The Daily empire. (Dayton, Ohio) 1865-1867, 1867-01-14
Ashley, the Impeacher--A Verita-
ble EalgtafH

OF this diminutive official and capacious
gas meter, whom a correspondent at wash
ington describes as a nonentlty IN his party
and clown among men--a veritable FAL-
STAFF In physique and modern BRUMMELI,
In pride Of person-is the pompous leader
In the Infamous impeachment business.
He likes the notorlety which he bids fair to
achieve, by his gassing and twaddllng, for
Il Is food for its Unsuitable vanity. The
correspondent thus writes of the fellow, to
the Boston Post;
According to Lanman's Dictionary of
Congress, Ashley was an adventurer at the
early age of tifteen--was q boat hand on
the Ohio and Mississippi, and was subse-
quently discharged from printing office.
After which he tried the study of law, only
TO turn his attention at later day, to the
trade of boat building. Mr.. Ashiey's di-
Yersity of temper soon led him TO attempt
IN Toledo, Ohio, the business of selling
drugs and putting up prescriptions "at all
hours Of the night" How long he would
have remained constant TO his mortar and
pestie u Is impossible to say, for a sympa-
thetic public elected him to Congress while
he was yet serving a novitiate In the art of
making pills. In personnel, Ashley would
De an inoftensiYe fellow. IL it were not for
his inordinate vanity. He is a loosely
built man, with a tremendous shock of
bushy hair, which 1t is his utmost pride to
keep unkempt and so depending over the
iOrehead, that II looks like a ffowsy ava
lanche threatening TO engulf the eyes.
For the ladies' gallery he has even more of
"sheep's glances' than Mr.. Sumner, and his
attitudes and affected playfulness, his art
less mannerisms, that would disgrace n
Doardlng-school Miss, and his constant
ogling of ladies who sit Immediately above
MN, are too old for remark among those
VINO 40. the House every day, and have
studied Ashley In season and out of season.
Dut they come patent to the great outside
world, which is to wonder and speculate
upon what manner of man is this who
preclpltates the question of impeachment
and demands an inquisition.
Such is a moderately drawn picture Of the
Great Inpeqcher; but MACK" of the Gin
cinnati Commercial, draws the character in
other and gayer eolors. In his letter from
Washington, dated the 9th he says:
The impeachment scheme has already
taken turn most unfavorable for its prin-
cipal hero, Mr.. Ashley. The object Of the
distinguished gentleman from Toledo was
TO have the whole subject referred to a
special committee, of which he, as the
mover, would of course have been the
chairman. The House was ill-natured
enough to intrust the business to the Ju-
dietary Committee, of which Mr.. Wilson,
OF Iowa, is chairman, so that whatever
comes of the investigation" Ashley will
not be heard of except as witness, per-
haps, any more. This Is very bad for
Ashley, considering the giant strides he
had made, or thought he had made, to-
ward the leadership of the House, for of
course If he had succeeded in getting
charge of the impeachment of the Presi-
dent he would nave been sort ofer o6icio
leader. And what gallant generalissimo
for the great Republican party, TO be sure
IL Is altogether too bad to have thus spoiled
Ashley's hopes and prospects-to have
grabbed the mantle of Thad Stevens from
him just as he was about to put it on.
The press and the people of the country
are becoming alarmed at the Impeachment
mischief and members and Senators are in
daily receipt of strong protests from their
constituents against any such ill-timed and
causeless performance. The moneyed men
of the country are unit against it, and the
New York Tribune, of yesterday, gives SOL
emn warning of its folly. In private con-
versation most of the Senators express the
hope that it will not be carried through the
House. They do not say, of course, that
Mr. johnson has done nothing for which
he ought to be impeached. IL would be
difficult to maintain any such proposition
as that in the light of the events of the past
year.
That will do for ''the first readingr'