Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1867-12-06
WILSON AND wooDBRIDeE's REPORT.
The following is an abstract of the mi

! WlISON AND
|, The following is an abstract of the mi-
anority report:
REPRESENTATIVES Wilson and Woodbridge handed
in report dissenting from the conclusions of the
majority Committee. They. say that on the Sd Of
June, 1885,, at was declared, ny solemn vote IN
them it did not appear that the Presidential the
United States was guilty Of such high crimes and
misdemeanors as called on the exercise OF the I'm,
yeas g. nays 4. On the 21st inst, this action OF
the Committee was reversed, and vote OF o to
declared In favor of recommending to the House
an Impeachment of the President. Forty-eight
hours have not yet elapsed SINCE they were M
formed of the character OF the report which repre-
sents this changed attitude OF the committee.
The recentness Of this event conipels the general
treatment of some features OF the case, as repre-
scented by the majo rity, which otherwise would
the majority resolves all the presumption against
the PRESIDENT, closes the door against all doubts,
afirms facts as established by the testimony, in
before us which would be received by any court
in the land. We dissent from all Of this, and from
the temper and spirit of the report The cool and
unbias Judgment of the future, when the ex-
element in the midst of which we live shall have
passed ava will not fail to discover that the po
itical bitterness of the present time has In no con-
siderable degree given tone to the document
which we decline to approve. Dissenting, as We
do from the report OF the committee, both as to
the law Of the case and the conclusions drawn
and transcendently important duty involved in the
charges preferred against the PRESIDENT impress
which has been committed to us by the most solr
emn vote of the House Of Representatives.. In APP
he ws sd ta e
of the Republic, as they are measured by eonsti-
tutions and laws alone, shall guide u.s., Messrs.
cuss the constitutional question in regard to i'm
peachment, showing by reference to legal author
ity that an impe achment cannot be supported by
misdsmeanor. English precedents are referred
to at length and copious extracts made from
the testimony of the committee in order to re-
flute tho reasoning and conclusions.of the major;
ity They conclude as follows A great deal
of the matter contained In the volume of tesu-
mony reported to the House is of no value
whatever Much of 1t is mere hearsay, the
opinions of witnesses, and no little amount OF 1t
utterly irrelevant to the case. COMPARATIVELY a
Of b of sa a Of s
Iatng to the failure to try and admission to bail Of
Jefferson Davis, the assassination Of President
Lincoln, the diary 81 D. Wilkes BOOTH, ms place
the alleged correspondence the President with
Jeffersoa Davis, May be interesting to reader,
but Is not of the slightest Importance SO far as
determination of this case is concerned. Still,
much of this irrelevant matter has been inter-
woven into the majority report and has served to
heighten Its color and deepen Its tone, anu settle
which will establish, in view OF the attending cir
cumstances, a circumstantial crime BY making
plain the eIeUeuJb which COucLlGuto H. anu tlO
case, In many respects, dwarfs into political con-
Z In approaching conclusion we do not fail to re-
cognize the stand-points from which this case can
be reviewed-the legal and political Viewing It
from the latter, the case is asuccess. The Presi-
dent has disappointed the hopes and expectations
of those who placed him In power; he has de-
stroyed their confidence, and Joined hands with
their enemies he has proved false to the express
and implied condition which underlies his eleva-s
ton to power, and, in our view of the case, de-
serves The censure and condemnation of every
well-disposed citizen OF the Republic While we
acquit him of improbable crimes, we pronounce
him guilty of many wrongs. His contest with Con-
gress has delayed reconstruction and inflicted vast
Injury, upon the people OF the rebel States. He
has been blind 70 the necessities OF the times and
to the demands Of a progressive civilization. He
has been enveloped in the darkness of the past,
and seems not to have detected the dawning
brightness OF the future: incapable OF appreciat-
nave wrought, he seeks to measure the great
events which surround him by the narrow rules
which adjusted public affairs before the rebellion.
Judge him politically and you condemn him. But
the day of political impeachment would be sad
one for the country. Political qnftness and inca
aclty must be trea az Inc % not IN r Inc
might leave to Congress but little time for other
business than the trial of impeachments. But we
are not now dealing with political ofenses. Crimes
and msdemeanors are now demanding our atten7
ton. Do these, within the meaning Of the consti,
tuition, appearfI Rest the case upon political
offenses, and we are prepared to pronounce agans.
the President, for such offsnses are numerous and
grave; and if Mexican, experience is desired, We
need have no difficulty for there almost every cleo
tion ia productive of revolution. II the people
Of this Republic desire such result we have not s
we favor. 1t were It's presence manifest:
While we condemn and censure the political
conduct of the President, and judge him unwise
in the use OF his discretionary powers, and appeal
to the people of the Republic to sustain US, we
stili affirm that the conclusion at which we have
arrived is correct We therefore declare that the
case before ms presented by the testimony and
measured by the law, does not disclose such high
nlisdemeanors within the meaning Of the constitu-
ton as to require the nterpostion of the consttu
tional power Of this House; and we recommend
the adoption of the following resolution:
I Res0tUed, That the Committee on the judiciary
be discharged from the further consideration OF
the proposed Impeachment Of the President of the
United states, and that the subject be laid upon
the table.
T. = [signedI JAMES T. WJsoEsM ri
1 MARSHALL AND ELDRIDGE's REPORT.
I Messrs. Marshall and Eldridge, in their
report, say of the P PRESIDENT 93'ioa l1a'..
| his greatest ofense, we apprehend, viii be