The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-01-22

| existence next year.
As to reconshuction-but that is too rrave
matter TO come in az the heel of other topics,
! and must have an article by itself
The Remedy OF I'm mpoachment-The Gases
| of John Tyler and Andrew johnson.
| from the Herald
The proceedings which have been commenced
in Congress looking to the impeachment of
President johnson are denounced by the South
ern Rebel and Northern Copperhead journals as
Unprecedented despotic, aud revolutionary. We
are warned, too, that this impeachment, If
pushed too far, will result in a Presidential coup
| d'etd', and in another civil war, in which the
Rebel States will this time be actively supported
| by the fighting Northern Peace Democracy at
the call of President Johnson. This we know,
is only theatrical lightning and thunder; but it
betrays the programme expected of Mr.. John
son by his present supporters, and so far it will
have its effect upon Congress. The movement
for his impeachment is, however, a plain con-
sttutional proceeding, although, in the length
and breadth of the issues involved, it Is with
out precedent and without anything ap-
preaching parallel case in the history of this
or any other county.
On the 10th OF January, 1S43 the Hon. John
Minor Bolts, of Virginia, in the House of Repre-
sentatlves, lmpeached President John Tyler,
elected Vice-P President on the WING ticket of
Harrison and Tyler in $780, ana advanced to
the White House on the death of President Har-
rlson in April, lS4l, as Ylce-President Andrew
johnson was in, April, 1866, on the death of
President Lincoln. Mr.. Bolts IN hns charges
against John Tyler, accused him of various
nigh crimes and msdemeanors,n including
gross usUrpatOn OF power ana violation of
Jaw III attempting to exercise a controlling in
huence on the accounting officers OF the Trea.
sury Department" "wiCked and corrupt abuse
or the power of appointment to and removal
from ONCE" "aloing to excite dlsorganizIng
spirit III the country" by proclaiming his dlsre-
gard Oi law OF Congress which he himself had
approved, retaining men in office for months
after they had been rejected by the Senate as
unworthy, incompetent and uniaithfulD y with.
holdlng ms assent TO laws indispensable TO the
Just operations Of the Government" "an arbi-
lrary, despotic, and corrupt abuse of the veto
power" shameless dupliclty, equivocaton and
1asehood with his Cabinet and Congress-
creating Offices and Investigations, aud making
payments OF money without authority IN law"
and IN Withholding information called for by
Congress-"
Upon these charges the motion of Mr. Bolts
for special committee Of inquiry, after lively
days debate, was finally rejected yeas 49, nays
l21, and this was the end Of the impeachment
movement against John Tyler. All things con.
sldered the union and peace Of the country at
that time, the dominant influence of Southern
ideas and Southern politicians at Washington.
ana the fact that Tyler had been only following
III the footsteps Of Anorew Jackson aud Van
BureD, and the utter hOpelessness of this i'm
resolution was something remarkable. Had
the Wings possessed a two-thmds vote IN
each house, the Republicans now Dosses5
the result would have been different We
dare say that had they possessed a good,
SOLID, working majority IN the House and two.
thirds in the Senate, in the stormy financial
conflict with Old Hickory, even he would have
beer impeaChed and removed. for such things
Tor instance as the removal of the Government
deposits of specie from the United States bank
and its branches to his pet State banks without
authority from Congress. The simple truth,
then, Is that ii neither Jackson, Van Buren, nor
Tyler, nor poor Pierce nor Buchanan, was i'm
peached and removed, it was only because the
opposing party lacked the requisite maiorties
y CONGRESS for the work. Buchanan, tor eX-
ample, in pleading the plea TO Congress that he
could find no authority in the Constitution 70
resist the secession of State or the Organila-
ton within the jurisdiction of the United States
or foreign and rebelllOus contPderacy, clearly
laid himself open to Impeachment and removal
from Office.
1t does not follow, then, that the charges Of
impeachment raised against John Tyler, in
being rejected establish precedent for the
escape OF Andrew Johnson. But in addition to
the schedule OF Bolts against Tyler other and
more serious charges will be made against Mr..
johnson; and there is the requisite vote, and
the will and purpose in each house, yea, the
necessity TO carry them through. Some of the
yetoes OF Mr. johnson were good and perfectly
legitimate, such as the veto OF the Montana
mining monopoly bill. the first Freedmen,s
Bureau bill OF the present Congress, and the
Colorado state bill. But in his veto OF the CiVll
Rights bill he made a mistake, and in his course
ot opposition to the pending Constitutional
amendment, he has passed beyond the line of
safety in assuming the right to enforce his
peculiar policy against the constitutional autho-
rity OF Congress and the expressed will OF the
people.
But behind this lies the still graver charge of
his persistent efforts to deny, contest, and usuro
the authority of Congress in his programme of
Southern reconstruction and restoration. Con-
sidering the trighttu costs and sacrifices re-
quired to put down the late fighting Southern
COntederacy, and the legitimate issues OF the
war gained by the loyal States, the efforts of
President johnson to supersede the authority
of Congress and the will of the loyal States cover
a charge OF usurpation OF the most fearful i'm
port. Compared with this charge all the other
charges against him are mere Dagatelles ln-
GLIDING the whole Tyler catalogue and more
besides. In the scale with this accusation his
22d Of February folly, his Canterbury pilgrimage
to the grave OF poor Douglas, and his mean
Choly excuses for the New Orleans massacre are
but dust in the balance The highest functions
of Congress III the matter OF Southern recon-
strucuon, the sovereign national legislative
power over States and Territories, whether in
the Union or wrested or purchased from q
foreign power have been assumed by Mr.. John
son, and are still exercised as belonging not to
Congress, but to the President, whose special
business II is TO see that the laws of Congress arc
faithfully executed.
Against this sweeping charge of usurpation
the tonnage and pouudage assumptions of King
Charles the First of England dwlndle into tri-
fes, as do the grievances OF the American
Declaration OF Independence against King
George the Third. The powers which the Presl-
dent has claimed and exercised in reconstruct
ing and restoring South Carolina and Texas, he
could Just as well claim over Cnlhuahua or
Sonora, II those Mexican States were brought
within our limits by conquest or purchase to-
morrow. Why, then. has Congress so long
delayed in bringing this conflict to the test of
am impeachment? We presume that Congress