Democratic enquirer. [volume] (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1867-1873, 1867-01-24


point will they stop2 Do they expect
to vote that the acts Of which the com
mittee may sccuse the President ats.not
proved, or that they ale not offepsea
deserving impea cbMeDt2 They will find
branded as faitbless to publio
thOtalH, as well as 10 party, if they 20 on
record thus. They have committed
ihemselves to the movement, snd they
will be ccefeed into carrying It through.
Untiltbe Resident IS actually im~
psached, the public elamor for HE ima
peachment will be fncessaDt and COM
manding. The scheme will be pushed.
just as every kindred scheme has been
pushed hitherto-with viEor. courage
and determination. And the man who
ventures to oppose il at sny StOge will
very soon be denounced'as . JOhnson
man, Copperhead. and arsSsI, by tho
leaders Of the movement and the press
,chich they control. 1g9 ~
*A* 7 Theif action willbe govern
ed for more by their views Of public pol
icy and measures-by their estimate Of
party and public exigences-t than BY any
distinct purpose and predeterminAtioD.
The committee is wholly in the hands Of
men who hold openly and avowedIy The
most extreme views on all the questions
which divide the country. They are all
Jealous to the last degree 10 support Of
the extreme policy of recODstrnOtion on
the basis of rebel disfranchisemcDt aud
negro suffrage Wilson Of lows, BoHES
we'll of Massachusetts, Williams Of Penn
sylvauia, Lawrence of Ohio, Cook Of
Illinois, Il. Thomas of Maryland-thO
country can Judge whether these men
are likely to halt in the march they havS
commenced, or to exaggerats tie di6S.
culties in their way. They certainly
will not err on the side ofcaution. They
will not be TOO fOstidious, to say the least,
in their estimate of official short comiugS.
y. x * The chances are two to one
that the committee will bring 10 sn im-
peachment; and as only mnjority vote
is required, the chances are also two to
one that this impeachment will be suS-
tanned by the House Of Representatives..
Mere impeachment will not answer the
purpose of those who have started thiS
movement; that, indeed, is the only
means by which their real object iSr 10
be reached That object is the removal
Of the President from Office; and tha
removal, to be of any service 10 the
attainment Of their political ends, must
take place at once. Il can not visit for
the trial and conviction. Besides, con.
viction is by no means certain, II
requires two thirds of the Senate to
convict, and it is scarcely probable that
two thirds of the Senate can DO secured
for such apurpOss. An essential part
of the plan, therefore, ia 10 remove the
President upon impeachment, az . erim-
inal 10 custody awaiting trial, without
waiting for his conviction. Ia 1oA
Al attempt OF removal 10 The AbseDeO
such law would unquestiSnaby involve
very serious consequences Il 10 scarcely
probable that tie President would yield
to it. 1t is certainly possible that he
would resist lite execution by oil ths
means at his command; aud, 10 the
absence cfan explicit law on the subject,
he mighbfeel warranted and compelled
to use the Ormy and navy for the
maintenance Of his ConStitutionSl
prerogative. II Congress should persist
in an execution Of its purpose, the
country would'ngain encounterthe perilS
of civil war, not sectional in it's Oharao>
ter, but following more or less closely the
divisions of political parties.
\ Wsdo not think the issue is likely Il
be pushed to this extremity. The gem
eral sentiment Of the country iS already
pretty distinctly pronounced agAinst .thS
whole project Of impeachment; and %
its contingent peris become EAOEs and
more apparent, that sentiment will gnOw
stronger and stronger '''e,'y 4. ifti&
| Still, the leaders Of the movement have
placed themselves in critical position.
They are committed distinctly and uuez
quivocally to the impeachment and 70.
mOval Of the President, and both are
regardedby them (probabiy with justice)
as absolutely indispensable 10 their.plAns
of reconstruction for the Southern StatsS.'
Retreat and failure are equally fatal to
their success, and will equally discrediG.
and damage them aga political party. -
They can not be expected, therefore, 10
abandon the scheme or submit 10 defeat
without strenuous struggle, whieh may,
in lis progress, seriously disturb 'hS
peace, business, and credit Of the country,
even ifit does not involve il in sill gra-
yer perila.e a'. '''3@
child in Thetford, VT, was killed o.