The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-01-11
Our Washington Letter.
ESPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE OF THE DAILY NEWS

joyed the episode of receiving, in the upper House,
Presidential veto to the bill setting up negro
suffrage in the District Of Columbia, at the very
moment whom the body in the other wing of the
Capitol had ceased to hear the reading of an initial
proposition for impeachment Of the Executive: It
seems that aftor the caucus on Saturday night BY
the Radicals it was determined among o few of the
lattor that, in order to appease THAD. STEVENS
who WAS in towering rage because the caucus
had refused to tolerate the impeachment 1dear-a
resolution might still be introduced on Monday
(to-day), looking to impeachment, but with the un-
Outstanding that it WAS to be referred without de-
bate to the Judiciary Committee. Accordingly
this morning, upon the assembling OF the House,
there was manifest stir and eagerness among
the arriving members to learn more definitely OF
the programme, of which they had obtained but
crude announcement. The desk OF Thad,
Stevens seemed to be O common centre for hls
party, and the headquarters at which they sought
TO conduct their inquiries. But Thaddeus was
non-committal, apparently not forgetful nor for
giving of the slight put upon his impeachment
project in tho caucus Of Saturday night. oonoa4o
order, and the formal business Of the day begun,
without any of the Republicans, save those IN the
inception OF the plot, having any definite idea OF
the line Of action that was to be pursued III this
ton of impeachment. Events soon proved that
even the rngeaders might be put at fault, as they
mcst certainly were, when a series Of resolutions
of impeachment turned up at the i1istance OF old
Ben. Loan, of Missouri-the most phlegmatic and
least heard of member of the chamber. The
resolutions, in perfect accordance with the incon
gruities OF the man, wore cross between IN en-
deavor to upbraid the Southern States and pro-
posal that Congress should declare that Andrew
Johnson was thoroughly depraYed, and ought to
leaped itselt. By rule adopted early in the
present session, it was settled TINT oil bills and
resolutions referring in any way to the condition or
restoration of the Southern Sates should GO to the
Committee on Reconstruction. Mr.. Loans illusions
to tho Southern States, though in no wise germane
to his impeachment proposition, clearly came
within the purview Of this regulation, and almost
before the House had recovered from its blank
amazement at the unoxpectancy Of shot from
Loans quarter: the latters resolutions had peen @
construction. And now came o feature OF sharp
representative practice. Loan borrows from the
Clerks desk the series of resolutions just re!ered
and taking them to mis- desk, draws hls pen
through the clause relating 10 the excluded states
and then hands the whole affair to his colleague,
Mr.. Kelso, who, with becoming gravity, attracts
the attention of the Chair, and sends what pur-
ports to be batch Of fresh resolutions. The read,
ing had hardly begun when the House recognized
the 7se, but there was no recourse but 10 put INC
curtailed resolutions on their passage. a motion
to lay on the table first prevailed and call OF the
ayes and noes were demanded. The latter proce-
duro invariably consumes OF least twenty min
utes and at this uncture Of affairs The hands OF the
great clock Indicated that there were but
fifteen minutes grace before the expiration OF snas
tic unfinished business of that period cannot
come. AS coniectured, five minutes before the
conclusion of the call Of tho roll the Speaker an
nounccd the 'ttime" up and the resolutions before
House drew long breath of relief, and there was
a general relaxation Of faces-the impeachment
emergency had passed Not 80. Scarcely had
the Speaker essayed to announce the Bill before
the House, when the burly form and pulpy fea-
lures Of Ashley, Of Ohio, became dlstlngnsnssDle
ing something to the notice Of the House not down
on the Radical Bill. This extra feature Of the
morning sensation vas the impeachment resoln.
tions tho caucus had denied him the privilege OF
dontly Concluded to STEP First, Mr. Ashley brought
his resolutions before the House as aqueston OF
privilege, and tho Speaker sustained him in it.
Under this guise of putting the matter the star
tied Radicals had no loop-bo OF escape and go,
after manifold man@uvres to defer the vote on the
was carried By the strict party vote Of one hun;
dred and nine to thirty-six. Only Rayn,end, OF
the New York Times, and Spalding, OF Ohio, re-
fusing to 20 with their party:
And 30 it was, that whilo the Radical body Sem
atoral we're yawning impatiently over the closing
periods Of the Presidents Veto Message, it came
to be whispered in their midst taat their more im-
pctnous brethren Of tho lower chamber had ac-
tually instructed their Judiciary Committee to
make up it's mind that Andrew Johnson,is cul-
prit, and ought to be impeached.. How that grim
Of honorable fanatics chueked eyer the aIt
You could see it from the galleries above them,
and the meaning looks that passed from one to an
other.
But there is legal question to raise, should the
Judiciary Committee OF the House find itself firm
in tie belief that impeachment was divine be.
hest susceptible Of immediate elimination, and
that is, viz:
eress to finish tho tral Of the President, should it
begin it, within the month, md 80 the tribunate
must become vested in the doth Con- 3-ess. At the
close OF this Congress, several Radical members
of the House take places in tho Senate, and thus,
under the above proceeding Of the trial we should
find these very men eittiEe in Judgment upon
charges which they in former Congress had helped
to institute and prefer. YDEA. s: