Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-11-27
THE IMPEACHMENT FARCE.

Men-Par0ses, Amnesty, and Civil
Government for she @RebeIs''-Sfate-'
menf of Modern scOuHdrel fn the
Person of Detective E3alker, who
Lugs BrOwnsOW into the Matter. etc.
The first instalment Of the testimony
ELECTED by the Judiciary Committee Of the
House of Representatives in Congress, on
the impeachment of the President has been
given to the public. Yesterday we gave
telegraphic report of Gen. Grants testi-
mony concerning the value and duration of
the paroles of Confederate soldiers, affirm
ing that such paroles protected the parties
holding them against both military and
civil trials, so leng asfhey were observed,
even e forever Gen, Grants testimony
on other points asquite elaborate, and we
Gull such portions as areof general present
interest, under appropriate heads:
GRANT ON AMNESTY AND CIVIL GOVERN.
MENT.
@. Did YOU not advise the President that
it was proper and right he should grant
| amnesty? A. do not think said anything
on that subject. only looked at the pro-
cIamaticn as one which he was determined
to issue, and, as l thought, susceptible of
amendment or improvement.
@. Did you not give your opinion at all,
that amnesty ought to be granted to those
people to any extent? A. know was in
! favor of some proclamation of the sort, and,
perhaps, l may have said 80. TWAS neces-
sary to do something to establish govern
ments and civil law there; wanted to see
that done, but / do not think l ever pre-
tended to dictate what ought to be done.
@. Did you not advise? A. / do not
think / ever did. l have given my opin-
| ions, perhaps, as TO what has been done. /
| do not think | advised any course myself,
| any more than that was very anxious TO
see something done to restore civil govern
ment in those States.
Q. Did you ever give your opinion at all
to the President, as to what should be done
| A. do not think | did After matters
were done was willing to express an
| opinion for or against any particular
clause.
Q. suppose the President called on you
for advice on these questions ? A. | say |
was in favor and SO expressed myself, of
something being done to restore civil rule
| there Immediately, as near as il could be
done under the circumstances.
Q. Did you suggest any thing? A. No,
| sir.
By Mr.. Woodbridge:
@. | understand your position to be
| this: That you.did not assume to origi-
nate or inaugurate any policy, but that
when any question came up, and your
/ -, Il n
was going to do or had done, you gave
an opinion? A. That is it exactly, and I
| presume the whole committee so under
stood. / have always attended to nay own
| duties, and tried not to interfere with other
| peoples. | was always ready to originate
matters pertaining to the army, but never
| was willing to originate matters pertaining
| to the civil government of the United
States When l was asked my opinion
about what had been done, L was willing
1 to give il. | originated no plan, suggested
no plan, for civil government only
| gave my views on measures after they had
been originated. 1 simply expressed an
anxiety that something shonld be done to
| give some sort of contrel down there.
There we're no governments there when
the war was over. | wanted TO see some
governments established, and wanted to
see it done quickly. did not pretend to
say how it should be done, or in what form.
confined my suggestions entirely to war
and peace.
By Mr.. Eldridge:
@. In expressing the opinion that some
thing should be done, and done quickly.
did you make suggestion of what ought
to be done? A. No, sir. / will state here
that, before Mr.. Lincon's assassination,
the question about issuing proclamation
of some sort, and establishing some sort of
civil government there, was up; and what
was done then was confirmed after Mr.
johnson came into Office.
@. Did you give your opinion on that
after it was done? A. | was present,
think, twice during Mr.. Lincoln's admin
istration, when a proclamation that had
been prepared was read. After his assas-
sination it continued right along, and
was there with Mr.. johnson.
Q. Did you give President Johnson your
opinion on the subject of the proclamation,
which you say was up before Mr.. Lincoln's
death, and was continued afterward? A.
say have given my opinion on particular
passages of it.
Q. Tell us what conversations you had
with the President on the subject, as far as
| You recollRt? A. | have said once or
twice, as far as | can recollect, that L dis
agreed with two clauses of the proclama>
ton. As TO the plan of establishing pro-
yisional governments there, that was a
question which knew nsthing about, and
which do not recollect having expressed
an opinion about. The only opinion /
recollect having expressed on the subject
at all, was tc the Secretary of War. j
thought there would be some difficulty in
getting the people down there to accept
offices, but l found afterward they were
ready enough TO take them.
/ By the chairman:
q. If l understand you correctly, the
only opinion you expressed, and the only
: advice that you gave, were in reference to
: the military side of the question, and moi
| in reference to the civil side :? A. Moth
| ing further than that | was anxious that
| something should be done to restore some
? sort of government.
: Q. But you gave no advice as to what
2 should be done? A. gave no advice a.
, to what should be done. have no recol'
: lection Of any converss tion with the Pres
E ident on the subject of general amnesty
; or on the subject of amnesty at all.
. have never recommended a general am
B. nesty, and never was in favor of it unit
: the time shall come when it is safe tC
4 giveit.
e To Mr.. Williams l do not recollect o
: ever having had any conversation on th'
K subject of universal amnesty. Could no
= have recommended such thing, because
2 never was in favor of il until the timt
e shall come when it is safe.
T @. You state that yoa differed will
D the President as to two points in this proc
. lamation, but that his views were after
= ward changed. State when the Presi
e dents mind underwent a change. A.
t. would be very hard, I reckon, to fix it
{. but it was along in the summer of 1866
i not more than two or three months afte
l. the North Carolina proclamation Of Ma.
It 29th.
70 To Mr.. Woodbridge: When / said tha
1t the Presidents views underwent a change
d | meant that while / was eontending 10
,e the rights which those Rebel paroled sol
le diers had he was insisting on it that the
T. should be punished.
Ia To Mr.. Eldridge: Any correspondent