The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-04-09
THE NEW YORK PRESS.
EDITORIAL OPINIONS OF THE LEADING JOURNALS
UPON CURRENT ToPICs-ooMPILED EVERY
DAY FOR THE EVENING TELEGRAPH.
THE Political Future,

BTesb mas uldue 10 lIS duJOuIuuleuJ I6uuelo ~
pertain that, barring some gross act of folly on
The part of Mr.. Johnson or of the Southern
leaders, there will be no session until Decem-
ber. AS well as anybody can Judge from his
present attitude and language he is not likely
to do anything to impede the free working OF
the Reconstruction bill. The generals in com
mand of the military districts are men IN
whom the country has every confidence, ana
what they have done so far warrants the COZ
clusion that they will do hereafter all that the
occasion calls for or the people expect, without
either let or hindrance from the Wmte
House. There could, in fact, hardly De
a better augury as to the future than the
steps General Sheridan has just taken
at New Orleans. we may tneIeloIe Lellly
anticipate that the constitutional conventions
in the various States will be duly held, and
that not only the Unionists, properly so
called but everybody not formally distran-
obised bv the act will take part in the cleo
tion of the delegates. 1t is impossible to read
the speeches of the leading Southern men and
the articles in the recent Southern papers
without feeling satisfied that active submis-
sion has at last been determined on, that the
South is going to reorganize under the act, and
that the plan of hattering and managing the
negroes has been fixed on as the best and only
mode of taking out of the new law whatever
sting or danger there may be in 1t. We shall
pIobably see during the coming summer
most of the leading Southern politicians, and
a large number also of influential men who
have never taken much part in politics, carry
ing on a brisk canvass amongst the freedmen,
and competing, and we believe not unsuccess-
fully, with the Southern radicals, properly so
called, for the negro vote.
That the conventions will comply with the
acquisitions of Congress we have no sort of
doubt. 1t would, of course, be a great
mockery, as everybody at the South now
knows, to hold them for any other purpose
than compliance. That the establishment of
free schools is not amongst those acquisitions,
as proposed the other day by Mr.. Sumner, we
consider q great misfoTtune and we cannot
help thinking that the whole North will see it
in the same light before many years. OF what
the Southern planters can do in the political
management Of ignorant voters we know
something already, but we greatly fear we
have something still to learn. IT, therefore,
Mr.. Johnson confines himself during the sum
mer to the routine duties of his office, and
indulges in no worse outbursts Of feeling than
conversations" there will be nothing for
Congress to do until the regular time of meet
ing. The game of removals from Office which
the President played last summer is, of course,
barred by the Tenure of Office bill and our
foreign ministers may hereafter meet the gaze
of the McCrackens without wincing. Thus
Mr.. Johnson is exposed to hardly any tempta-
tion.
What, under these circumstances, is likely
to become of the impeachment In the first
place, it is quite evident that its great advo-
Gates have now very little influence in the
House. General Butler went to Congress
charged with the special duty of carrying it
through, and may be said to have made abso-
lutely no impression on anybody, and has
been condemned to the somewhat inglorlous
role of sticking pins into his personal enemies
for the amusement of his fellow-members
Stevens, too, has evidently lost his power, or
else the House has grown thick-sklnned, tor
his lash, though ever so mercilessly applied,
does not produce the slightest movement.
What is more significant than all is that the
Judiciary Committee makes no secret OF the
fact that it is proceeding in strict accordance
with legal forms, taking evidence only
under legal rules, and is admitting re-
butting testimony at every step. we
have all along maintained that if this
were done the impeachment had little
chance. The only mode Of impeachment which
promised success was something in the nature
of a bill of pains and penalties, or what might
be called Impeachment by acclamation" "
We are still of opinion that no evidence has
been brought before the Committee which
would bear examination in court OF law, be-
cause it could only reach the Committee
through the promoters of the movement, and
thus far these gentlemen have not tantallzed
the public by their secrecy. They have been
of course, very anxious to secure support from
the people, and consequently are not likely tC
have kept back anything of importance which
came to their knowledge, and yet they have
told us absolutely nothing that we have no
all known for the last year, unless it be Mr.
Boutwell's charge about the pardon OF the
West Virginia deserters. We have at the
same time the assurance of the CommitteC
that they will prosecute their inquiry dill
gently during the summer, and if they fine
any high crime or misdemeanor, will do thei
duty about it fearlessly. In any case, how
ever the probability is that we shall not ge
their report till December.
In calculating the effect of it, even if unfa
vorable to the President, it is desirable t.
remember that the convention for the nomina
tion of the next President will be held in tn
summer of 1868, and that during the previOu
half wear the attention of the political worl
will be entirely absorbed in the manufactur
of candidates possible and impossible, hkel
and unlikely, and will continue to be so ii
the nomination is made. After the nomins
tion of course comes the campaign, and W
doubt if more exciting one has ever occurred
II is safe, therefore, to predict that Mr., join
son, insignificant already, will, after the hr
of January next become more and more s.
and will cease to be spoken OF az al as u
winter wears on and that some OF those WI
are now most eager to try hlm Will Iheh
least disposed to trouble themselves aDo
him. Moreover, suppose an impeachme
process were commenced in December, If co
Quoted with legal form, as it ought to be al
certainly would be- IL Would last till the Il