Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-05-23
FROM WASHINGTON.
Correspondence of the Ohio statesman.l

thought proper to trespass upon your col
umns for several weeks, because there was
nothing to write about from this city, ex-
cept impeachment, and his views having
been so often given upon that subject and
seeing no reason to change them, he con-
cluded to rest awhile and see sthe conclu-
sion of the whole matter" The thing Is
not yet quite concluded; but I think the
end is neal, and can be seen even by BUTLER,
who goes on 1t. but one eye at time. There
probably never was a grander farce enact
ed in the history of the world, and is about
to end as it should,to the utter disgrace and
modification ofa set of the most unscrupu-
lous rascals that ever afflicted this, or any
other country. L see by your last issue,
that you have been pleased to compliment
your correspondent for his predictions and
judgment in this matter. Your correspon-
dent will merely say that he claims
no great credit for either. His sources of
information in regard to the intentions of
the Jacobins have been from unsuspecting
Radicals. His conclusions, as to the result,
weredrawn froma variety of ofconsiderations,
some of which he does not propose to name.
The principal one, however, was that he
thought it probable that seven men could
be mustered from the Radicals, after the al
most overwhelming arguments of the Pres
ident's counsel, who had sense enough, if
not honesty, not to disgrace themselves for
all time by voting the President guilty of
high crimes and misdemeanors, merely as
pretext to get him out of office for party
purposes; for, presume, by this time no
one is so silly as to maintain that the i'm
peachers ever had any higher motive. But
since the vote upon the eleventh article,
does it not almost make one shudder to
think such a set of revolutionists came SO
near success? 1 am of the opinion, how
ever, if it had been necessary, in order to
acquit the President, three or four more
would have voted for acquittal. I know it
is humiliating to think men can so lightly
regard the solemnity of an oath which re-
quires them to give verdict sin accord
ance with evidence and laws" but so it is,
when party and selfish interests are sup
posed to be in jeopardy. This is one of the
i'll omens of the times. This whole i'm
peachment matter, apart from the mere re-
moval of President johnson from office,
has developed spirit of intolerance
amongst Radicals. which, if not checked
by an overwhelming rebuke by
the people, in their sovereignty,
at the approaching fall elections, must
necessarily result either in peaceable sur
render of the form of government estab-
lished by our fathers, or forcible resistance
to the tyrants who have, under abnormal
circumstances, come in possession of Of
flee and power, and are straining every
possible point for its perpetuation. This evil
tendency of things has.long occupied my
mind, and every days observation here
only increases my apprehensions. The
remedy is with the people at the approach
ing election, when they again delegate
their power to agents. IT they entrust
their interests again to such fellows as now
occupy and hold the reins of government
it will most assuredly, though gotten in
the name of liberty, be used for the per-
petuation of the interests of special classes,
at the expense of the interests and liberty
of the great mass ofthe people. The failure
of the impeachers to convict the President
was to them great disappointment, for,
however sure the Presidents friends may
have felt Of his acquittal, the Radicals felt
still greater certainty of conviction, even
up to within an hour of taking vote.
Grimes, Trumbull's and Fessenden's
speeches, in secret session, were summers
but after due manipulation and caucus
ing, they thought they had the neces-
sary thirty-six for conviction on the
eleventh article, esteemed the strongest
after the speech of Sherman. By the way,
it was supposed by the friends of the Pres
ident, that Ohio's tall Senator would vote
for acquittal throughout, as he stood COM
mitted as to the exception of STAN
ton from the protective operation of the
Tenure ot-Office bill, and all the others
had been rejected by the House as insult
ficient charges. In addition, it has been
claimed for some time that johnson had
been hiding himself from impeachment
behind such men as Sherman, and that he
had been bought and paid for, in the shape
of favors to his family friends. To this, it
was replied by an old acquaintance of
Sherman, that that made no difference
for the Pre- sident might Juy him and pay for
him. too, a dozen times and then not get him
This opinion of this Senator comedies with
the opinion of your correspondent fully
John Sherman may be set down as slip
perry and unscrupulous dog in politics, if
not in other matters. But having given
impeachment the first ''dig," by delivering
the first speech against the strongest ar
ticle, and voting to convict on weaker
one, to satisfy party demands; he will
compromise all sides by voting for
acquittal on all the rest. Such are
the men who have wormed them
selves in these troublous times into
high places of honor and trust, where once
stood such men as Clay, Allen, Crittenden,
Benton, Webster and Ewing. But the i'm
peachers have not wholly given up the
game. Butler and Stevens are busy sending
for "persons and papers to see who was
bought and where the money came from !;
but so far as developments have been made,
the thing is "past finding out" and the
"mourners 90 about the Streets" and the
carpet-baggers" have gone to their homes,
muttering all sorts of anathemas upon the
Judases. Some of the more crazy of the
Radicals of the Senate, such as Sumner,
Drake, Conness, Stewart, and sturdy old
Ben, too, hold that they have right to
adjourn the Court until the Southern Rad
ical Senators, to the number of ten or
twelve, are admitted, and then the thing
can be done. Possibly it might, but
rather think the Chief Justice would stop
that little game, by refusing to swear in
such jurors, under the circumstances. My
present. impression is, that these fellows
will, after mature reflection, upon the re-
tr., of thair friends from the Chicaoo Con.