Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1867-11-26

panying resoiaaen, and recommend Us pas
Resolniioa provid,pg for he in npeachmep.
OF the President OF the Uaited States:
Resolred, That Andrew johnson, President
OF the United Staies, be impeached of high
crimes and misdemeanors."
Representatives James =. Wilson and Pred
erick Il. Woodbridge handed in q report dis
senting from the Conclusions arrived az by the
msyorry OF the comm tee.
They say, op the ID day Of June, 1907, IL vas
declared by q SOLEMN vote IN the committee
that, from the testimony tAen before them, it
DID nos appear that the President OF the Uni-
TED States was guilty OF such high crimes ana
miedsmesnors As called for an exercise Of the
mpeaching power Of this House. The vote
stood-yeas S. nays .. On the 2ist instant this
vote 70 declared In favor Of reconms ding
TO the House an impeachment OF the Presi-
dent. Forty eight hours have not yet elapsed
since we were 10 formea of the character Of tne
report, which represents fhln chauGed q; titude
OF the COMMITTEES. The recentness OF thas event
oompels Q eeneral treatment Of some features
OF the cass as 1t 10 presented by the majority,
which otherwise would have been treated Of
The report Of the majority resolves an pre-
sumptions against the President, closes the
doors against al doubts. afbrIns facts as estab-
hshed BY the testimony, in support OF which
there - not particle Of evidencs before us
which would be received by any court in the
land. We diseent from aii OF this. and from
the temper and spirit OF the report The cool
and unbiased judgment Of the future when
the excitementk in the midst OF which we live
sssll have pa passed awsy, VIII not f.,l to ai.-
ent times has. In NO inconsioerable degree.
given tone to the doc ament which we decline
Messers. Wilson and WOODBRIDGE then pro
ceeded 20 discuss the constitutional question
with regard TO impeachmenI &c., showing by
reference 10 lsgal authorites. thar an i'm peach
ment cannot Be supported by any act which
fal6 short of an indictabls crime misde-
meanor. English precedents are referred 20
n length; and copious extracts are made from
fute the reasoning and conclusion Of the ma
lority. They conclude rs follows:
A great deal OF The matter contained in the
oSiomc Hn % oi ,s',%Sny rspoIssd to the House !.
heersy, opinions OF Witnesses, and no little
amount of IL utterly irrelevant 70 the case.
Comparatively q small amount Of IL could be
used In trial OF this case before the Senate.
All the testimony relating TO the failure to try
and admission 70 bail Of Jefferson DAVIS, the
assAasination OF President Lincoln, the diary
practice Of pardon brokerage. the alleged cor
respondency OF the President with Jefferson
Davis, may be Interesting 70 q leader, but It is
not OF the slightest importance 60 far as q de-
termination OF this case II concerned. Still,
much OF this irrelevant matter has been inter.
woven into the report of the majority, and has
served TO heighten its color and deepen its tone
Strike ont the Stage effect Of this irrelevant
matter. and the prominence given TO the
Tudors, the Stuarts and the Michael Burma,
and much Of the play will disappear. Settle
down upon the real evidence in the case. that
which will establish, in view OF the attending
circumstances. su ubstantial case, by making
plain The elements which constitute IL, and the
case, in many respects, dwarfs into a political
contest.
In approaching a conclusio we do not faiI
to recognize the standpoint from which tins
case can be viewed-the loyal and the politi.
cal. Viewing II from the former, the case
upon the law and the testimony fails. View
ing II from the latter the case is q success The
President has disappoiuted the no pes and ex-
He has betrayed their conhdence and loined
haDde with their enemies. He has proved falss
TO he express and implied conditions which
Ssw Of me case. ss IN
and eepsure Of every weil-dispossd citizsn OF
the republic. While we acquit him Of in
peach psaenanle crimes; we proaoonce MIN guilty Of
delayed reconstruction. and inflicted vast in
Jury upon the people Of the rebel States. He
and TO the demands OF . progressive civiIizs-
ton He remains enveloped in the darkness
OF the past. and seems not to have detected the
OF appreciatipg the grand cnsnges which the
past six pears have wrought, he seeks TO
measure the great events which surround him
by the narrow rules which divided public az
fairs before the rebellion and its legitimate con
sequences destroyed them and established
others. Judge him politically, we must con-
denim him. But the day OF political impeach-
ments would be sad one for this country
Political unfitness and ncapacfty must be
tried At the ballot-box. not in the high court of
impeachment a contrary rule might leave to
the trial o mpeachments.
But we are now dealing with political Of
fences Crimes and misdemeanors are now
demanding our attention. DO these within
the meaning OF the institution, appear, Resi-
the case upon political offences, and we are
prepared TO pronounce against the President,
for such Offences are numerous and grave. Ii
Mexican experience ie desired, we need have
no oifAculty, for there almost every election
IS productive OF a revolution. IL the people
OF this republic desire such q result, we have
NOT yet been able 20 discover il nor would
we favor IL II its presence were manifest,
While We condemn and censure the political
conduct OF the President, and judge him un-
safe In the use of his Discretionary po RS,
and appeal to the people OF the repu onc 20
sus tain us, we still afirm that the con cl usion
at which we have arrived is correct.
We therefore declare tnat the case be fore us
presented BY the testimony and measured by
the law, does not declare such high crimes and
misdemeanors, within the meaning OF the
Constitution, as require 'the interposition o
the constitutional power of this House, and
recommend the adoption OF the folio wing
resolution:
Resoired, That the Committee on the udi.
ciary be discharged from the further cons ider-
alton OF the proposed Impeachment OF the
President OF the United States, and that the
subject be laid upon the table. ...
Messrs. Marshall and Eldridge say in their r
report:
with ali due respect TO the majority of the
committee, we cannot regard the charges made
against the President as q serious attempt 10
procure his impeachment. Without dwelling
upon their inter failure to point 10 the comms-
sion OF single act that is recognized BY the
laws OF our country as high crime or INSIDE
meanof, the inconsistency Of the majority can
not fail 10 challenge the attention Of the coun-
try Acts for which Mr.. Lincoln was eiau or
ously applauded are deemed high crimes In
Mr. JONI son. For every act so gravely CON-
demned the President had the sanction and
approval OF has Cabinet and yet while he 10
arraigned before the world as q criminal OF the
deepest dye, they are not Only not impeached
but are recognised rs special favorises of the
gone so far a. to unite In the passage Of an ex
trsordinafy and unprecedented law 70 prevent
The President from moving these ofYicers from
The places which they hold. Mr.. stanton, the
late Secretary OF War, gave his emphatic ap-
afraiynsd, and yer the ex- Secretary Is a favor
lie and popular martyr, ana the whole country
IL vexed Win clamors for his restoration TO
power and place. Ths President 10 held Grim .
inally Responsible for me acts of subordiuates
OF which he did not even have the Sigh ,est
notice or knowleAge, ana yet these bringing
him 10 trial enact statute deprIylng him OF
all control over these same su6ordsnates, and
they are deemed worthy OF the sspsciai pro-
lection Of Congress. The President has used
every means in his power 20 bring the great
State prisoner, jefferson Dayis. 70 q speedy
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