Brownlow's Knoxville Whig. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1866-1869, 1868-03-11
The Cause Of Imneachment.

The opposition would measure the trial Of i'm
peaehment of the Presdent By the techhealities OF
an Indictment, or Of the trial Of care of larceny
They make q calculation, from their standard OF
the insignicanee Of the matter of stauton's reno.
val, even If it we're done Illegally and affect 90 in
qnire, if this is suficiet canse for impeachment
They try to make Il case of Stantcns personal in
terest Of bis desire TO hold Office while the Execu-
tive wants 10 get rid Of him. And they inquire,
what harm would be done If Adiutant General
Thomas we're put in the War Office, or Thos Ewing,
and if the difference between these and Stanton Is
sufficient TO make a case for impeachment.
But the case does not involve the personal merits
or desires Of Stanton, or Thomas, or Ewing. It Is
case of clear and deliberate violstion of law, with
the premeditated purpose Of raising conflict with
case in Criminal Court whore the felon has been
VIGOROUSLY guilty of every crime but has by some
technicaties Of law, escaped punishment, but who
is now before the Court with clear criminal case
against him. and with ali his previous crimes upon
his head In such case the Court does not, of
course go behind the trial TO sentence the convict
for former crimes but it does take his previous life
into consideration and give him the full measure OF
the legal penalty for his last offense.
In the prosecution o. this particular violation Of
the law, the House of Representatives does take
into consideration Johnson's whole course of resis
lance 10 the Government II was this that made
the Republican members rise up as one man for
impeachment. No man supposes they would have
had this unanimous conviction had this been bis
first ofense, had there not before been abundant
causes for impeachment It was before their con-
viction that ne was worthy Of impeachment, and
that the public welfare demanded IT, Bat the case
was embarrassed by the very magnitude and multi
tude Of the causes by their extension into all the
affairs of administration, and BY the multitude of
witnesses that would have TO ba summoned, which,
with an offender who would regard the prolongation
Of the trial as next to defeatof the prosecution,
and who would be allowed extraordinary privileges
of delay raised apprehension that the trial would
be interminable.
And, besides, there were many good members
who took narrow view of the jurisdiction Of the
grand inquest Of the nation, in TIE trial Of impeseh
ments and Judged It by the rules of a criminal
court, and held thst crime which the statute had
made indictable requisite TO case for impeach-
ment and they took the same narrow view of the
rules of evidence for such trials 1t was for these
reasons, and not because they did not think that
johnson was guilty and that the public safety de-
manded his removal from Office, that they voted
against bringing The prosecution. But now that
they have clear violation Of law to put the case
upon, they are unanimous for impeachment, because
before convinced that his removal is the only way
to peace and good government.
The weight Of this previous conviction in determ-
lining the minds Of the members of the H0uEe to
prosecute upon this last, and one of the least OF
Johnsons ofenses is seen in 81 the speeches upon
who before voted against impeachment, we're even
more terrible thar those who then advocated it, in
their srraigrmsnt Of Johnson's whole course. The
burden of all these speeches was his long course Of
his whole official career, marked by
wicked disregard Of all his obligations of public du
ty, and by unparalleled perfdy, treachery and tur-
pitude his constant warfare against all the mate
rial interests of the people, his resistance to the res
toration Of The peace of the country and the crimes
Of murder rapine neendiarisrn, robbery tha. stalk
through tina country under his influence; the fear
full corruption to which he has delivered up the
Government all running back to his previous guilt
And this shows that 1t was sudden impulse
that united the Republican members for impeaeh-
ment. It was nothing like That electric sympathy
which sometimes pervades haman assemblies, and
carries them into united action which reflection does
not 80 sanguinely sustain. The conviction that he
deserved Impeachment, and thAtshe was an obstruc
ton to the peace Of the country was of long stand
ing. His last of'ense, although minor one in al
his list of crimes furnished clear violation Of law
easily proved, making ease which needed no cloud
of witnesses and which could furnish no preext for
the indefinite prolongation az the trial to the him
drance Of the public business. Thus the long
standing eonvicticn Of the nassfty Of bis removal
seized upon this single preneditated and criminal
violation Of law, IS the 0ceeaoa.-C saetEa1ti Ga
zstts