Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-09-06
IMPEACHMENT

1t is manifestly the purpose OF the
Radical leaders to prefer articles of i'm
parchment against the President at the
coming session Of Congress, unless, in
the interval some consideration Of party
policy should forbid it. There is no more
tenable ground on which to base such a
proceeding now than there was six or
twelve months since but the fear is that
the President by the vigorous measures
he is pursuing, viii command the con
fidenee of the country and defeat the
cherished schemes Of these men for the
aggrandizement and perpetuation of their
power To pgeyent this, the impeach-
ment is to be presented, with or without
canse s..
Several of the influential Radical
journals are beginning to cast about for
pretexts, and put the proposition in a
positive shape before the public. An
article in the Cincinnati Gazette Of
Wednesday, contains several suggestive
admissions, which show the strait that
they are in. 1t comedies that all that
the President has done, may do, or viii
probably DO, that may be considered i'm.
peachable, he can do within the law
1t says
Johnson's demonstration toward throw
ing the reconstruction registry and cleo
a H.s 81
number of journals and public men To de-
clare for Impeachment who before opposed
it. This eleventh-hour zeal is laudsble,
but vet il is hard to see what cause johnson
has given them by his recent acts that
would satisfy their previous requirements.
Nothing but an indictable crime would
then answer their conditions. But in his
suspension Of Stanton and his removal Of
the district commanders johnson has only
exercised the power the law gives him.
He has exercised it for ILL., 10 be sure, but
that is what we suffer by havinga bad mar
in the Executive chair. Bad administra-
ton can ruin the best government the sun
ever shone on, all within the law
The acting President can defeat the
whole intent of the reconstruction acts Of
Congress, and keep within the law He can
THROW AuG AlAAAAA VI A~AAA1AANNtANlA AAitN
Rebel hands, and abandon the loyal in
habitants 70 a reign Of persecution aud
terror, all within the law. He can disgrace
every military officer who tries to execute
faithfully the acts of Congress, and replace
them bv those who win defeat them, and still
keep within the law, and still not commit an
indictable offense for impeachment When
the issues of great civil war are to be set
tied he may surrender to the enemy all that
has been achieved by the national triumph,
and still not commit an indictable crime.
The argument Of the Gazette following
is that the President may be arraiened
before the Senate on a general charge Of
mal>administration, and deposed If con-
victed. Such is not the letter nor the
doctrine Of the constitution and its ablest
commentators, nor IS it the theory and
practice of English impeachments, from
which our system Is derived. In such
cases, the Senate is a court and the i'm
parchment Is a trial upon specific allega-
tons Of treason, bribery or other HIGH
crimes and misdemeanors. 10 woII
conviction, these allegations require to be
proved as to time place, and intent In
constituting the Senate a body Cor The