The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-03-09
Impeaehncut.

CATION begun by the last Congress be
and that the Judiciary Com
mittee record and preserve the testimo-
ny taken by its predecessor and go for
ward with the examination of witnesses
and the accumulation of evidence rs
heretofore. Mr.. Ashley made a speech
after the resolutions were submitted, in
which he arraigned the President for
high crimes and misdemeanors.
Among other things be stated that since
the surrender OF Lee and Johnston
"more than i've thousand American
citizens, guilty of no crime but
"A love of country, have been
murdered by men who were lately in
arms against the country, and many
more thousands have been driven from
their homes" And that notwithstand-
ing these facts "no effort has been
made on the part of the Executive De-
partment of the Government to give
them the protection which the law
guarantees to them, and which human
ity and Justice demands for them" He
proclaimed that there never was a
government guilty of the infamy of
treating its citizens AS the President OF
the United States has treated the loyal
men of the South"
Mr.. SpaldIng, the member from the
Cleveland, Ohio. district, denounced
the whole scheme of impeachment as
one ofeonsummate folly" Heaftirmed
that "no one act amounting to crime or
Inisdemeanor had yet been found
against the Executive OF this nation -
and he challenged any man to reply
to him when he made the ayerment."
He warned his associates of the great
Union party that they must look we'll
TO their way if they suppose the intel
ligent people of the United States are
going 10 uphold them in the promulga-
tion of any such princiPles.'
In this shape the question stands be-
fore Congress for the present. The
country has no knowledge as yet what
thosskadvocatiug impeachment expect
to prove. The speech o! Mr.. Ashley
declared nothing more specific than
the Language we have quoted. The
judiciary Committee of the last
House declared nothing in their
report. Mr.. SpaldinS denOunees the
whole scheme as ''consummate folly -
aud we are inclined to believe him
nearly If not entirely correct. The fact
that the movement is mainly cham
pioned by Mr.. Ashley and Gen. Butler
does not tend to give it character In the
estimation of the country, for both OF
those men are morally under ii cloud.
The country has made up its mind
TINT MIR. johnson is far from being the
man OF its choice in the Presidential
chair If his time were out, or If he
should resign, there would be great re-
joieing, MS well there might be. But he
is President and will be for two years
yet, and the people do not wish
civil convulsion inaugurated
for the purpose of anticipating his
outgoing by merely few months
Men of reflection know that imDeach-
ment is the gravest proceeding known
iInisF our COustttution. Is would re-
quire more than u mere speech from
such a man rs Mr.. Ashley to convict
the President of high crimes and misde-
meanors within the constitutional
meaning of those words. Ittook seven
years before the British House of Conn
mons to conclude the trial of Warren
Hastings, the Governor General of In
dia, and even then all the eloquence of
Burke and Sheridan was unavnilinr to
convict him. Who believes that case
more specific could be made out against
Mr.. johnson. Well may Mr.. Ashley
say that he knows show difficult It is
to provo by technical rules the guilt of
man occupying his (the President's)
position" He certainly ought to
know. And he certainly ought TO
know that the country will not accent
either er parte evidence or an er parte
verdict. As Mr.. SpaIding well said. |
those who move in this matter smust
look well to their way They must |
not take it for granted that the people |
are going TO eouutenance n ar-fetched |
and constrained proceeding. A clear
case will need to he made out. And i'll
n clear case can be made out, why do |
the most intelligent people of the eoun-
try, members of Congress like Mr.. I
Spalding and Mr.. Bingham, and many
such, not know something OF what can
be proved2 Certainly Republican
would not rise in his place aud
challenge any man to reply to him
when he made the averment" that enc
one act amounting to crime or INSIDE
meanor had yet been found against the |
II no realized that "A replv
could be made to him specifying some
such act. Old members like Mr.. Spal- |
ding and Mr.. Bingham are not likely |
to put their feet in such Il trap. Their |
averments correspond with the general !
SENSE of the country i'll regard TO the 4
question. That sense is |
that it is useless, if not worse than use
less, TO agitate the question, in view of
the little likelihood of successful de-
and in view of the necessity
that exists for concentration OF pub
lie sentiment on the all important mat
ter OF reconstruction. No true Union |
man wants to SEQ the situation as il |
stands complicated with difficulty !
that would distract and demoralize the |
loyal people of the North, and afford 1
the rebels Of the South much coveted
opportunity % array themselves along |
with their copperhead allies under the |
lead OF the President against Congress.
WE give in another column the call |
for convention as it appears in the
of the Richmond lesisla- !
ture- The work has fairly begun in
old Virginia, aud the balance of the
South will follow. The negroes of