Middletown transcript., 1868-03-28

ability and acumen will no doubt be of
service; and if the President chooses to
plead his unfinching loyalty during, the
rebellion, perhaps no man in the country
could depict it with such persuasive effect
as; Mr., Nelson, who was in position to
witness the course Of Mr., johnson In the
perlioas forefront of danger as the first
military Governor Of the first State re-
covered from the rebels, But, on the
strict merits of the defence, the three law
yers who were prominent in the proceed
ings yesterday, are peculiarly qualified to
reach the few Republican Senators who
will determine the final result None of
the three having been members of the
Democratic party, they can easily place
themselves in the points of view which
will secure for their arguments the most
ready access TO Republican minds. Judge
Curtis has long been celebrated as the
author of an able dissenting opinion in the
famous Dred Scott case, an opinion which
has always ranked, especially in Republi-
can estimation, among the clearest, ablest,
and fairest specimens of judicial reasoning
ever delivered from the bench of the Su-
preme Court. Mr.. Stanbery is almost
equally well remembered for his powerful
and luminous argument last spring on the
injunction cases, in which he expressed
views which the Republican party warmly
indorsed, and supported them with a lu-
minous force of reasoning seldom equalled,
and of late years never surpassed, at the
bar of our highest tribunal. Mr.. Evarts
has never acquired so much distinction on
any particular occasion, but he stands in
the formost rank of American lawyers,
and probably excells both Mr. Curtis and
Mr.. Stanbery in the amount and variety
Of his professional experience. He has
always been an eminent member of the
Republican party, and can address Re-
publican judges without obstructing the
impression of his arguments by running
counter to the habitual current of their
sentiments. A strong defence presented
BY counsel SO well fitted to conduct it
without hazard of laundering on party
prejudices, ought to Secure the eight Re-
publican votes needed for an acquittal.
We should be 10th to believe that erery
Republican Senator has made up his mind
to convict, without regard to anything
which may be offered in the Presidents
defence; and if there are barely eight who
hold their minds open to argument, the
chances for an acquittal are good, in spite
of the tumult and uproar of party passions
which, for the present, drown all other
sounds.
The attempt to hurry the trial through
at railroad speed" is certainly unfavor-
able to the President; but, at the same
time, it is symptom of conscious weak
ness on the part of the prosecutors. They
act on the maxim Of striking while the
iron is hot, fearing that if time is allowed
for the passions of the hour to subside,
the impeachment will fall fat. In this
they judge correctly, for nothing but the
exaggerations of inpassioned excitement
could magnify the attempted removal of
Stanton into an impeachable offence. The
Senate evidently did not consider it as
impeachable when it was committed, for
they would not have visited it with an i'm
mediate expression of censure if they had
had any expectation of being called on to
try it as judges.
The New York Herdlds Washington
dispatch reported several weeks ago that
impeachment could not pass the Senate
because Senators Trumbsll, Fessenden.
Anthony, Sprague, Upton, Van Winkle,
Wiley and Sherman, with others not
named, will vote against it because there
is really no charge on which to base
conviction; and because of jealousy of
Wade, and general fears that the measure
will be unpopular with the people.