Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-01-25
COLUMBUS, OHIO, FRIDAY MORNING.
obj. StatessjplallalI1l1l,

0'u'l C/n f'''ts" E'''''''
ImPea chmen1 - The New York,
Times ON Ihe Impeachment Of
the President-The Personalities
and l Possibilities - IRaymOnd's
ViewsiIIAIs Week. .1a.f 9als ..'
from the N ~. Times (Rspublcau). January ISL.
The impeachment Of the Precedent ex-
cites good deal OF interest through the
country, but not more than it deserves.
There is general disposition to reqqrd 10 as
less serious than 10 really Is. The people find
it difficult to believe that the project of
Impeachment and removal from Office is
seriously entertained by responsible leaders
of the Republican party, or that the mass
Of that party In Congress can be brought
to support It.. We SOC, therefore, that It is
widely assumed that the inquiry will be
suffered to sleep in the committee which
has it in charge, at least through the re-
mainder OF the present session, and that
probably nothing more will ever be heard
of it. We think this a mistake, and that The
country totlk fall into serious error i IL rests on
this belief.
| THE PRESIDENT TO BE REMOVED BECAUSE HE
| .. Is IN THE WAY. ...
Those who have brought forward this
| project are not only serious, but they are
Jealous and resOlute In pressing it to exc
| cution; not on its own account; not merely
or mainly to punish the President for al
legged misconduct, but because IL is absolutely
essential TO the accomplishment of their political
purposes. The removal of Andrew johnson
FROM Office is sought as means, not as an
end.
THE PROMINENT IMPEAcHERs.
Wendell Phillips, who is the author of
the scheme, denounced the President, more
than year ago, not as criminal to be
punished, but as an 'ObStdcle to be remov-
ed" He was in the way of the Phillips
policy. He had not then done any of the
acts for which Mr.. Phillips now arraigns
him; he had vetoed no bills, and made no
removals from office; he had neither
''swung round the circle" nor branded Col.
Forney as a "dead duck" Yet Mr.. Phil
lips demand for his impeachment and re-
moval was Just as imperative as it is to-day.
Gen. Butler, who came somewhat later into
the field, and who now considers himself
the leader of the impeachment movement,
is not quite so open in his avowal of mo-
tives; but none who know his character
and ambition can believe that a disinter-
ested and holy Indignation against official
misconduct has alone inspired the tervOr
which he displays. Governor Boutwell,, a
member of Congress, and also a'member OF
the Judiciary committee, which has this
matter under consideration, said in re-
cent address, after enumerating the diff
culties in the way of reconstruction
MR.. JOHNSON IS IN MR.. BoUTwELL's WAY.
81 see no possible way out of these diff
culties lohile the present Chief Magistrate is at
the head If The GOUernn,et. Congress is
strong, but it is powerless to, execute. 1t
has no hand by which it can WELD the vast
powers of this Government. During these
two years, from the 4th of March next, If
Mr. Johnson continues TO be President OF the
United States during that period, | do not
know how long the restoration OF the Gov
ernment will be delayed. make no pre-
dictiOns as to what the future has in store
for us with reference to the President in
Office; but | only say that If he continues in
office during these too years TO come, Iknow of
no means by which human life can be pro-
tected, by which human rights shall be re-
garded as sacred, On by which any efficient
these ten States to their ancient place in
the Government of the country"
THE IMPEAcHERs AMOUNT TO AN INDETI-
MITE NUMBER. ,rs 10.
These declarations from leaders of the
impeachment movement might be multi
piled indefinitely; but we have given
enough to show that bis removal from of !
flee is deemed absolutely essential to the
success of their political programme, and
that they are therefore profoundly and res
0lutely in earnest in pushing it forward to
consummatlon.
FAILURE OF THE PLOT WOULD END THE
RADICAL PARTY.
If they abandon that, they abandon their =,
whole scheme of reconstruction They
must give up their attempt to reduce the
Southern States to a territorial condition,
or to abolish their present State Govern
ments and substitute others in their stead,
or to impose universal suffrage upon them,
unless they can remove the PRESIDENT who,
while in office, is an invinciole "Obstacle
to all their schemes. Are they likely thus
to abandon all their cherished plans? If
they do, their career is ended. They have
gone too far to retreat or to halt. Their
failure is the Presidents success.
RECONSTRUCTION MEANS THE OVERTHROW
OF STATE GOVERNMENTS.
Unless they reconstruct the Southern
State governments, those governments
stand as they are; and every day they so
stand adds to their strength, and increases
the difficulty Of 0verthrotctng them. ,e' 2
RAYMOND ON PARTY DRIvING.a5ljo
But willathe great body of the Republic
can party follow them? Not willingly. 4
the past shows what we may
expect in this regard for the future. The eD-
tren,e men haze 1leper yet failed to bring or,
drtUe the mass Of the party TO their position;
and this has more than once been done, in
the teeth of their most rigorous protests and
struggles. On this very question a large
majority of the party in caucus decided
that no steps looking toward impeachment
should be taken, without preliminary in
quiry by a. committee; yet on the very
next day formal articles of impeachment
were presented in the House, and a com
mittee was authorized to entertain and ex-.
anime them; and scarcely half dozen
members of the party dared to go on record I
against this proceeding. T5. =.
THE TERROR OF THE YEAS AND NAYS.
The 9yeas and nays" have very vague
but potent terror for the statesmen of Con-
gress, and the extreme men, who stake
everything on success, avail themselves of
it with remorseless and unrelentlng rigor.a
Many members, while voting for the refer
ence, protested that they were only voting |
for "mquiry"-that they were not to be |
held committed to thehovement; but they l
are in the current, and it will be much more
difficult for them, to turn back than IL
would have been for them to keep out. At
what point will they stop? Do they ex-
pect to vote that the acts of which the COM
mittee may accuse the President are not !
proved, or that they, are not oifenses de!