Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1867-12-05
The Impeachment Reporn.
THE MINORITY REPORT OF MEssRs WILSON
AND WOODBRIDGE,

Frederick E. Woodbridge handel in a
report dissenting rom the conclusions
arrived at by majority Of the commit
tee. They say on the Sd day otJune,
1867, it was declared by solemn vote
in the committee that from the tealmo-
nv then before them 1t did not spear
that the President OF the United 'tstes
was guilty of such high crimes ant mis-
demean0rs as called for an exercise OF
the impeachment power of this House.
The vote stood yeas 5. nays, L. On the
Dist inst. this action OF the comnittee
was reversed, and vote o; five to four
declared in favor Of recommending to
the House an impeachment OF the Pres
ident. Forty eight hours have not yet
elapsed since we were informed q the
character Of the report which ppre-
sents this changed attitude OF thecom-
mittee.
The receutuess o. this event coTp'is
general treatment Of some features Of
the case as il il presented by the MAJOR
lty which otherwise wopd have been
treated of more in detail The report
of the majority resolves all prestmp,
tons against the President, closes the
door against all DOUBTS, attirms saCs as
established by the testimony, in support
of which there il not particle OF evil
dence before us which would b. re.
-, IN q
dissent from all 'hiS. ami from the tenn
per and spirit o.. the report The cool
and unbiased Judgment OF the future,
when the excitement in the midst o.
which we live shail have passed away
will not fail to discOver that the pOliti
cal bitterness OF the present time has ia
no considerable degree given tone to the
document which we decline to approve.
Dissenting as We Go from the report OF
the committee, both as to the Jaw OF the
ease aud the conclusions drawn from the
facts developed By the testimony, a due
regard for the body which imposed on
us the high and transcendantly import
ant duty involved in an Investigation
of the charges preferred against the
President impels Us to present at length
our views on the subject which has been
committed to US by mos. solemn vote
Of the House 0, Representatives, IN
approaching this duty we feel that the
spirit of the partisan should be laid
aside, and that the interests OF the re-
public as they are measured by it's con-
stitution and laws alone shall guide Us,
and we most deeply regret that in this
regard we cannot approve the report OF
the majority OF the committee. While
we would not charge them with design
! to act the part OF partisans in this grave
proceeding, we nevertheless feel panied
| by the tone, temper and spirit OF their
report. But regrets will not answer the
demands Of the present grave and COM
manding occasion, and we, therefore, re-
spond to them by presenting the House
| the results Of q careful, deliberate and,
as we hope, 8 conscientious investiga-
ton of the case before US.
Messrs. Wilson and Woodbridge then
| proceeded to discuss the constitutional
! question with regard to impeachment,
&C, showing, by reference to legal
authorities that an impeachment can
not be supported by any act which falls
short Of al indctable crime or misde-
J meanor. English preCedents are re.
! ferred to at length and copious extracts
are made from the testimony Of the CON-
mittee in order to refute the reasoning
and conclusion Of the majority. They
conclude as follows
| A great deal OF the matter contained
| in the volume OF testimony reported to
the House is Of no value whatever.
Much Of it is mere hearsay, opinions OF
witnesses, and no little amount Of it is
utterly irrelevant to the case. Compar-
atively a small amount of 1t could be
used on a trial of this case before the
Senate. All of the testimony relating
to the failure to try and admission to
bail Of Jefferson Davis, the assassina.
ton of President Lincoln, the diary OF
]. Wilkes Booth, his place Of burial, the
practice Of pardon brokerage, the al,
legged spondtnce of the President
with Jefferson Davis, may be interesting
to reader, but is not of the slightest
Importance SO far IS determination oil
this case is concerned. Still much OF
this irrelevant matter has been inter
woven into the maj 1rlty report, and has
served to heighten It's color and to
deepen its tone. Strike sut the stage
effect Of this Irrelevant mater and the
prominence given to the Tudors, the
Stuarts and Michael Burns and much
Of the play will disappear, and settle
down upon the real evidence In the cast
that which will establish in view o.
the attending circumstances, a substan
tIal crime, by making plain the element;
which constitute it, and the case il
many respects dwarCs into politics
contest In approaching a conclusion
we do not fall to recognize the stand
points from which this cast can be re
viewed, the legal and the political
Viewing it from the latter tie case is 1
success. The President has disappointed
the hopes and expectations of those whC
placed him in power; he has betrayed
their confidence and Joined hands witt
their enemies; he has proved false K
the express and implied conditions
which underlie his elevation to power
and in our view Of the case deserves tn,
censure and condemnation of every vel
disposed citizen Of the republic. Whilt
we SCOUT him of improbable crimes