Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-05-01

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At II o'clock promptly, about half the
Senators being 10 their seats and The gal
leries two-thirds filled, Mr. Wade passed
through the door at the left Of the seat of
the presiding officer, and standing by the
desk that Is 10 front OF his chair, rapped
family twice. He was accompanied BY fso
ministers Of the gospel, one tall and Pais,
with high forehead rtianisg ingo bzid
place, and dark hair brushed over the
crown. This minister was dressed ia black,
with a swellow-tailed coat buttoned up
tight, giving him long, lark, fanersl as
pect. His hands are long and bohy aud his
steps heavy, and his voice monoionous with
an intensity of that drawi that We call
clerical This is the person who usually
opens with prayer, and often forgsts now
a-days to pray for the President, part Of
the usual prayer which, if omitted few
years age would have brought down
swif condemnation. The third person
to day is heavy, gray and horid
man ia a frock coat, who has been in
troduced as a compliment to open the
Senate with prayer, He prsys for about
three minutes, without especially address
ing his eloquent prayerio the Distinguished
audience, Senators all (thistime standing,
while the praying is going on. He con-
cludes suddenly and reiires, and Mr.. Wade
asoends to bis chair and mentions in a
hoarse and inaudibIe way, that the chair
would be vacated for the Chief Justice. He
vas at FIRST, understand, in the habit of
saying that the chair would be abandoned
to the Chief Justice He then rises and
passes down to the left, meeting the Chief
Justice, who comes up at the moment,
punctually -as a piece of machinery, look
ing in his long, black silk gown Ike mag.
nifcent monk, inf of beard like white
wool under his chin, his face rosy with
clean shave and wearing most cordial ex-
preston. As a general rule he and Mr..
Wade shake hands as though they loved
each other dearly, but this time they do
not indulge In that ceremony, and in a mo-
ment the Chief Justice is in the chair and
proclamation is made that the Senate is
sitting as a court Of impeachment, the
Chief Justice presiding, for the trial of An
drew johnson. ~ ,frE HfEat
The next thing the Sergeant-ai-Arms at
the southern door Of the chamber, the one
Immediately opposite the chair of the pre-
siding officer, announces the managers Of
the impeachment on behalf of the House,
and Bingham and Butler come forward
(the latter having not long ago accused the
former Of being the murderer of Mrs. Sur
ratt, and the former replying that the latter
was shut up in a bottle and fed with
spooB) )--they are an agreeable pair now, as
is creditable to them. Butler turns up his
sharp face to the ceiling, like learned pig
listening for thunder, and Bingham looks
shyly az the floor. After them are the
dark and sallow Logan, who Tubs his fore
head with his left hand as he removes his
hat, and Wileon, Of Iowa with bis knoitT Z
gray head sod fresh ehesks, and bright
brown whiskers; aud the complacent cid
farmer. faced Pennsylvania lawyer vii
liams, smiling tenderly and eonfdentialiy
10 himself, with conscioueness that the re-
public and the Impeachment are big things,
aud that he has hand in them.
About this time Thaddens Stevens is
being borne in his chair of state through
the passages leading from the House to the
Senate, and presently he will totter in at a
side door, his black clothes hanging loosely
upon his skeleton, which limps painfully
forward, and sets down into his chair with
jerk. The next thing after the managers
and by the way the Chief Justice rises,
Just at the point of time when Butler casts
bis eyes upward and Bingham casts his
eyes downward and Logan rubs his fore
head, and invites them TO come forward
and be seated-the next thing, is the an
nouncement oG the House of Representa-
tives, and small crowd straggles in,
sometimes As many as fifty, in as good
order as dismissed school boys. Half a
dozen come forward and sit in the central
aisle, foremost of them Washburne, of Illi-
noise, the father Of the House and the
maker Of General Grant, as his friends
say and Mr.. Speaker Colfsx. Washburne
il heavily built, long-nosed, long and thin
haired, and almost bald headed, and has a
curious, old-lashioned look of shrewd,
homely honesty. He is the great obstruc-
tion in the House--that is, he is always
obiecting, and very often doing it at a
good time and place. He strides forward
and sits down as If he meant business
and looks about with severity. Colfax
goes quickly to his seat, slightly stopped,
and is smiling as good nsturedly as a boy
securing pleasant front seat at a circus.
Usually this Is Snmner's time 10 get up
with the order of the day, which he has
elaborated since adjournment, but to- day
the first Senator mp was Edmunds, of Yer
mont, who moved at the suggestion, he said,
of several Senators, to postpone until MoG-
day bis proposition TO have the speeches Of
Senators upon the acquittal or conviction
Of Andrew johnson reported by the official
reporters. The next thing was brakes
voice, harshly and wrstbfuIly moving the
indefinite postponement of the resolution
Of the Senator for Vermont, injecting great
scorn and fury into the word indefinite
Upon this the Radicals were defeated.
Then Sumner got up in full majesty, aud
sent 10 the Clerks desk, handing them "a the
page with sweeping wave Of the hand,
two half sheets Of foolsoap He was pro-
posing to amend the rules so as TO hasten
the conviction of Andrew johnson and his
expulsion from the White House. Obiee-
tions were made, and his proposition laid
over, and the Chief Justice spoke to Mr..
Groesbeck, who at that point commenced
the argument Of which have already said
so much
JEAN LAcRoIx, ihe French Canadian,
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