The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-09-25
D. F. WADE.

coed in impeRching ANDREW JOHNSON. That
impeachment should not succeed on any Of the
grounds stated by either Radical leaders or
tho Radical press no candid thinker will doubt.
That conviction on any of those grounds would
be impossible before any honest man who hos
tho slightest knowledge of legal principles or
t.s slightest acquaintance with constitutional
law, no one at all familiar with the question can
a reon" " uiAshSy shsysh sshS 5esa 5GESesiGRs %1s
oath Of Office and failed in tho faithful perform
| ance Of his duty. Ills irsl obligation is to
guard faithfully The Constitution, the Charter
of our Union. In times Of ordinary events,
| when tho minds of men arc cool, these propo-
| sitions would not bo questioned for a singlo in-
| slant To-day however the mind is heated
with passion. 7ar Of the most bitter kind, a
| war betwcon members of tho Same political
family, has left its scars upon tho body polite.
Tho blood hns not yot been washed from the
hands Of the combatanls' The grass has not
yet entirely hidden the graves Of those who
| foil on either side. Prison life at the North
and prison life vat the South is still fresh in
the memories of us all The day of sober
thought hos not yet come, and il is easy to de-
nounce, and in denounoing to find believers in
tho guilt of any man who is not ready and
willing to become the partisan of either side
in the lato conflict. Irritation e1cites mon to
believe any assertion, and ambition aided by
want Of principle, frequently prompts dcma-
gogues to assert anything that may serve their
purposes.
We confess that we were not much astonish-
ed when HENRY WILSON oponly proclaimed
that the President should bo impcached.
Though HENRY WILSON is Senator, and
though he will bo obliged to try the Presi-
dent as juror in CASE of impeachment, we
knew that he was not o man of refined taste,
and we believed thatho valued party power
more than he did principles of honesty, or q
sense of obligation. wo were not surprised
when WENDELL PHrLLIrs made a similar dec
laration and openly avowed that his first
choice for the Presidency WAS the man who
boasts and honestly proolaima that tho action
OF hrs party is all outside Of the Constitution
PHILLIPS has always been consistent. Ho per-
aistently denounced the greatost constitutional
lawyer, and one Of the greatest statesmen that
This country has produced--DANIEL WEBsrRR.
Ho has frequently abused WILLIAM II. SEWARD,
because he did not come up to his standard.
Time and again no cursed the Constitution. 40
long as the Constitution had any active energy.
PHILIPPE is in earnest, and like oil earnest
men, 10 apt to be truthful. We were surprised
when the Speaker OF the House Of Representa-
tiVes of the United States was accused of hay
ing written the sixteen rsasons why GRANT
should not be nominated for the Presidency,
and that SCHUYLER CoLTAx should be, and wc
wore more surprised when his lolter to the
Border State Convention, cndorsing impesch-
ment, Was published. We wero however shock.
ed whom we saw that BENJAMIN F. wAnE had
endorsed tho impeachment doctrines, and Join.
Cd In that howl of the extreme wing OF the
Radical party. lie at least the successor in case
Of removal, should not express an opinion
What in others was O breach of tasto, was in
him positive indeoenoy. What in others was
violation Of duty in him was infamy
Whatevor might bo the effect Of impeachment,
successfully carried through, on the party, to
him, would be the first solid benefit he. B: +. .
WADH, would through il become President Of
the United States
This however Is not the only act Of Mr..
WADE that has excited astonishment He, In
common with. HORACE GRRELEr and other
members of his party, is to-day singing p,nans
to the memory Of ABRAHAM LiNcoLx. and
speaking of him as " the martyr President"
and "the late lanented." The. history Of the
WSs duHs fhH4y sh that like HosAos GaEE.
thorn in his side, and a clog on his admlnistra-
ton. No ono has forgotten GRERLRY's, /" On
to Richmond cry, and the disastrous results
Of the Newspaper generals campaign, and no
ono will forget thst slr. WADE did abuse, aid
heartily abuse the course of Mr.. LINCOLN at
more than one period of his administration.
Tho worst blunders made by The North during
the conduct of the late war wore made through
the Irritating opportunities of those men and
others of a similar character. 80 :"
Mr. WADE has, however, recently made ian
honest declaration which entities him to credit.
He has carried the doctrines Of his party to
their honest results. No one who has taken
the pains to examine tho subject carefully will
be disposed to deny that the doctrine Of blind
majoritios, unrestrained by checks, unbound
BY obligations, is fraught with danger not only
to the rights of minorities, but also to pro.
perty On one sldo Of the doctrine stands
despotism on the other agrarisnfsm. He is
coward OF sknaye who shrinks from one of
these two conclusions. Mr.. WApR has chosen
agrarianism. In speech recently made by
him in KANSAS, he ssid: Congress, watch
has done 80 much for tho slave, cannot quietly
regard the terrible distinctions which exist be-
tveeh The lsborer, and tho employer. Property
is not fairly divided, and more equal division
nust be wrought out" What this means Ia |
'elf. = evident. Congress represents the will OF |
he majority TIE majority has dictated to
The minority at the South. Il has deprived |
that section Of all traces of libert and Is now
for It q code Of Lays more In accord
moo with tho vsNs of Radical .spirants for
power. Well, these laws have been framed on |
The idsa that mnjoritIes must govern absolutely
rso: absolutely that If even the President
'snerts his powers under the Constitution. be
must DO impssshedfio absolutely, In fsot, that
nothing oan iailud fhetSssn Il and Il. object,
Consistency. b' idwsv.IJ necessary. Laborsr.
ire more numerous than capitalists. :; The |
nsjority must govern. What matters II II |
here arc moral LAYS against ooyeting aud
stealing 'anoshsr's propsftyi Ai"hiehsr law
FAR abnvn ythn -. -, II