The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1868-02-21
Final col,apse of "xmpeachmont,"

Final Collapse of Impeachment"
M, Yereas cracks the whip IN rain.-
| tie Rddicdl tcdtier announces his deter
mUdtjon to touch the SUdject no more
important mterUieW WiM M. Sepa3S
bitter den,oicidtions of Republican
| COUdrdS--he erideRcC in Mc Presidents
Jdcor on the question ofrerdciy.
THE impeachment question was
finally tested this forenoon. An the
members Of the Reconstruction Com
mittoe of the House of Representatives
were ptcscnt at an carly hour, when
Mr. Thad. Stevens, chairman, propos-
ed that the definite consideration of the
matter, which seemed to him to have
been shirked on the last day of the cX-
animation of the writer of the dispatch
| es signed 81. b. ST." in The World,
should at once be had. Mr.. Stevens
! stated in very strong language his
! opinion that the investigation had gone
far enough. 1t was useless to argue
upon the subject. There were plenty
ofproven charges whereupon Mr.. John
son could be impeached, and it was Mr..
Stevens conviction that he should be
impeached without further palaver
Mr.. Stevens then laid before the Com
mttee the following preamble and res
olutions:
| The Committee on Reconstruction, to
whom was referred the correspundence
of Andrew johnson, President of the
United States, and L. s. Grant, the
General Commandingthe Armies of the
| United States, having considered the
same and the evidence, do report that,
in virtue of the powers with which your
committee has been invested, they have
| fully examined the evidence before
| them, and are of opinion that Andrew
johnson, President Of the United States
is guilty of high crimes and misde-
meanors, and therefore, they recon-
mend the adoption of the following
resolutions:
Resoiced, That Andrew johnson,
President of the United States, be i'm
peached of high crimes and misdemean-
| ors.
| ReSotCed, That committee 90 to the
Senate, and at the bar thereof, in the
name of the House of Representatives
and Of all the people of the United
States, do impeach Andrew johnson.
| President of the United States, of high
crimes and misdemeanOrs, and ac-
quaint the Senate that the House of
1 Representatives will in due time eX-
hibit particular articles of impeach-
ment against him and make good the
| same.
ReSOiped, That said Committee do de-
mand that the Senate take order for
the appearance Of the said Andrew
Johnson, to answer to said impeach-
ment.
Mr.. Bingham moved that all this,
and the whole subject of impeachment,
be laid on the table, whereupon Mr..
Stevens waXed fearfully wroth, and de-
nounced not only Mr.. Bingham, but
Mr.. Bingham's disciples and Congress
generally, as "a pack o: wincing politi-
cians.n Mr.. Stevens extreme illness
and debility spared him from being
compelled to listen to any very excita-
BILE responses, although some sarcastic,
but decorous, remarks were INDUCED in
by Mr.. Brooks, Mr.. Beck, and others.
AT last Mr.. Stevens insisted that the
yeas and nays should be recorded upon
the motion by Mr.. Bingham, in that
the country might know who was and
who was not in favor of giving Mr..
johnson his deserts. So the vote was
taken, and was recorded thus:
IeaS-Bingham, Beck, Payne, HUI
burd, Brooks and Beaman.
| NdyS-Stevens, Boutwell, and Farms.
worth.
OF course, this vote sufficed to lay the
subject on the table, from which it will
never be lifted. Although one member
of the Committee seemed disposed to
finch from voting, and attempted to
retire from the room, Mr.. Stevens was
too determined, as every body will be
glad to know, to allow such a proceed
ing. He demanded the full vote of the
Committee, and it is the full vote of the
Committee which has overthrown the
impeachment project.
After the rush of members and poll
ticians into Mr.. Stevens's room at the
Capitol had ceased, and very soon after
the defeated "great commoner" had
been borne in his chair from the Capt.
tol to his home, the writer of these des-
patches, who had also been witness
! examined in the presence of Mr.. Ste
vens, called upon him. He was receiv-
ed in chamber where Mr.. Stevens,
the dying leader of a once powerful but
now fallen national party, leaned back
in an easy chair alone, looking almost
utterly exhausted. Nevertheless his
welcome was cordial, and his expressed
regret that Mr.. Stevens might not feel
himself strong enough to converse upon
the subject in view was alleviated at
once by Mr.. Stevens's outspoken frank
ness.
"I'll say this" proceeded Mr.. Stevens
"Not particularly for publication. And
YET" he continued, II don't object to
your publishing anything / say, III
say this, that the whole question of i'm
peachment lies almost in nutshell. As
to the first part Of the Grant and John
son correspondence (Johnson's letter is
chiefly aliude toy, | consider that there
is enough evidence to impeach dozen
men. The main point is, was the
President guilty or not guilty ola viola
tion or an attempted violation of the
Tenure-of-Olllce act? lie is explicit
enough himselfon hissubject. Although
he states in one place that he did not
remove Stanton and put Grant in with
any reference to the Tenure-of. Office
act, but upon the authority granted
him by the Constitution what is to be
said in his defence for his requiring
Grant, as they both agree in all their
letters, to arrange with him johnson
to keep Stanton out of Office against the
will of the Senate? The Senate had con-
iirmed the Tenure-of- Office law. What
right had President to deny, defy, or
seek to disobey, or clrcumvent that