The Sun.
London, England, 1868-06-15 00:00:00

would have been hurled from the chair amid the '
execrations of his fellow-citizens. But he believed,
as is now clear, that he pursued a constitutional
path in pursuit of the public welfare, and although
obstinate, unhappy, and in his action, it
was in accordance with his judgment. To punish,
and to stigmatize a man deliberately elected to the
post for exercising the qualities that had procurbd
his advancement appeared unjust to a large por-
tion of the people, .and if he were the wrong man,
they felt that it was their fault that ho was in the
post. But, though it is well to show Presidents
their danger, it is also well to show Congress how
certain they must be of their grounds before they
resort to the expedient of Impeachment. There is
always sympathy for a ruler in di:ll.-enlties. 11)o/-
ever he may be abused, when in the full exercise
of, great power, the moment he is stripped of
authority and brought before a tribanal a revulsion
takes place in the public mind. TIIEODDRE, murder-
ing his prisoners with his o yrs. hal 1, and c Ming in
his musketeers to hasten a slanghter of which he
was wearying, appears a Lea I incarnate that one
would like to hang on the nearest tree ; but Tar.o-
- desezted by his troops, h d ling his fortress
in defiance of an overvhehning power, and giving
up his authority only with his life, inspires respec,
and sorrow. This revulsion in national feeling must
always be calculated on by Congress in an attempt
to Impeach a President, and will curb rash designs
to use the power for party purposes. We hold,
then, that the trial and verdict will have the double
effect of checking illegal action on the part of the
Presidents, and of checking a hasty resort to Im-
peachment on the part of Congress ; teaching the
one that in guilt there is an effectual mode of
stopping his career, and the other that unless the
charges be well grounded the Impeachers are not
unlikely to be " hoist by their own petard." The
immediate effect of the verdict will be to strengthen
the PRESIDENT and to weaken Congress. Before
the trial his enemies were never weary of circu-

lating the most infamous libels against his cha-
racter. These, with every opportunity, the pro-
secution have failed in the slightest degree to
establish ; therefore ANDREW JOHNSON comes out
of the trial whitewashed. Before the event not
only were rumours prejudicial to ANDREW
JOHNSON'S character current, but Congress, at
least to soma minds, occupied the rosition of
holding the power to crush, while refraining
from using it. Now to those n.inds the posi-
tion is reversed, Congress having tried to crush
and failed. ANDREW JOHNSON has the further
advantage of beginning from the 26th ult., with a
clean sheet; he had then turnel a fresh page,
and his record, whatever might have been its
bright spots and its blots; was so far finished.
fie had fairly stood his trial for his alleged offences,
and all parties are bound frankly to accept the re-
sult. If be recommences a career of " cussedness"
the Republicans will rejoice, for-he will greatly
strengthen the party in the apprDaching elections.
If his proceedings are marked with sense and mode-
ration, the nation will rej ,ice, for it only wants an
'honest administration, and in either. ease the Re-
publican party will claim the credit ; in the former,
'because such a course will show them to have been
right in endeavouring to get rid of an unteachable
obstruction to good Gofernment, and in the latter
they will affirm that their action had caused the re-
formation of this high official. The United States
have escaped an unknown danger in BEN. WADE.
That he was not acceptable to the people at large is
shown by the Chicago Convention. If the Repub-
lican party did not desire him as Vice-President,
the nation surely did not desire him as President-.
BEN. WADE in his short term might have done
great harm but little good, while ANDREW JOHNSON
can do some good, but little harm. Oa the whole,
then, we believe the decision of the Senate Court to
have been fortunate from a political stand point,
putting law and justice aside.