American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1867-11-30
THE IMPEACHMENT MATTER.

1
WASHINGTON, Nov. 2j.-The ma
iority of the Impeachment Commit
tee, in their report recommending
impeachment, lay great stress upon
the alleged usurpation by the Presl
dent of the pardoniuG and veto now
els; also the authority to ms 9 re
movals and appointments, and par
ticularly refer to what is termed TIA
grant violations of the constitutional
powers of the Executive by organic.
ling governments in the Southern
States at the end Of the war without
asking the advice of Congress, as
they assert, for personal purposes
They refer to the pardonlng of 1875
persons in West Virginia who were
deserters from the army during the
war. which they state was in behalf
of private and interested parties, and
in order that they may vote in ac,
cordance with the Presidents Opin-
ions. Their resolution is causing
great depletionS of the Treasury.
The tenor of the Executive offences
throughout the entire report, consists
in alleged usurpatiuns Of the powers
above mentioned. The majority as
sert, also, that by various official
speeches, public declarations, the
President has sought to obStruct the
laws of Congress for the paClltcatlon
of the States, with particular refer
ence to the constitutional amendment
approved by Congress. This report
is very lengthy, and is signed by
Boutwell,, Williams, Churchill, Thorn
as and Lawrence.
A report was also submitted by
Wilson and Woodbridge, dissenting
from the views of the majority, and
asserting that there was no evidence
presented which demanded the i'm
parchment of the President, but they
condemned his political views, and
were willing to censure him.
The minority report by Marshall
and Eldridge, strongly defends the
President from abuse by his political
enemies, and assert that his only
faults consist in not holding the polit
ical views of the party which elected
him, in regard to the Snbjugation of
the people of the South. The report
is extremely cauStic. and abuses
harShly some Of the witnesses who
testified before the committee. Ba
ker is accused of perjury, and they
with: The President will
be held in respect by his cOuntrymen
when his calumniatOrS are plllOrled
in undyiug Scorn and indignation of
the American people. The points
made in the summing up OF the ma
jority report against the President
are not borne out by the testimony.
|. AS to the Presidents having usurp-
ed the powers of Congress in organ
izing governments in the Southern
States. 1t will be found i'll General
gramme which o1l: IVA Was t5dGotwetdA ty Nj f
Johnson had been laid down by Mr..
Lincoln. 1t also appears i'll General
Grants testimony that he was pres
mt by invitation at the Cabinet .
councils, in which the reorganization
If the Southern States was discussed .
md that while he aSsented to the
plan followed by the Administration,
ne did not offer any suggestion of his |
own. but was a silent listener The .
only active part he took was i'll re-
the Presidents ardor to
nave prominent rebels like Lee
brought to cOndign punishment. As
10 the pardon of prominent rebels, it
appears that many Of the most prom
ncnt Of them were pardOned on the
recommendation Of Grant, Speed,
stanton, etc. As to the pardoning
If some hundred deseTters from a
West Virginia regiment, which the
cpOrt alleges was done in order that
hey might vote for d Democratic .
member OF Congress, it appears from
he evidence that they were only
technically deserteTS-that they were
lot pardOned until some weeks after
he election, and that the President
merely endorsed the application in ,
he usual form-rcierring to ,hc See
etary of War, who himself granted :
t. The committee inquired into the :
possession by the President ofcertain .
'cnncssee bonds, on the SuppOSitiOn =,
hat his possession of them might ,
ave some connection With his re-
ease of the property of certain South q
IN railroad companies; but it ap- ,
cared that Mr.. johnson had been :
assessor of those bonds for the last !
welve years.
In reference to the trial Of Jeffer-
On Davis, Attorney General Speed
nd the counsel for the Government i
BOULDER all the responsibility of not h
wing him, the avOwed cause being r
nat Chief Justice Chase would not f
reside, and that Attorney General |
peed would not consent under any q
rcumStanceS to have the trial con f
uctcd before Judge Underwood. i,
There was an attempt on TIE part !,
Lafayette c. Baker to get up a II
DRY about an imaginary letter from 7
r. johnson, as Military Governor, I
Jefferson Davis, offering to turn
-er the State of Tennessee to him,
1t the committee could have had no
ouble in deciding what degree of :
edit was to be given to it: the tale '
Il still born. There is no allegation y
rainSt the President Of his having 1t
,psnnaIIyy Oivao 0rOuu1S of offence \