States. The
Sergeant-at-Arms will make proclamation." After
the proclamation, Mr. Howard moved " That the
Secretary be directed to inform the managers of
Impeachment that the Senate being organized is
ready to receive them ; and the Chief Justice inter-
rupting said that, before submitting the motion, he
considered it his duty to present to the considera-
tion of the Senate the rules which had been adopted
to regulate the trial. In the opinion of the Chief
Justice the Senate, as now sitting, is a distinct body
from the Senate when sitting for the consideration
of legislative business. The members are under a
different oath. Its presiding officer is not the President
pro tem, but the Chief Justice of the United States.
Under these circumstances, the Chair is of opinion
that the rules adopted by the Senate in legislative
session for the conduct of this trial must, to be
binding on this Court, be adopted by the Court.
But be desired to submit this question to the supe-
rior wisdom of the Court for their discretion. The
question that the Chair now puts is, Shall the con-
duct of the trial be considered as the rules of the
Court? The question was decided in the affirma-
tive without debate, and the Chair then declared
that the rules adopted by the Senate in March
would be the regulation of this Court. Mr. Howard's
motion to notify the House managers was then
adopted. At 2.45 p.m. the managers of impeach-
ment, on the part of the House of Representatives,
with the exception of Mr. Stevens, were announced.
The Chief Justice—" The managers of impeachment
will please come forward and take the seats pro-
vided for them within the bar." The managers then
came forward and took their seats. Mr. Bingham,
chairman of the managers, then said—" We are in-
structed by the House of Representatives as its
managers, to demand that the Senate take process
against Andrew Johnson, President of the United
States, that he may answer at the bar of the
Senate the Articles of Impeachment heretofore
presented at the bar of the Senate by the managers
on the part of the House of Representatives." Mr.
Howard then offered an order that a summons
be issued, according to the rules of proce-
dure and mode of trial in cases of Impeachment,
against Andrew Johnson, President of the United
States, returnable on Friday, March 13th instant,
at the hour of one o'clock in the afternoon, which
was adopted. The Chief Justice—The summons
will be issued. On the motion of Mr. Howard, the
Senate sitting as a Court then adjourned until
Friday next.
Ou the same day in the House of Representa-
tives, at three o'clock, the managers of the Impeach-
ment trial appeared at the bar, and Mr. Bingham,
on behalf of the managers, announced that in the
matter of the Impeachment of the President of the
United States the Senate had organized itself into
a High Court of Impeachment, and the managers
had, in the name of the House of Representatives
and of- all the people of the United States, de-
manded that process be issued against Andrew
Johnson, to require his appearance to answer, and
the Senate had informed the managers that process
would be issued at once, returnable on. the 13th of
March, at 1 o'clock p.m. The report of the mana-
gers was ordered to be spread upon the journal.
On Tuesday, the 10th inst., in the Senate, Mr.
Howard, from the Select Committee on Impeach-
ment., reported a substitute for the ceder presented
by Mr. Anthony, relative to the admission of spec-
tators during the Impeachment trial. The substi-
tute provides that during the trial of the Impeach-
meet of Andrew Johnson, President of the United
States, no other person than those entitled to the
privileg cs of the floor and clerks of standing com-
mittees of the Senate shall be admitted thereto ; that
1,000 tickets to the galleries shall be issued daily,
under the direction of the Sergeant-at-Arms ; that
the diplomatic gallery shall be reserved for the dip-
lomatic corps, and 40 tickets to that gallery shall be
issued to the members of the foreign legations ; 4
tickets to be issued to each Senator, 4 to the Chief
Justice and the Speaker of the House of Represen-
tatives, 2 to each member of House of Representa-
tives, 2 to each Associate Justice of the Supreme
Court, 2 to each Judge of the Supreme Court of the
District of Columbia, 2 to each Judge of the Court of
Claims, 2 to each Cabinet officer, 2 to the General
commandieg the army, 1 each to the Mayors of
Washington and Georgetown, 1 to the Smithsonian
Institute, 1 each to the Commissary-General, the
Quartermaster-General, the Surgeon-General, and
the Paymaster-General, 1 to each of the admirals
of the navy, 1 to each minister of a church i❑ the
District of Columbia, 6 to the President of the
United States, and 60 to the reporters of the press,
and the residue shall be distributed among the
members of the Senate in proportion to the repre-
sentation of their States in the House of Represen-
tatives. Mr. Cole thought that some portion of the
galleries should be thrown open to the public. Mr.
Willey doubted the propriety of any such arrange-
ment. Mr. Fessenden hoped the report of the com-
mittee would be adopted. Mr. Anthony was in-
formed that the capacity of the galleries was but
900, and therefore moved to reduce the number of
tickets from 1,000 to 900. Mr. Grimes thought
the means proposed by the committee would.be en-
tirely inadequate to the occasion, and that no better
system of confusion could be adopted, no better
method of annoyance devised. Mr. Johnson said
the committee had, after great consideration, com e
to the conclusion that it was absolutely necessary to
issue tickets to preserve order in the galleries. lie
had before this witnessed scenes in the galleries
which were disgraceful, and on the occasion of the
approaching momentous trial he wished the Senate
to be preserved from any such danger. Finally,
Mr. Anthony's amendment was thrown out, and
that of Mr. Fessenden adopted, to amend by strik-
ing out the issue of tickets to the following :—To
the Mayors of Washington and Georgetown, the
Secretary of the Smithsonian Institute, to each
member of a church in the District of Columbia, to
the admirals of the navy, and to the heads of the
bureaus in the War Department.
Long before Friday, the 13th March, every place
in the Senate Chamber of the Capitol had been
allotted. Admission was by tickets, each Senator dis-
posing of a limited number, and each house occupied
by a Senator being surrounded by eager applicants.
On the 24th February, when Impeachment was de-
bated and excitement at its highest, the day opened
with a severe snow storm ; now it was dull and
drizzling, with mud and gloom. Outside the Capitol
the crowds, notwithstanding the weather, was
dense, and inside every seat in the Chamber of the
Senate was filled. The doors opened at 11 o'clock,
when the ticketholders rushed in from every lair where
they had crouched, each with his yellow placard bear-
ing the inscription, " United States Senate—lm-
peachment of the President. Admit the bearer.
March 13, 1868. George T. Brown, Sergeant-at-
Arms." In half an hour the galleries were filled, women
predominating, elaborately dressed, with opera
glasses in hand, giving to this Great State Trial the
gay appearance of a theatre. Among the diplo-
matists present were—Francis Clare Ford (of the
' British Legation), M. de Berthemy (the French
Minister), Baron Gerolt (the Prussian Minister),
M. Cerruti (the Italian Minister), M. Rougabe (the
Greek Minister), Blacque Bey (the Turkish Min-
ister). Not a negro gained admittance, and it was
noticed as a singular fact and telegraphed to dif-
ferent parts of the country that this Republican
Legislature, engaged in overthrowing the pseudo
Moses of the race, and substituting itself as that