The Cadiz sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1864-1911, 1867-02-06
spondence Cinclnnaii CommerclaI'
WAsHINGTnN. January 26.

Some time since, MTlung on the sutll ct
of impeachment, ] spoke OF Mr.. Ashley
anl Ben Butler as rivals for the leadership
of the mol elnent, and won Tered how they
meant TO settle il between themselves so as
to det, rmine who should wear the laurels
when the victory was won. have sIuce
learned enough to convince me that l was
in error III this particular, and as L wouidn
knowingly do injustice even to so poor
thing as an Ashley, hasten to make the
correction. Mr.. Ashley is not rival ol
Butler He is an ambitious man, and yet
| his ambition is Sc finely tempered with mod
esty that he is willing to play the role ci
! Lieutenant to the hero oil Bermuda, as 1t is
the object of the present writing to show
In the same letter in which deplored
rivalry which seemed to me to threaten the
peace and welfare Of the loyal family, l
spoke of Butler as having two objective
paints in the next Congress President
johnson one of them and General Grant the
other. ] have recently come unto possess
Of information which fully bears Inc out IN
! this assertion, while at the same time it
! charging Ashley with competitive designs
upon Butler. Here it is.
! 1t will be rene nb2rcd tha! about month
ago Mr.. Ashley offered a resolution in the
| House of Representatives directing the
| Judicial Committee to inquire It any OTTER
| Of the United States had been guilty of high
crimes or misdemeanors within the mean
| ing Of the Constitution ofthe United States.
| This looked at the time, certainly to me,
| and, | think, to most others, rather like the
| evasion of direct charge against the Presl-
dent, than an attempt to make it more com
| th alt1,lo nth hnSIU
! that unhappy gentleman. Indeed most Of
those who referred to the subject in conver
! sation at the tipe, so regarded it There
was one gentleman, however, on the floor Of
| the House of Representatives, who, as it by
| inspiration, saw through it the instant it
was offered, and constructed Alright the
poisonous malice it concealed under an ap-
parertly harmless coating Of words. The
| presentation Of such a resolution, whose
coming had not been heradled by any pre-.
vious anne uncement or intention, and was
known but to half dozen members, very
naturally threw the House into a temporary
confusion, and created quite stir on the
Republican side. What tie public already
knows on the subject is only what transpired
in the way of regular business, but the by
play, that did not come under that head, is
|
# the NOV oyementi- As soon as the re olu-
on was read Mr.. Bingham jumped from
his scat and went over TO Ashley, to whom
he addressed some very strong language
asking him what he meant by such pro
pusition as that, and why he didn't frame il
to apply to the President only, instead Of
making it a drag net to include every officer
of the Govcrnn. ent Ashley hcsitatcd q
while, affected knavish smie,. and replied
f that che guessed it was al right" "No, il
f insn't all right said Bingham It's {
e stab at General Grant, and no su,h mali
cous thing shall go through the House if
can help it." Suppose it does includ
e Grant, j" said Ashley. Cant we inyes'i
n him If be has boen guilty under the resolu
!, ton?" Bingham looked at Ashley mo
II M, Mt and replied in nervous wrath, Ash
T. lev, you re foo. Don't you know tha
you can t impeach any but civil officer O
the Government under the tie Constitution?
; BY this time quite group had collecte'
where the colloquy was being held, ant
! Trad. S.cy,ns scouting breeze, had com
Il to avert stern. Addressing him, Bmg
o ham asked what was the meaning Of tili
+ damnable assault upon General Grant
"Oh, pothing," said Stevens in his insidu
Gus way--"only we want to investigate som
. charges recently nadoagainst him. don
d see why Grant should be free from invest
It CATION any more than johnson. Hes jus
. as bad as johnson" Bingham again dc
:, nounced what he termed very apt'y "a fol
y conspiracy against the chief officer Of tt
= Army of the Republic" and he gave Il
H. few friends of the resolution who we
around him fair warning that if they passe
it, he should expose the cowadly proceedir
,e as it deserved
By this time the resolution had "gol
& over" as the parliamentary phrase is, fro
n refusal Of the House to suspend the rule
of Quiet has been restored on the floor an
n, the business Of the day was quietly procee
!, ing. Bingham addressed Ashley, in pre-
n ence Of sev raj members, in language Ill
he this: ''Tell the honest truth now. who i
e. stigated that resolution2" why, VIII
OF makes ycu think it WASH my own?'' inqui
~ ed Ashley. Because" said Bingham, :
~ know there is too much cunning in it
K you, and LII bet you an! thing you dare til
on Thad. Stevens and Ben. Butler ii her wro
TO it or dicta cd its spirit" Ashley again pr
Is rested aga nst Bingham right to Questi
us the authorship; and Bingham again repca
N about it for any body but Stevens or Butlt
SO What from Binghams earnestness a,
40 Ashleys family disguised cquivocation, t
~ dispute had become quite interesting, and
M number of Radical members had collec
ID around the disputants After some furt
Is. or bantering and badgcring, OH Bingham
3s; 81 part Ashley confessed that Stevens had
.. ., little to do with it, and Butler had lit
| Il thufo n Ito otr
IN. objects was to give Butler an opportunity
IN, making and proving certain charges agaiI
III General Grant
-, Now this is no story of the imaginatic
de 1t is O statement of fact, given to me by 0
I'd. others. | heard it some time ago, but loc
.cb cd upon it as SO improbable on its face Il
=" declined to print it until had verified
'uy from such source as would leave no dou
ra- of its accuracy. Here we have the wou
-! be leaders of the Radical party engaged
:, the foulest, most malignant and most reat
-. erous assault that the ingenuity O. de,
ia could invent against the man to whose '
ht- OF and genius we owe the existence Of I
ich nation to-day. a committee of Congress
nd asked to inquire whether General Ulysses
-. Grant has been engaged III g conspiracy
'itS aubvert the Government! If the reader
ant think of any thing more fendish in its c.
ccption, or more eowardly in its purpo
or- his reading must date back of the most
w. w. centious days of Roman history, when c,
''c- in the midst OF assassination plots
ere bloody conspiracy the life and reputation
gho brave soldier was secure. And 81
,nt crimes as these are committed in the Am
~ ican Congress, and that, too, in the ma
eek of loyalty" He who denounccs then
disloyal," or what in the mind of tn
, a Radical assassins is the same thing, &C
seryati!e."
Just here | can not forbear quoting fr
the Anti Slavery Standard an Extract fir