The Daily empire. (Dayton, Ohio) 1865-1867, 1867-02-01

The Impeachment SnealSing
scheme TO Include Grant-Ash-
Icy the Butler Cat's-paw-Bin
ham after Ashley.
'MAck," the Washington special tele-
grapher and correspondent of the Cincin-
natl Commercidi, who is privileged to say a
great many truthful things and send many
reliable items. has illuminated. somewhat,
the Impeachment procedure which has, SO
far, for its ostensible leader, the Infamous
Ohio AsnIEy, and a. the Commercial of
Wednesday, gave prominence to his telc-
Igraphlettcr by publishing Tin full, double
loaded, we regard the main portions of il
as worthy Of being reproduced. We cx-
tract-the letter-dspatch is dated, Wash
ingtou, January %:
1t will he remembered that
about raonth ago Mr.. Ashley offered a
resolution In the House of Representatives
directing the Judiciary Committee to in
quirc if dpy officer of the United States had
been guilty ot high crimes and misdemean-
ors within the meaning of the Constitu-
! tiou, or had conspired to subvert the Con-
stitution of the United states. This looked
at the time. certainly to me, and, think, TO
most others, rather like the evasion of u
direct charge against the President than
an attempt to make it more Comprehen-
/ sive. and 10 include others beside that un-
HAPPY gentleman. | know that most of
those who referred TO the subject In CON
Iversation at the time. so regarded it. There
| was one gentleman, however on the hoor
| of the House of Representatives, who, as
If by inspiration, saw through it the in
slant 1t was offered
As soon rs the resolution was
read Mr.. Bingham Jumped from his seat
land went over to Ashley, TO whom he ad-
dressed some very strong language, asking
him what he mean by such proposition as
/ that. and why he didn't frame il to apply to
the President only. instead of making IL a
| Idraguet To include every officer Of the Gov
Iernment. Ashley hesitated a while, affected
a knavish smile. aud replied that 'he guessed
| il was all right No, It isn't all right"
said Bingham. Its a stab at General
IGraut. and no such malicious thing shall
20 through the House If | can help It,"
suppose it does include Grant, said
| Ashley. Cant we investigate his conduct
| too and can't we impeach him if he has
been guilty under the resolutionyn Bing-
ham looked at Ashley moment and re-
piled in nervous wrath, ASHLEY, you're
| fool. Don't YOU know that you can't inn
/
ment under the Constitution p By this
time quite group had collected where the
colloquy was being held, and Thad. stevens,
Iscenting breeze, had come over
| to avert storm. Addressing him,
Bingham asked what was the meaning of
this damnablc assault upon General Grant.
"Oh, nothing" said Stevens In his insidious
way-"only we want to investigate some
Icharges recently made against him. don't
see why Grant should be free investigation
any more than johnson. He's just rs bad
as Johnson Bingham again denounced
what he termed very aptly ~ foul conSpir-
acy atfainst the chief officer of the Army of
the Republic and he gave the few friends
OF the resolution who were around him fair
warming that if they passed it. he should
IeXpoSe the cowardly proceeding rs it de-
served. BY this time the resolution had
gone over as the parliamentary phrase
| Is frsm Il refusal of the House to suspend
the rules. Quiet had been restored on the
| floor. and the business of the day was
quietly proceeding. Bingham addressed
| Ashley. in presence of several members, In
Language like this. Tell the honest truth
Inow. who instigated that resolution :"
why, what makes you think it wasn't my
own?' inquired Ashley. Because" said
Bingham. Il know there is too much cum
lining in it for you. and Ill bet you any
thing you dare that Thad Stevens and Ben
Butler either wrote it or dictated its spirit"
| Ashley again protested against BinghamS
right to question the authorship; and Bing-
ham again repeated that there was too
much craft and design about it for any
body but Stevens or Butler.
After some further bantering
and badgering, on Bingham's part Ashley
confessed that stevens had little to do
with it. and Butler had little to do with
it, and that one of its principal objects was
to give Butler an opportunity of making
and proving certain charges against Cen
Ieral Grant
We cannot afford much more space for
this indignant exposure but cannot refrain
from adding this:
Here we have the would-be leaders of the
Radical party engaged in the foulest, most
malignant and most treacherOus assault
that the ingenuity of devils could invent
against the man to whose vaor and genius
we owe the existence of the nation to-day.
| \ committee of Congress Is asked to inquire
whether General Ulysses ). Grant has been
| Iengaged in Il conspiracy to subYert the
! Government! If the reader can think of
anything more tiendish in its conception,
or more cowardly in its purpose, his read
ling must date back of the most licentiOus
| days of Roman history, when, even in the
midst OF ASSASSINATION plots and bloody
conspiracy the life and reputation of a
| brave soldier was secure. And such crimes
as these are committed in the American
| Congress, and that too. in the name of
l"loyalty.'
! s$- The Jacobin proposition, to limit all
future Presidents to one term of office, may
be regarded as another lick at the South /;