Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1867-11-28

political rights causing q great depletion
OF the treasury. f4dna
The tenor Of the Executives offence
throughout the entire report consists in al
legged usurpations of the powers above
mentioned. They assert also that BY Va
rious official and other public declarations
the President has sought to obssruct tho
laws of Congress for the paci6cation of the
States, with Particular reference to consti-
tutional reports approved by Congress.
The report is very lengthy, and is signed
by Messrs. Boutwell,, Williams. Churchill,
Thomas, and Lawrence.
Report Of Messrs. Nelson and Woodbridge.
The report of Messrs. Nelson and Wood
bridge, Of the committee, asserts that there
was no evidence presented which demand
ed impeachment. but they condemned tho
Presidents political views, and were will
ing to censure him
The Minority Report.
The minority report Of Messrs. Marshall
and Eldridge strongly defends the Presi-
dent from abuse by bis political enemies,
and asserts that his only fault consists in
not holding to the political views of the
party which elected him, in subjugating
the people Of the South. The report il
extremely caustic, and abuses harshly
some Of the witnes SEES who testified before
the committee. Detective Baker is accused
of perjury. They conclude thus:
1.-The President will be held in respect
by his countrymen when his calumniators
are pilloried in the undying scorn and IN
digpation of the American people"
The points made in the summing up Of
the majority report against the President
are not borne out by testimony.
First. As to the President having
usurped the powers of Congress in organi-
zing governments in the southern Ststes.
1t will be found in General Grants testi-
mony that the programme that was follow
ed out by Mr.. johnson had been laid
down by Mr.. Lincoln. 1t also appears by
General Grants testimony that he was
present, by invitation, at the Cabinet
councils in which the reorganization of
the southern States was considered. and
that while he assented to the plan followed
by the Administration, he did not offer any
suggestion of his own, but was silent
listener. The only active part he took was
by restraining the Presidents order to have
prominent rebels like Lee brought to con-
dign punishment.
AS to the pardon Of prominent rebels. it
appears that many of the most prominent
were pardoned on the recommendation of
Grant, Speed, Stanton, and others. As to
the pardoning of deserters from West
Virginia regiment, which the report alleg-
es was done in order that they might vote
for Democratic member Of Congress, it
appears from the evidence that they were
only technically deserters, that they were
not pardoned till some weeks after the cleo
ton and that he President merely en-
dorsed the application in the usual form,
referring it to the Secretary Of War. who
himself granted it.
The committee inquired into the posses
sion by the President of certain Tennessee
bonds, in the supposition that his possess
sion of them might have some connection
with his release of the property of south
0i II ioihoou OuiP@uiOos OOo ~ oPPVStcO
that Mr.. johnson had been possessor of
these bonds for the last twelve years.
In reference to the trial of Jefferson
Davis, Acknowledgement Speed and the
counsel for the Government shoulder all
the responsibility of not trying him, the
avowed cause being that Chief Justice
Chase would not preside, and that Attor-
ney-General Speed would not consent, un-
der any circumstances, to have the trial
conducted before Judge Underwood.
There was an attempt on the part of
Detective Baker to get up story about an
imaginary letter from johnson as Military
Governor of Tennessee to JEFF Davis, Of.
fering to turn over the State to him, but
the committee could have had no trouble
ia deciding what degree of credit was to
be given to it The tale fell still-born.
There is no allegation against the Presi-
deot Of his having personally given grounds
of offence.
Ashley, Of Ohio, who presented the ar
ticles of impeachment, acknowledges that
he las produced to the committee all the