The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-03-12

BA&A-ENcoURAGNG MESSAGES TO TEE PREsI
DENT FROM MAINE, ETC.
The well informed Washington correspondent
of the Baltimore Sun writes, under date O
Monday night:
Paragraphs from Washington have appeared
in seveal papers, purporting to give the polnt
that will be made by the President IN hls de
fence before the Senate. the character OF hi
pleadings, SC. There is the best authority To-
saying that all these pretended points az ar
founded upon the merest speculation, since mr
Johnson and his counsel have not decided Wha
shall be the exact nature of the defence, no.
what shall be the character of pleading hrst II
be fled in the Senate.
On Friday next the attorneys OF the Presl
dent will put in an appearance in obedience t(
the summons, and then ask for time thai
they shall deem sufficient to enable the answer
to be framed and the defence prepared. 1t II
generally conceded by the prosecutors OF I'M
peachment that twenty days will be allowed
| for filing an answer, but there is reason to be-
lieve that majority OF the senators will. con
sent to thirty days for the preparation OF the
defence. This may be followed by replica
ton from the managers Of the House, to be
filed shortly after the answer is filed.
This done, the day for trial will be fixed, ano
it may be that it will proceed instantly upon
this making up Of the issue. There ls now
manifested among all classes more genera
appreciation of the Importance and gravity o.
this prosecution than was exhibited 1or aooul
ten DAYS after the adoption OF the lmpeach-
ment resolution, and Radical representative
who at first expected to dispose of the whole
matter By the middle Of this month, tonight
admit that there is no prospect OF term!na-
ton of the trial before the middle OF May.
Your correspondent has reason to beneVe nus
own estimates Of the duration OF this trial, pub
ished some days ago, are correct Inere was
consultation of the President and the cabi.
net tonight, upon the impeachment articles 1t
| is supposed.
It is learned from members of the Recon-
struction Committee that they Will tomorrow
report to the House bill for the admission OF
Alabama at once. The Democrats are to be al
lowed few hours for discussion upon the bill,
but as now arranged the Radicals will be silent,
and probably without g dissenting vote pass
the bill tomorrow evening or on the next day.
The Republican Senators are known to be di-
vided in the opinion upon the propriety and
legality Of the proposed bill, and there ID great
doubt about it's passage by that body. But Il
Radical managers Of the project shall succeed
in their purpose, the Alabama Senators will be
admitted to seats in the Senate before the tes-
timony or regular hearing in the impeachment
commences. Such, am informed by some OF
the managers themselves, is the plan.
The President received tonight from Au-
gusta, Maine, the following kilograms:
"Impeachers rebuked-Augusta gives sixty
one Democratic majority. 1t is the largest
vote ever thrown. The Democratic gain is
five hundred on the vote of 1866" Also1"Ihe
home of Morrill, and Blaine responds to i'm
peachment BY a Democratic victory-the first
in twelve years. Mayor and Aldermen elected
on the largest vote ever cast. Have commence
in the people"
spEcULAT1oNs AS TO THE PRESIDENTS COURSE
DURING HIS TRIAL.
The Washington Star of Monday evening
processes to shadow forth the line of defence
decided upon by the Presidents counsel in i'm
peachment, and the course he will individually
pursue in certain contingencies, subject to fu-
ture modification as circumstances may die
tate. The Star gives the following as the pro-
gramme:
This morning it is stated by leading Demo-
Gratis that the President has fully decided upon
his plans, and that there will be no nesltancy
i'm Carving them out. First. On nSIt Friday
his counsel viii appear IN court o.. Tesay s 70 pro
tension of time. They will then object to every
Republican senator who has expressed an
ooinion as to Mr.. Johnson's guilt or innocence
on the articles Of impeachment, being allowed
to act as Jurors in the case. This point they,
Of course do not expect to carry, but nave II
overruled. Second. The question as to whether
senators from twenty-seyen States constitute
the Senate of the United States Will be raised.
They will take the same view Of this matter
that the President has in all his public speeches
and State papers maintained, that until ten
Southern States have their representatives In
the House and Senate of the United States,
that the latter body is not competent to take
up, try and pass judgment on 80 vital and i'm.
portant a question as impeaching the highest
officer known to the government. Failing on
both these questions, the President wlu then
ing that in such o court justice cannot be done
him, and then will rise and tender his resigna-
ton, and appeal directly to the people to sus-
tain him, and to pass Judgment aJ the ballot
box against the Senate of the United States.
NEW COMPLICATION.
A Washin gton letter Of the 18th instant to
the New York World says:
II is given out tonight that one other arti-
Gle of impeachment will be proposed in the
House tomorrow, through General Butler,
based upon q charge made BY one Belknap,
formerly purser at the Brooklyn navy-yard,
who alleges that the President has neglected
to restore him to his official position, from
which he was suspended some two or three
years ago. Belknap's statement is that the
government funds at the Brooklyn nayy-yard
We're stolen; that he caused to be arrested sew
eral parties whom he believed to be the
thieves, and had them delivered into the
custody of the Navy Department; that af-
forwards the accused were liberated; that
BeIknap was charged with defalcation in
s10OOO6. the sum stolen; that he was sus-
pended: that he demanded of the Secreta-
~ Of the Navy trial by naval court martial;
that, according to law, if no such trial be or
dered in twelve months after demanded, the
President must restore the suspended officer
to his former official position; that no trial was
ordered; that Belknap has asked to be restor-
ed, but the President and the Secretary OF the
Navy have failed to comply with the demand.
Upon this statement Belknap urges another
article of impeachment, and it ls alleged that
General Butler will propose such article In the
House tomorrow. Without at present going
into q statement Of the views Of the Navy De-
partment on the facts and law in this case, it
may be stated, however, that taking Belknap's
account of the facts as correct, there is doubt
of the power Of the Executive to restore him
to position, &C., and that this legal point is in
yolyed in several military cases now under con-
sideration.
TIE MARBLE cAsE-NTEREsTING DECISIONS OF
TIE SUPREME COURT.
In the Supreme Court on Monday, Mr.. David
Dudley Field resumed his argument from
Thursday in the McArdle case for the appellant,
holding the unconstitutionality of his arrest
and trial BY military authority. At the conclu-