The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-02-05

The LmDeachmF=E1 DuaAHS'-
About three-fourtLs Of the Republic
can papers of the country, it is estima-
ted. look with little or no favor on the
proposed impeachment of the Presi-
dent. There is scarcely one leading
print that advocates it. Some OF the
most influential papers denounce it
severely. 1t is not likely, therefore,
that we shall ever see the project seri-
ousIy attempted in Congress. The most
sagacious writers and public men see
that il would not do at all, and that the
experiment would tend simply TO gai-
vanize a defeated, Reproduced, disereo-
tied and dead President into lie, ana
perhaps build up for him party in the
North. Outside of Mr.. Ashley, Gen.
Butler and their coterie, the movement
has but feeble support, and the mo-
tiyes Of those who belong to the
coterie are strongly suspected Of
seIfinterest. If being drunk on
the 4th of March, 1865, constitutes
ground of impeachment, the process
ought to have been commenced long
ago. And, so, likewise, of the appoint
ment of provisional Governors for the
South, of an Objectionable character.
Last December, year ago, at the open
ing of the 39th Congress, or, at all
events, during the session, was the
time to have begun the movement. But
time has been allowed TO run on, and
the President, meanwhile, has been
growing from bad to worse in a
personal way, until he is now clear
outside of the pale of the party that
elected him. 1t was IA great misfortune
to have chosen Il man so Objectionable
in his habits and characteristics, but
having done SO, we must groau and
bear it until, in the regular order of
things, we can get clear of him. For
tunateIy, we have u Congress strong
enough to override his vetOes, and an
other one coming on still stronger, and
his power for mischief is badly cut
down. He can do little else than fill
the offices of the country with his Great
ures, and even they have to be of a
kind not very Objectionable, under the
new law, before they can pass muster
in the Senate. All his power in this
WHY hllDullH u hbLhALAB III 4tiA az ALG
elections are concerned, as was abund-
antly proved last fall. The people are
against the man and against all his acts,
public and private, and it will take a
great many plumbers on the part of
Congress, accompanied by disasters to
the country, to make them prefer him,
even as "A choice of evils, "A contingency
that we hope and believe is not to arise.
The Republican party is great com
pact power-the most formidable PoIit-
ical organization known to the historyof
this country for generation, and it can
only lose control by its own derelictions.
The sympathies of the popular heart
are with it and will stay with it as long
as possible. As opposed to the mass OF
public sentiment, Mr.. Johnson is mere
dust in the balance, and he knows and
feels the tremendous odds that arc
against him, albeit he affects so much
confidence in regard to the future of his
policy. His policy has no future OF it,
self-of its own meriIs-aud can only
be made negatively powerful by the
mistakes or shortcomings of his antago-
nists. Hence the idleness of the i'm
parchment movement. 1t is step to
one side, and to the wrong and specu-
lative side. The country does not back
it up. What the people desire is set
Element as soon as possible of the re-
construction question on some plan
in harmony with the present Congress
sional Amendment, by which all the
States will be brought into working
relations. The South should have u
certain specified time in which to deter
mine their action upon that amend
meut, and, if at the end of that time,
they reject it, then the screws should
be put down promptly and vigorously,
and n reorganization bill adopted that
will ignore their voIition in the mat
ter entirely. We think it more than
likely that bill of the kind will be the
ultimate OF all that we now see, and as
preparation for 1t let US have the sem
timent of the country compact and sym
pathetic, and not alienated by any
blunder as regards the President.