Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-02-28
Nniou aud 4ltspateh.
IA FRIDAY. rEBauARy rs. 1865
WILT AMPEACuMENrT PROVE PROF-
IFARI.E TD THE RADICALS

AioAfi"hN Ast FAbatNaA J'Niitatt AiibAhh f'A'
fcieutly Radical when party interests re-
quire it, The Commercial il aTt to have
lucid moments in any time Of high politi-
cal excitement, when il will take a sensible
view as TO what will result to its party
from any proposed course Of action. 1t
experienced one Of these intervals after the
folly Of Impeachment. had been forced
through the House Of Representatives un-
der the excitement which the vindictiye
friends of Mr.. Stanton had created upon
the removal Of that person by the Presi-
dent. The Commercial declares that the
situation needs cool consideration" and
" the danger is that it viii not get and
that passion instead Of judgment will rule" !"
as il did in the House Of Representatives
on the memorable 24lh Of February, when
the most excitable, inhammatory speeches
were rehearsed by the bold, bad men who
control the Radical party. Drunk with
power and urged on by craving for an en-
largement and extension Of this power,
these men have thus precipilated upon the
country crisis which may well cause re-
fleeing men TO think as the eddying whirls
pass by. 1t il under such pressure that the
Commercial takes this view Of the action of
its party in Congress on the impeachment
question and Of its almost certain effect
upon that party:
The amendment to the original tenure
Of office bill which made il apply 10 Cabi-
net officers, was reluctantly scceded to by
the Senate, and even az il passed, was de-
elared by one, if not more, Of the mOst
prominent Republican Senators, to be in
applicable TO the case of those Cabinet
officers who held under Mr.. Lincoln's ap-
pointment after his death.
1t has not received the united and cordial
appreciation Of the Republican party, which
has never openly abandoned the doctrine
that the President is personally responsible
for the administration Of all the Executive
departments, and must therefore of neces-
sity be left 10 great extent untrammeied
in the choice and selection of his Cabinet.
The Republican press Of the country
has quite generally conceded that the
tenure Of Office law was, in the respect we
are considering, an exceptional piece OF
legislation, which must OF necessity be
ignored or repealed whenever a regularly
elected President should be inaugureted
and that the principle Of il, while it might
DO as a fetter for Mr.. johnson, would never
work as part of the ordinary rules for ad-
ministering the affairs OF the government.
When these facts are distinctly compre-
hended and coolly weighed, it becomes
question that may well give as pause
whether there is not possibility that We
may be doing our adversaries' work, and
laboring industTiously TO give them issues
more 10 their choice in the approaching
canvass than they would otherwise have.
Ii may not be treason 20 suggest that az As
at least worth while TO consider the words
Of an able opponent Of impeachment Rep
re5entatiya Woodward, of Pennsylvania
who declared we are doing worse, accord
ing 10 Pouches epigrsn, than committing
q crime, We were making hlunder. Have
not too many admissions been made Of the
general impolicy and impracticability Of
the tenure of office law az applied 10 the
Cabinet to make it an easy or pleasant sub
iect of debate in the Presidential canvass
There are some awkarG results, too,
which may arise in the application of it..
| Ii must be remembered that by the terms
| Of this act, Cabinet officers are to hold their
| offices 50 for and during the term of the
President by whom they may have been
| appointed. and for one month thereafter
| The construction Of this language insisted
upcn by the Republican leaders of the
| House is, that it means that they are to
/ hold .ill the end of the four years for
| which the President was elected, and that
| Mr.. Linooln's death would not give Mr..
johnson the privilege Of removing Mr..
Stanton or any other Cabinet officer before
| the 4th of March, 1869.
Let Us reflect a moment how this would
work if Mr.. johnson were removed and
| Mr.. Wade installed in the Executive man.
sion. Suppose Seward, Welles, Stanberry
and the rest should choose to act upon MIR.
| Stantnn's principle, and decline 10 leave
! the Departments Of which they are the
! heads. Would not "bluff old Ben find II
rather too empty an honor playing figure
head 10 an administration of which each
department was conducted as nearly as
possible upon JohnsOn's policy If We
repeal the law for the sake Of getting rid oi
the Cabinet. we should confess that oui
legislation was purely partisan, and en-
acted for the sake of trapping Mr.. John
son. and not because we thought it good
for the country. If we make the Senate
sgree 10 Mr.. Wade's proposition TO remove
the Cabinet because they are not IN har
mony of sentiment with the new President
We shall Justify Johnson's desire and at
tempt to remove Stanton for the same
reason. Which horn fthis dilemma viii
be comfortable one to be impaled upor
in the pleasant DAYS of next October Va
venture upon the opinion that il is much
better to reflect rather carefully upon thu
now than 20 take that leisure for repent
snce which proverbially follows setting II
haste. There IL, Of co-rse, a class of per
sons TO whom it is an all-sufhcient reason
for any action that il puts their own party
Immediately in power, snd such we bay
no hope Of reaching By argument bu
there are. fortunately very many more VIII,
have an interest in retaining power in tn
hands Of the Union men of the countrl
after the present year, and to such we sub
NIT that the political profit and loss &C
count would not look well if, on footing
up next fall, the loss of the Presidency o
the loss Of q majority in Congress shoul'
be found on the debit side, with rsothin
but the fag-end Of Johnson's time for Nh
Wade TO balance the. books.
Those who reckon that the people vii
be reused bv Mr.. Johnson's lste action {
the same pitch Of earnestness and sell
, devotion which as;onished the world i
| 1861, are in danger OF disappointment
The country is not at stake in this issue, a
. ! il was in that The common sense Of th
nation will see that IL Is only a questio
whether Mr. Stanton or some body els
shall conduct the affairs Of the War ofic'
after that Office has become Of no more siE
nifoance than any other administrative ds
, partmenL The process Of reconstructio
and the military rule OF the Souther
States are both beyond the control Of ia
, Secretary Of War. The garrisons OF IN
, sea coast forts and the troops on the India
. frontier are all that would even nominall
. receive his orders, il neither the Presider
: nor the General Of the army should iutei
pose their command. The stake for whic
the trouble is made Is not therefore.