The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-03-21
THINGS IN WASHINGTON.

| THE PRESIDENTS LINE OF DEFENCE IN MPEACH-
MENr-PET1T1oNs FOR THE REMOVAL OF MIR.
M'CUL1ooH-aENERAL HANcocK's VISIT TO
wAsH1NaToN-THE GRANT RECONSTRUCTION
BIL1-rELEGRAM FROM GENERAL MEADE-N.
TENT1oNs OF THE RADICALS.
The Washington correspondent of the Bal
timore Sun, writes under date Of the 18th
| instant:
The public are daily misled by parae. apha
from Washington, purportlnc to give authen-
tic statements of the Presidents defence in the
| Impeachment trial, his purposes, &c. 1t should
| be known that these statements are founded
upon merest speculation and curbstone gossip.
None Of them, there is the best authority f0I
saying, has been derived from Mr.. johnson
| himself, or from his counsel or Cabinet, who
alone have the Presidents confidence, or are
There is also authority for an undoubted de-
NAL Of the trutbfulress Of the New York SUMS
assertion that Judge Black has stated to MIR.
Johnson that he has no hopes Of an acquittal.
! OF the same kidney is the allegation that the
President had considered the proposition to
resign, or that he ever intimated to any one
| such purpose.
loch have got up petitions, addressed to the
President, asking his removal, and the petit
tions are being numerously signed by men OF
both political parties.
The partisan statements which have been
made to the effect that the Presidents object
in summoning General Hancock to Washing
ton was to use him, if possible, in the further
ance of some desperate design is utterly with
out foundation. as may be supposed. 1t is the
desire of the President to obtain clearer in
sight into the circumstances attending the re-
moval of the New Orleans city officers and
their subsequent reinstatement by General
Grant, and it is for this purpose, as well as to
consider the application to be relieved from
duty at New Orleans, that the President wishes
General Hancocks presence here. Under the
Supplementary Reconstruction act OF July last,
the Executive is deprived Of all supervisory
power over General Grant in this matter, but
the information sought to be obtained will be
useful in other ways.
The Military Reconstruction bill comforting
dictatorial powers on General Grant, which
gave rise to such an extensive and able debate
in the Senate, lasting three weeks or more,
has, since the bringing Of the impeachment
matter on the tapis, been suffered to sleep
quietly on the table, not having even been for
mally referred to the judiciary committee. The
dispatch OF General Meade, OF January II, re-
latiye to the resembling Of the test oath, had
some influence over the minds Of the Radical
majority, and it is not unlikely that, had the
bill como up, or should it ever come up, his
suggestion will be adopted. General Grant
sent the dispatch 10 the Senate to-day. In re-
gard to the bill, 1t cannot now be safely assum-
ed as to what its ultimate fate will be, but
there is quite strong disposition among the
Radical Senators to pretermlt action on 1t
pending the result Of the impeachment trial.
Many of the Radicals pronounce the re-
moval OF President Johnson as foregone con-
clusion, and the only diversity OF opinion that
exists among them is as to the time it will take
to effect their wishes. Now while it is con-
sidered very proper and necessary to hamper
an opposition President, and prevent him
from exercising any control over the military
dependencies in the South, the case assumes
a very different aspect with an Executive of
taeir own way Of thinking at the head of the
government. With MIR. Wade in the White
House, no fears are entertained that the Con-
gressional policy Of reconstruction will be car
ried out to the very letter, without the necessity
for any additional legislation. II Mr.. Wade
can be placed in possession by the time the
nominations for the Presidency are made, and
the campaign fully opened, it will not be consid-
cred worth while to pass the bill; but If, on
close calculation Of chances, this result should
through. Notwithstanding the fact that Gen.
Grant has come to be regarded as the Radical
candidate for the next Presidency, he has only
been so accepted on the score Of availability,
and many Of the leading Radicals here have
swallowed him with wry face. The power pro-
posed to be placed in his hands was not intend
ed as any mark of favor to him, but only that it
should al be used to further and perpetuate Rad
ical ascendency. IF they find they can get
along without him no doubt need bo enter
tanned that they will gladly do go.
T1oN OF SECRETARY sEwARD-cHARLEs FRAN
CTS ADAMS TO SUCCEED HIM-wHAT THE RADI-
GALS WILL PROBABLY sAY-sEvEN RADICAL
VOTES SAID TO BE AGAINST CONVICTION OF
THE PREsIDENT-oPPosITIoN OF THE RADI-
GALS TO MR. ApAMs-HEALTH OF THADDEUs
sTEvENs-PoLITIcs AND BUSINESS.
The Washington correspondent of the Balti-
more Gazette writes:
Although the counsel for President johnson
give out as their confident opinion that there
Is no danger Of his conviction, yet there are
those here who profess to believe that the court
Of impeachment will prove to be but the Radical
Senate, and that the President will ''go UNDER
by strict party vote.
It is quietly reported among the President 8
friends to-day that MIR. Seward is to leave his
Cabinet, probably tomorrow, as he is expected
70 return from New York to-day, and that
Charles Francis Adams will be nominated as
his successor. The result Of such a change,
lust at this particular time, will be the charge
NV the Radicals that the President is attempt
ing to influence the Senate, or the court, by
Aholding out to them the temptation Of Office,
If not to the judges directly, to such friends as
they might designate. The President will want
but seven Radical votes, and these, it is be-
>lieved, he will get not from that portion OF the
body winch might be suspected Of having an
'itohing palm" but from the head and front
of the party. Yet the charge will no doubt be
made that the President is bringing the intlu-
epce OF E2 ecutive patronage to bear on MEM
bers of the Court Of impeachment, and thou
sands throughout the land will be ready to be-
lieye it. The nomination of Mr.. Adams as
Secretary Of State would be certainly rejected
by the Senate, as the Radical feeling against
him is even greater than against the present
Premier.
Il is said among the Massachusetts members
of the Radical Jacobins that it was Charles
Francis Adams who advised with his son, John
Quincy Adams, and prompted him In his late
Democratic contest for the Gubernatorial chair
of his State.
The Hon. Thad. Stevens resembles in some
respects one of the feline species which 1s said
to possess nine lives. One set OF reporters
and correspondents write Mr.. Stevens down, at
night. as dying-as in the last agony, with his
friends and colored family around him, sadly
watching for the final dissolution. Another