The Daily empire. (Dayton, Ohio) 1865-1867, 1867-01-23

,ites n good deal Of interest through the
country, but not more than II deserves.
There4s general disposition 20 regard u as
less serious thdn Il really Is. The people
find n difficult 10 believe that che project
OF impeachment aud removal from office u
seriously entertained by responsible lead
ers of the Republican party, or that the
mass OF that party In Congress can be
brought TO support it. We see. therefore,
that II Is widely assumed that the inquiry
will be suffered to sleep In the committees
which has it in charge, at least through the
remainder Of the present session, and that
probably nothing more will ever be heard
.of &c. We think This a mistake, and that ne
country tciil ran into serious error y e rests
on this belief.
THE PRESIDENT TO BE REMOVED BECAUSE ih
Is IN THE WAY.
Those who have brought forward this
project are not only serious, but they are
Jealous aud resolute In pressing It TO OeXecu-
tim: not on Its own account; not merely
or mainly 10 punish the President for al
legged misconduct. but because u Is d3so-
lufelg essential 20 the accomplishment q thetr
poIitical purposes. The removal OF Andrew
johnson from office Is sought as medns,
not as an end.
THE PROMINENT DIPEACITERs.
Wendell Phillips, who is the author of
the scheme. denounced the President more
than a wear ago, not as n criminal to be
punished, but as an 'Obstdcls TO be re-
moved.n He was in the way Of the Phil
lips policy. He had not then done any of
the acts for which Mr. Phillips now ar
ralgns him; he had vetoed no bills and
made no removal from office; he had
aeither Swung rotibd the circle" nor
branded Colonel Forney . "dead duck
\ ct Mr.. Phillips demand fO.0his impeach-
"a mt and removal was just as Imperative
=. It Is to-day. General Butler, VINO came
Sonlewhat later into the field, and who now
condders himself the leader of the I'M
neochment movement, Is no. quite so open
| In bis avowal of motives; but none wl.o
Lnoy, his character and ambition can be,
liiave that disinterested and holy indig-
nation against official misconduct has alone
linenjrajS the fervor which he displays.
| lGovernoS Boutwell,, a member of Congress,
and also 4 member of the Judiciary Com
miItea witch has this matter under con-
sideration said in recent address, after
lennneratinG the difficulties in the way of
reconstruction
MR.. JOHNSON u IN MR. 'BoUT"ELLs"Ai'
81 soo M rossiple way out of these diff
lculties ,obfls the fgeseu Chfef Magistrate Is
AZ he bead Of he &UernmUnt. Congress is
strong, but il is powerlcss to execute. 1t
has no hand by which Y can wIelG tne Vast
powers of this governne s ,, DlIlhg Cl,cse ,5
two years, from the 4th Vi 9laIch n.y., ~, "
Mr.. johnson continues 10 ~ IIeS5ugHs ~ ~ Nnt
United States during that ! uo NV
know how long the restoration oI Olle SoN-
ernment will be delayed. | guaAe lo , pIo
dictons as to what the future las III stVie ~
for us with reference to the Itesi,,lolU ~ -,
office but only say that i he c8''tIf',eeS ,.. .m
office during these ttoo years 10 come, k.lTM
of no mems by which human lifec ei ~ pe
protected, by which human rights sig iaS NC
regarded as sacred, or by which any elli tin,
cient means can be taken for the restorat On d,
of these ten States to their ancient place Ia
the government of the country"
THE DIPEAcHERs AMOUNT TO AN NDEFINIiE
NUMBER.
These declarations from leaders of the in'1
peachment movement might be multiplied
indefinitely but we have given enough tC
show that his removal from Office is deem
edabsolutely essential to the success of their
political programme, and that they are
therefore profoundly and resolutely iH
earnest in pushing 1t forward to consum-
nation.
FAILURE OF THE PLOT Would END THE RAD
ICAL PARTY.
If they abandon that, they abandon their
whole scheme of reconstruction. They
must give up their attempt to reduce the
Southern States to q territorial condition,
or to abolish their present State Govern
ments and substitute others in their stead,
or to impose universal suffrage upon them,
unless they can remove the President, who,
while In office. is an invinCible ''obstacle"
TO all their schemes. Are they likely thus
to abandon all their cherished plans? If
they do, their career is ended. They have
gone too far to retreat or to halt Their
failure is the Presidents success.
RECONSTRUCTION MEANS THE OVERTHROW
OF STATE GOVERNMENTS,
Unless they reconstruct the Southern
State governments, those governments
stand rs they are; and every day they so
stand adds to their strength, and increases
the difficulty Of 0rerthroioiag hem.
RAYMOND ON PARTY DRIVING.
But will the great body of the Republic
can party follow them? Not willingly per-
haps-but the past shows what we may ex-
treme men haze neUer pet failed to bring or
driUe the mass Of the party TO their position;
and this has more than once been done IN
the teeth Of their most VigOrOus protests aud
struggles. On this very question large
majority of the party in caucus decided
that no steps looking toward impeachment
should be taken, without preliminary in
curry ny committee, YET on Ine very
next day formal articles of impeachment
were presented in the House, and a COM
mittee was authorized to entertain and
examine them; and scarcely half dozen
members of the party dared to go on record
against this proceeding.
THE TERROR OF THE YEAS AND NAYS.
The "yeas and nays" have very vague
but potent terror for the statesmen of Con-
gress, and the extreme men, who stake
everything on success, avail themselves of
1t with remorseless and unrelenting rigor.
Many members, while voting for the refer
enee, protested that they were only voting
for ''inquiry"-that they were not TO be
held committed TO the movement; but they
are IN the current, and it win be much more
difficult for them to turn back than il
would have been for them to keep out. At
what point will they stop? Do they ex-
pect to vote that the acts OF which the COM
mittee may accuse the President are not
proved, or that they are not offenses de-
serving impeachment? They will find
themselves branded as faithless to public
morals as well as to party, if they go on
record thus. They have committed them
selves to the movement and they will be
coerced into carrying it through.
DREADFUL DOOM OF THOSE WHO FAITER-
THEY MAY BE CALLED CoPPERHEADs.
Until the President is actually impeached
the public clamOr for his impeachment will
be incessant and commanding. The scheme
will be pushed, just as every kindred
Il, I.,g. 4