The Portland daily press., 1866-12-29

and self-respect 1t might tend strongly to ar
rest our deterioration. Warren Hastings col
ossal sinner as he was against Christian cyll-
cation and absolute justice, was acqmttea wnen
the Commons impeached him Dus LoI I!. conn i
Russell testifies that his trial saved 1ndla rom
any repetitiop of such wholesale murders and
gigantic corruption. be says
Tbor,b f,e ;mpeachment ended in an acquittal, its
results were memorable and beneficial. Never has
the great object of punishment. the prevention of
crime, been attained more completely than by this
trial.
So it might, and probably would be in our
case. Surely. we stand in as great need of sl.cn
salvation. The trial would throw open to the
light the dark chambers and crooked paths of
Executive malversation and defiant illegal
ity of policy. The blood of New Orleans. and
OF those three soldiers whose mIrderers. by
Johnson's trick, walk unpunished, might still
cry unheard for yengeance|but It's guilt would
be traced home to the very doors of the White
House, on evidence no man could gainsay
. an1t tnat reVe1 n popular verdict
woulu pe recorde. matter how whole
family provided wi does, or any other man
agement, might gag the Senate-tbat no future
,a issiue M wpula Venture to walk in the same
pain: we nave so much faith in the virtue
anu anu hIs nee of the people as to be sure Of
~ Inns. II ohnson cannot be punished, still, like
ns nrSC predecessor we can send him forth
WIN such mark on his brow that no man will
f fop!Sw his example. We turn to another point
L
to impeachment, since, as they suppose, he has
violated no specific statute, committed no of
fence specially and exactly defined by law. We
think such supposition utterly erroneous
On the contrary, if asked by what law we in
tended to try him, we might answer as the
Roundhead did in Charles the First's case,
| "By all the laws he has left US" But even
| granting the supposition to be correct, it does
| not touch or affect the question. Impeach-
| ment is not like nor is it limited like COM
ON, ipdiafO,ant No ms 90 no indiatad az.
| cept for a crime that common or statute law
| has distinctly described; but an officer may be
| impeached for any grave misuse of his powers
| or any mischievous nOn-use of them-fOr any
| conduct which harms the public or perils its
welfare. 1t is process intended to sweep after
the exact and definite machinery of the law,
| and save the State from evils which no law,
however comprehensive, can cover. Who ever
| undertook to find or state the exact statute
| that Warren Hastings had violated? When
did Burke, Fox or Sheridan enter Westmin-
| ster Hall with the statute book doubled down
in dogs ears" to specify the exact clause which
that ruthless trampler on helpless millions had
| violated? The nature Of the proceedings ex-
| cused them from all such labor. So of our
usurper with bloody and unclean hands. His
offences have been, to be sure, in many in
| stances violations of express laws But we
waive that; we may point to his whole course,
beginning with North Carolina in 1865 and
ending at Baltimore, when, thirsting for loyal
blood, the wholesome timidity of his own tools
and the courage of a young Judge sent him,
banked and cowed, back to his lair-we may
point to all this and demand that the whole con-
stitutional arsenal shall be exhausted to punish
such past and prevent a similar future: The
| American people arraign their Chief Magis-
trate in the face of the world--the first time in
their history-for his attempt, by hypocrisy
and treason, to corrupt their moral sense and
baulk their victory over an inhuman and
bloody system-and doing it in defence of a
| han1HSa and frandlaQa would ba a Suh-
lime spectacle, compared with which the trials
of Charles l. and Louis XIV. would sink into
merely selfish and ambitious measures. Such
a step would be in keeping with the noble
the generous and high principle which has un-
derlain the war, than the thunders of Gettys-
burg. or even the Emancipation Proclamation
| itself