Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1867-12-03
IMPEACHMENT.

signed by Messrs. Wilson and Woodbridge.
These gentlemen discuss the constitutional
question with regard to impeachment, &C.,
showing by reference to legal authorities, that
an impeachment cannot be supported by any
act which falls short of an indictable crime
or misdemeanOr. English precedents are re-
ferred to at length, and copious extracts are
made frOm.the testimony of the committee
in order to refute the reasoning and conclu>
sion of the majority. They conclude their
report as follows:
A great deal of the matter contained in
the volume OftestimODy reported to the House
is of no value whatever. Much of it is mere
hearsay, opinions of witnesses and no little of
it utterly irrelevant to the case. Compare
lively small amount of it could be used on
4 trial of this case before the Senate. All
the testimony relating to the failure to try,
and admission to bail of Jefferson Davis, the
assassination of President Lincoln, the diary
of j. Wilkes Booth, his place of burial, the
practice of pardon brokerage, the alleged cor
resPondencs of the President with Jefferson
Davis, may be interesting to reader, but is
not Of the least importance so far as a deter
mutation of this case is concerned. Still
terwoven into the report of the majority, and
has served to heighten its color and deepen
It's tone. Strike cut the stage efTectOf this
irrelevant matter, aud the prominence given
to the Tudors, the Stuarts, and Michael
Burns, and much Of the play will disappear.
Settle down upon the real evidence in the
case that which will establish in view Of the
attending circumstances, a substantial crime
by making plain the elements which consti.
tute it, and the case in many respects dWarfs
into 4 political contest.
In approaching conclusion we do not fail
to recognize the standpuints from which this
case can be viewed-thc legal and the politi-
cal. Viewing it from the former, the case
upon the law and the testimony fails. View
ing it from the latter the case is a success.
The second minority report was presented
by Messrs. Marshall and Eldridgc. 1t takes
able grounds against impeachment.
"They say that the majority of Congress
and of the committee have entertained and
declared at all times, in Congress and out,
the same censure and condemnation which is
expressed in the report of their associates,
whom they al!egc entered upon the invests
CATION with the same views they now express
III their report. But, Notwithstanding these
pre-. existing prcjudices, the minority of the
committee have been compelled to find, after
the fullest consideration and the most pro-
tracted deliberaticn, that the President had
committed no offence for which, under our
laws, he can or ought to be impeached, and
hence none subjecting him to the Official
jurisdiction of the committee or of the House.
The censure and condemnation Of the Presi-
dert, either by the majority or the minority,
is without our jurisdiction, not justified by
the facts, unbecoming one department of the
Government towards the other, and calculated
to bring reproach upon the committee, the
House, and the nation"
Accompanying these reports is the official
testimony of General Grant before the Judi
ciary Committee, which is anything but pleas
ing to the Radicals. President johnson has
declared that the policy he has persued was
recommended by Mr.. Lincoln, and that he
was but carrying out the plan of his prede>
cessor, with reference to the reconstruction of
the Southern States. This the Radicals
vehemently denied. Upon this important
point We have the following testimony from
General Grant, which completely spikes the
Radical guns:
BY Mr.. Woodbridge:
coin, prior to his assassination, had Inaugural
ted policy intended to restore those govern
ments?
A, Yes, sir.
2. You were present when the subject was
before the Cabinet?
\. was present, think, twice before the
assassination of Mr.. Lincoln, when plan was
read.
z. want to know whether the plan
adopted by Mr.. johnson was substantially
the plan which had been inaugurated by Mr..
Lincoln as the basis for his future action?
y. Yes, sir, substantially, do not know
but that it was verbatim the same.
=. suppose the paper Of Nh Lincoln was
the one acted on?
y. | should think so. l think that the
very paper which heard read twice while
Mr.. Lincoln was President was the one which
was carried through.
by Mr.. Churchill:
=. What paper was that?
y. The North Carolina proclamation.
by MIR, Boutwell,:
=. You understood that Mr.. Lincoln's plan
was temporary, to be either confirmed or
new government set up by Congress!
\. Yes and l understood Mr.. Johnson's
to be sotoo.
BY Mr.. Williams:
q. Was there anything said on that SUBJ
ject, or was that your inference?
y. That was my inference.
O. You never heard the President say the
plan was to be temporary?
\. No; but was satisfied that everybody
looked on it as simply temporary until Com
gress met.
=. You stated that the North Carolina
proclamation was a continuation of the project
submitted by Mr.. Lincoln. wish to inquire
OF you whether you ever compared them to
ascertain whether they were the same or not ?
\. No, sir, never compared them.
tEIE tl,nI,n %, II. IL,