Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1867-01-16
THE IMPEACHMENT QUESTION.

1T probability that any practical moyemer
IF in the direction of impeachment will b
1t made by the present Congress. The ri
cepticn Of Mr.. Ashley's proposition b.
the Republican press of the country show
= that it meets with little favor or sympa
3 thy. and until the public mind shall
have undergone most DE- cided chang
upou this point it will be unwise for tn
: present Congress or ISIS successor to pres
. the question to decisive issue Presi
= dent johnson is powerless to thwart til,
action of the great Republican party o
the United States. His vetoes have ne
effect, for Congress passes the bills thai
he disspprovcs over his head, and the
, people of the loyal States are not at all
intimidated by the Presidents opposi-
tion to the party that elected him. 1t is
seriously to be regretted that the Presi-
dent of the United States should see fit to
pl &c himself in opposition to that polit,
ical party which represents Che advanced
thought Of the country, and which is
using al! It's efforts to benefit the condi.
ton of all the citizens of the government.
His position would enable him to advance
the great movements that are being made
for the elevation of the freedmen, and for
the removal of the social, political and
Judicial exclusivenesS in respect to race
which exists III the Sou.hern States as
consequence OF their former devotion to
the institution Of slavery. 1t would be
great gain to the cause of equal rights for
all citizens, aud true political progress
for the nation to have President in hear.
ty sympathy with the liberal and pro-
gres3iVc party Of the country. Had the
Presidents Goa stitutional power been such
tn At his vct"es Of the Freedmens Bureau
and Civil Righ is bills were final AMI be.
yond congressi nal action, it is easy to
see that the fire Amen of the South would
be really worse off han before the war.
Even with VIII &c bills male operative
laws, there are reports of outrages upon
the negroes fro m every Southern State.
and, without these laws, those outrages
would have been far more numerous and .
s rious.
AS we have stated in previous article,
we believe that only a very grave public
exigency can justify or render necessary
the resort to movements pointing toward
an impeachment Of President johnson.
When such an exlgency arises, not even
the gravity of the work will dissuade the
American people from doing their duty.
But the time has not yet come when the
people require such measure to be car
rled out, or when the interests of the coun-
try demand it. If there was no way of
the Presidents veto power the
case would assume a very different aspect
The past action of the President justifes
the confident belief that he will not ap-
prove. turing the remainder of his Pres {
dental term, any Congressional meas.
lrcs which aims to place all citizens Of (
The country. without regard to color, up. 6
IN common platform of privileges and
tights. The two vetoes to which we have q
already referred, and his recent veto of t
The District of Columbia Suffrage bill s
lbundantly justify this belief. But these
'hree important xetoes have all been Z
promptly and easily overcome by the vote t
II Congress, and any other similar meas I
Tres can be made laws in the same way u
The lirty,ninth Congress is abundantly i
trong enough upon the progressive polit. e
cal side to pass any measure that the in
crestl OF the country demand, without D
egard to the Presidents prcrogative of e
It exercising veto power, and the For. I
ieth Congress will be equally strong. f
The Presidents alliance with the Dem n
cratic party has not, therefore, weakened +
he Republican party in the least, or di. s
ninlshed its power to legislate for the in a
erests Of the country. That govern. o.
nent so strongly Republican in its legis. a
alive department should have an execu il
I've ottcer OF the opposite stamp is, as N
7e have said; an evil and one greatly to 7
e regretted. But when we can have our .
hoice Of evils, it is always wise to choose !. ~
he least. The impeachment Of the chief cr
xecutlve officer of a Republican govern I'll
lent is not matter to be entered upon CT
any partisan spirit. To insure the u =,
enchcial result of such movement it ~
lould be demanded and justified by at W
'ast majority ofthe people. With any pl
'ss support than that its prosecution Sc
ould be fraught with the greatest dan. u
'r to the stability of the republic. So
y as the Presidents past course is con.
rned, and SO far as that enables MS TO b
dge OF his probable future action. the de
untry can better afford to endure the of
lmiDlstration Of President who IL an, en-