The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-01-18
THE IMPEACHMENT.

Reason for his RemOvaI-CuriOUs Pre-
cedents An the History OF the Chief
Ma0istracy-WashIng Himself De-
oHared tt "POIitIcaI suicide'' to Appoint
an Opponent to Ohiee-What tho
House Judiciary Committee Is Doing,
Ete. Etc.
WASHINGTON January l6.-Impeachment or
no impeachment That is the great question
agitating the public mind to-day. Will Andrew
johnson be impeached? The argument in favor
of his impeachment, stripped of all its general.
ties and reduced to the mere substance of what
may be proven to be fact, is that he has, In the
administration OF the Government, followed the
uniform course adopted by all his predecessors,
from Washington to Lincoln; that is, he has had
policy of his own, anu in the bestowal of his
patronage has sought to favor those who con-
I formed in political sentiment to that policy.
. This may be an impeachable ofense or not; that
is not here TO be discussed. But the first Presi-
dent of the United States the immortal Wash
ington, was guided in his administration of the
Government by the same rule, and so have been
al succeeding Presidents.
Said Washington in a letter to Timothy Picker
S nSn % ia sba no wSe
, have the honor to administer the Government,
bring o man into any Office oil consequence know
ngly whose political tenes are adverse to the mea-
sures which the general Government are pursuing
suicide Thatit would embarrass its movements is
most certain "-Jared Sparks Writings Of WASH
jn0tOn.
And again, less than one month later, he
applies the test in the case Of Patrick Henry,
whose '1oyalty" was known to all the world.
In a confidential letter to Edward Darlington,
Washington writes:-
private and confdential)
MT VERNON, October 8, 1795.-Dear Sr:-Your
letter OF the I'd instant came duly to hand and
shall wait the result of the proposed inquiries.
One request frequently beges another, and that is
the case at present. You know tull well that the
Office of State IS vacant, but ou may not know that
find difficulty in filing 1t. In the appointments to
the great Offices of the Government my am has
been to combine geographical situation, and some
times other considerations, with abilities and ft-
OF known character. In pursuance of this
system have tried to bring Judge Patterson, Mr.
johnson, OF Maryland, and Charles Cotesworth
Pinckney OF South Carolina, into this office, but
they have ell declined the lasJ by the post OF We'd
nesday. would have made an offer OF it to Mr.,
Henry in the first instance, but two
opposed to it first ignorance OF his political senti
mental suicide to bring into so high an office
who was unfriendy to the Constitution and laws
which were TO be his guide. *-JGred Sparks
HTttings OF Washington.
These citations merely settle the fact that
Washington had his own views of public policy,
and required all appointees OF tie Government
to conform to those views. Still they Go not
prove that Washing on did not in that commit
grave offense, subecting him, il prosecuted,
to impeachment. 1t will remain Tor the Thirty
ninth and FOrtieth Congress to determine
whether such rule OF action, faithfully ad-
hered to- is an impeachable offense within the
meaning of the Constitution.
But without specializing on what Congress will
or will not do, it will be received by the country
as q singular circumstance that none of the gen.
tlemen who have aspired to the leadership of
the majority in Congress have ventured to take
the initiative in this impeachment movement
This fact has suspicious air about 1t. Bout
well has openly accused the President with
conspiring to prevent the recapture OF one of
Mr.. LincOln's assassins, and has more than
inhmated, on several occasions, belief
in his completely in that feroclous
conspiracy. Thad. Stevens cannot take the
. floor without trumping up some criminal
oh 0pnOunpinu
him with the most vindlctive epithets. Bing-
ham swOre to his constituents that he would
neither give sleep TO his eyes nor slumber to his
eyelids until he bad Drawn up bill OF impeach-
ment against Andrew johnson. Even the
Speaker of the House daily permits the utterance
on the floor of violent threats and scandalous
charges against the President with no inter
ference on his part. All these gentlemen are
supposed to be endowed with degree of intel
lgence beyond the ordinary run of the men,
beTs. But while they have all been forward in
denunciations and ordinations of the Presi
dent, none ofthem presumed to put their charges
in shape for official action. On the contrary,
when meT of vastly inferior standing, intelli-
gence, aud influence, worked upon by the LOUD
talk and bOastiul thTeatenngs of then supe.
riors, thought to make political capital Tor
themselves by reducing this talk 10 action and
these threats to actual hOstilities, the great
leaders were selzed with panic OF alarm and
terror, and nterposed their strongest influences,
most potent appeals, and all manner OF efforts to
revent the consummation of the purpose. Thus
it is evident that the wisdom and intelligence OF
the House at no time has and does not now pur-
pose making the test with he Executive of the
truthfulness OF the charges in which they have
INDUCED so freely. Their talk, by their subse-
quent conduct, is shown to have been all for
effect. Their better judgments teach them the
folly OF attempting extreme measures, for they
know that if they fail of conviction, the party
in whose interests they act will be damaged be-
yond reIaration. On the contrary, so long as
they merely INDUCED in talk and threats their
arguments were as potential with ignorant
people as though they were based on truth.
Now they must either prove their charges true,
or forever abstain from repeating them. They
h see the danger of losing their ammunition.
The House Judiciary Committee, in whose
hands the matter now rests, have terrible
responsibility thrown upon them, and naturally
they will be very careful in its exercise. This
will account Tor the conflicting reports which
In order not unnecessarily to alarm the people,
their proceedings are vet a sealed book which
no one can open. Contradictory statements
emanate from the brains OF this, that, aud the
other enterprising correspondent but all such
statements are the merest speculation and
guess work. The most diligent inquiry does
not discover q single subpoena issued by
the committee. This is significant. II shows
at all events that they have not yet com
menced their investigations. There was
statement sent abroad that Ashley ha0 been
before them, but the concurrent testimony o
all who should know is that he merely met tht
Committee casually and informally AT one O
their regular meetings, as the prosecutor IN tn
case, to ascertain what was TO be the mode o
procedure. He has not met them since
Another statement that Secretary stanton ha'
been called before them, and as some new:
mongers had it, had actually given some tesu
mony is equally apocTy phal. 1t looks reasouaDl
10 suppose that Cabinet Minister being calle
upon to testify in so important matter affecting
his principal, would at leastRnOtify that prlncl
pal OF tne TACT; but up to this time the Presiden