The Sun.
London, England, 1868-06-01 00:00:00

PROGRESS OF IMPEACHMENT.

May 7.—The Senate sat in secret session for six
hours, debating the unfinished business, being an
order of Senator Sumner's, " That the Senate sit-
ting for the trial of Andrew Johnson, President of
the. United States, will proceed to vote on the gene-
ralA.rtieles of Impeachment at 12 o'clock on the
day after the close of the argument." Mr. Morrill,
of Maine, moved i;.) amend the order of Mr. Sum-
ner, sb as to provide that when the Senate sitting
to try the Impeachment of Andrew Johnson ad-
journ, to-day, it be to Monday next, at noon,
when ,the Senate,shall proceed to take the .vote by
yeas and nays on the Articles of Impeachment
without debate, and any Senator who may choose
shall have permission to file a written opinion to go
on the record of the proceedings. After some dis-
cussion, Mr. Morrill submitted the following:—
Ordered that when the Senate adjourn, to-day, it
adjourn until Monday, at 11 o'clock, for the pur-
pose of deliberating on the rules of the Impeach-
ment, and that on Tuesday, at noon, the Senate
shall proceed to vote without debate on the several
Articles of Impeachment, and each Senator shall
be permitted to file, within two days after the
vote is taken, his written opinion, to go on the
record. Mr. Anthony desired to substitute Wed-
nesday, which was negatived by 37 votes to 13.
the following modified order was at last agreed
to : —Ordered, That when the Senate adjourn, to-
day, it adjourn until Monday at 12 o'clock, noon,
for the purpose of deliberating on the rules of the
Senitte sitting on the trial of Impeachment ; and
that on Tuesday next following, at 12 o'clock, noon,
the Senate shall proceed to vote, without debate,
on the several Articles of Impeachment, and each
Senator shall be permitted to file, within two days
after the vote is taken, his writ en opinion, to be
inserted with the proceedings. Mr. Sumner offered
the following additional rule :—"ln taking the
votes of the Senate ou the first, second, third; fifth,
seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, and eleventh Articles
of Impeachment, the presiding officer shall call
each Senator by his name, and propose the follow-
ing question in the manner following ---,
how say you, is the respondent, Andrew Johnson,
President of the United States, guilty or not guilty
of high crimes and misdemeanour;, as charged in
these articles? And on the fourth and sixth :
Mr. —, how say you, is the respondent, Andrew
Johnson, President of the United States, guilty or
not guilty as charged in these Articles? Each
Senator shall rise in his place and answer Guilty,'
or Not Guilty.'” An amendment to this, allow-
ing a distinct vote on each offence charged in the
11th Article,
was adopted. But finally the whole
subject was temporarily laid on the table. A re-
solution, restricting debate to fifteen minutes on
the part of each Senator on the final question of the
verdict was adopted, when the Senate adjourned
till Monday, the 11th.
May 11.--The
excitement, which continued to
grow apace, had now reached its climax, and
Washington Was stirred by a spirit of " sensation-
alism" such as had never yet been experienced in
that capital. Every man impelled in his own rural
district by the exaggerated idea of the influence he
could exert had hurried to Washington. The
streets were crowded, and although all were rigor-
ously excluded from the Senate wing of the capitol,
yet the throngs surrounded the building and filled
to overflowing the corridors and lobbies leading to
the Senate Chamber. Business commenced at 10
o'clock, and rules were adopted for the preservation
of order in the Chamber during the following day,
disturbers to be arrested without special order from
the Senate or from the Chief Justice. The preAd-
jug officer (Mr.
Chase) then said " propositions to
divide the 10th and 11th Articles of Impeachment
had been brought forward, and to take upon each
a distinct vote. These two Articles he had distinctly
examined, and found them so involved that he

could not see how they could be subdivided. In
taking the verdict, he would put to each Senator
this question after the Secretary had read each lin-

peachmeiat Article in succession :---‘ Senator, how
say you? Is the respondent, Andrew Johnson, of
guilty or not guilty of a high
misdemeanour charged in this Article?' But
the United States,
with regard to Articles 4 and 6, in each of which
crime was charged, he should substitute the word
it" misdemeanour." To
this crime"the for Senator
i s wordst e
reply
either Guilty or Not
Guilty." Then the important proceedings began,
the Senators announcing their opinions under the
15 minutes' rule. Mr. Stewart, of Nevada, spoke
in favour of conviction. Mr. Pomeroy, of Kansas,
followed in a similar speech. Mr. Sherman, of
Ohio (hitherto considered among the tg doubtful"
Senators), spoke against the first Article of Impeach-
ment, but announced his intention to vote for con-
viction upon the second, third, and fourth. Mr.
Edmonds, of Vermont, spoke for conviction upon
the Articles charging violation of the Civil Tenure
Act, but against the other Articles. Mr. Conness,
of California, and Mr. Hendricks, of Indiana, spoke
for conviction on all the Articles. Then Mr. Fes-
senden spoke against every charge, using his 15
minutes' most effectively. Reverdy Johnson, of
Impeachment, and so did Jas.
course,
Ns
Grimes,
of denounced
lowa,iillPßadical though he be, de-
c;aring that he could not act as a partisan, being
bound by his. oath ; for though the President had
done many disagreeable things, and was a decidedly
objectionable person, he had committed no crime ;
and he, Grimes, would never give his vote in order
to get rid of au unacceptable President, to destroy
the harmonious working of the Government ; nor
could he, in his judicial capacity, pronounce the
President Guilty. Then came Mr. Davis, of Ken-
tucky, for the President, and Lyman Trumbull, of
Illinois, took thefloor and denounced the whole trial.
The charges, he said, would not stand a moment in
any justice's court in the country. J. B. Hender-
son, Republican, spoke much in the same strain.
The Senate adjourned shortly after midnight, hav-
ing taken a recess at 2.30 p.m., and another at 5
I pan, During Ow whola day thQ strongest Qui*