The Shasta courier., 1867-02-16
The Tribune's Reasons for Opposing I'm
peaChment.

The New York Tribune offers the follow
ing reasons fer opposing the impeachment of
the President:,>
|. There is nothing now to e-gained by
mpeachrnent. President johnson has been
bad President, but also a foolish one We
have had Chief Magistrate doing all be
could dos to destroy himself. If President
johnson has been an enemy Of Republican,
ism, he has also been an enemy of himself.
He did much against the party; but the
elections left nothing of him. He was po-
litcally dead-scarcely worth burial. lie
was looked upon defeated and disap-
pointed schemer still, he had large party
at his back. In this country. the shortest
political road is that which leads from
majority to a minority. Our party will take
this road when it rasFily begins impeach-
ment. That can only revive President john
sons diving fjrtunes and give him what he
wants-sympathy, and the chance to make a
defensive war
Ii. Can he be impeached? We do not
doubt the law-but how would the law work :?
The charges would be numerous, intricate
and drawn with skill. There would be end
less warnings on the part of the Republicans
to make speeches in favor of the prosecution.
and of course every effort on the part of the
Presidents friends to prolong the trial, fight.
ing it step to step, and endeavoring at least
to drag it endlessly. We will back Garret
Davis for a three months speech. and Cowan
until the end of his term, with Salisbury
and McDougall good for immediate volumes
of talk Warren Hastings was eight years
on trial and in his case there was every
motive to hurry matters. Here there would
be every motive to delay the trial by the
Presidents friends.
Ill Could the President be removed p
General Butler made an ingenious argument
during the election to show that, upon the
mere presentation of articles of impeachment.
the Senate might depose the President and
put another person in his Office during the
trial. Buffers argument was ingenious !;
but we presume there are twenty lawyers
who can make an argument as ingenious on
the other side. There is no definite law
about it and President johnson is not the
man to surrender the benefits of Doubt
Those who think he will quietly walk out OF
the White House at the bidding of ma jori.
ty of the Senate, mistake the man and the
desperate character of the adventurers who
control his fortunes. What would an i'm
parchment amount to with the accused all
the time in power?
~. There would he much doubt as to the
result of this trial President johnson has
done many things which we consider crimi-
nal: but would the Senate as Judges think
so? Tampering with the revenues by re-
moving faithful officers because they attend
ed to their business and did not concern
themselves about politics, and appointing
dishonest men. is a serious matter. The
interference in the. Feniian troubles last Sum.
mer, whereby the honor of America was
sacrificed to please England should be in
quired into. The riots at New Orleans and
the fact that no human being has been pun
shed for the blood there shed, stain W til
ndelibe blackness the administration of
President johnson We yearn for some
atonement for that crime and it is wise that
Congress should find out the hors Of the
wrong-all who were accessory either before
or after the fact--=and punish them. We
believe a Committee has the matter now in
charge. We have yet to see whether the
best remedy for this is impeachment.
V. Are there no issues OF more Importance
than this? Musta this Congress be wasted,
and the next, perhaps, in pageant and pro-
longed debate, endless arring of lawyers
and Senators. The Currency calls for
ItlIti. IdDOT SuutTS ulutI lHlS
Our tariffs want reconstruction. There are
hundred questions near to the prosperity
of the nation which must suffer and die be.
cause of this measure. a H
VI. We do not say that President should
not be impeached. We by no means say
that Mr.. johnson should not be impeached
That would be to take judgment into our
hands. We think this Administration has
been calamity-a disgrace-the cause of
many evils to the the country. We should
like some redress But how is it to be had !?
In attempting to remove these evils. may
we not fly to others that we know not of p
May we not put precedent upon our statute
books which will give any Democratic
majority of the Senate and House in future
years the right to reyolutionize the Govern
ment in the interest of Slavery? Let us
walk slowly. and survey the ground as we
60. Let us not lay violent hands upon the
Executive Office until we find that no other
course remains for the honor of the nation
Perhaps we are wrong; hut it does not seem
to US that the time for the sterner alternative
has come"