The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1868-04-29
The Inevitable verdict - But one
More Week of Johnson.

The Inevitable VerdIet - But one
More Week of johnson.
Correspondence of Intenigencer.
WASHINGTON. April 25.
For weeks the country has been read
ing about the impeachment of the Pres
ident, and it is presumable that by
this time all newspaper readers have
formed their own peculiar conceptions
Of the scenes that are daily transpiring
here, In the chamber of the United
States Senate. Those ofa tragic turn of
mind, in whom the characteristic of
wonderment Is largely developed, have
perhaps invested 1t with all the SOL
emnity and awe-inspiriug dignity
that history attaches to the great State
trials OF England, such as those OF
King Charles and King James, and In
later days, of Warren Hastings, Cover
nor-General OF India. It is probable
that such persons might feel somewhat
disappointed and disenohanted could
they take seat here in the gallery of
the Senate and overlook and specu-
late upon what is going on below. The
Chamber itself, I doubt not, better
BELTS the idea OF state trial than that
occupied by the English House of
Lords at the dates mentioned; for, If I
am not mistaken, nowhere else on
earth can such legislative apartments
be found as those occupied by the
American Senate and House OF Repre-
sentatives. Nothing short of the word
gorgeous fitly describes the Senate
Chamber. And then too, its vast capaci-
~, not only to accommodate the priv
LEGGED occupants OF the floor, but Its
grand sweep of galleries, wherein can
crowd upon luxurious seats the great
outside element upon such occasions
as the present. AS 1 sit and view the
hundreds upon hundreds of men and
women, who like myself are overlook
ing the scene below, each tier of
faces rising above the other
far as the voice can reach,
wonder what must have been the Ro-
man Amphitheatre in the days of the
gladiators If It excelIed thescene before
me. wonder, TOO, what some future
Macaulay will say about it, when after
all who are now here present shall
have passed away, he shall take up the
pen that wrote the trial of Hastings in
such wonderfully fascinating terms,
and tell the story of this historic drama.
have little doubt that in the hands
Of some such coming writer it will read
different from what we now see it, just
as different as matters of fact and mat
tiers of fancy can well be. VIII 1t ever
be recorded that there was a Burke or
a Sheridan in this trial? Will the
speeches of Butler and Bingham, Curtis
or Evarts, ever get into the school
books or into the declamations of the
lyceums and become as familiar as
household words? Will it be told that
the fashion and beauty of the metropo-
lis rose betimes in the morning, dis
regarding the designations of the night
before, and occupied the seats allotted
them, SO that they might not lose word
or a scene of all that was transpiring3
/ leave posterity to answer the ques-
tons and confne myself to what 1 see
and hear.
1t is now twelve O'Clock and the Chief
Justice, with his gown on, has just en-
tered the chamber by one of its doors
nearest the dais whereon he sits in the
Vice Presidents chair, and cannot
but be struck with his eminently mag
isteriRl presence as he takes his seat.
I Noticed that he and Mr.. Wade, who
are said not to love each other very
much, were careful to shake hands
as the latter vacated the chair.
But why should people not be officially
polite even when not feeling personal.
ly cordial3 Now that Mr.. Chase has
taken his seat, the Chaplain rises and
makes what strikes me as a very COM
mon place prayer. Nowonder, for the
chaplains have been sevsrly scored In
the newspapers for presuming to tray
elout Of the beaten path and express an
econcurrenee in the policy
OF Congress-. Before the opening of
the argument Mr.. Sumner offers what
every body recognizes TO be two or
three very ominous resolutions for the
adoption of the Senate. Their reading
sounds very much as If conviction at
the close OF this trial was sure thing,
especially II they should be adopted
by the Senate. The first resolu-
ton provides that the Court will
proceed to vote on the several articles
of impeachment at twelve o'clock on
the day after the close of the argument.
The next provides that In taking the
vote on the articles OF Impeachment
the Chief Justice shall call each sena-
tor by name, and on each article shall
ask him this question:-@Afr.- how
say your Is the respondent guilty or
not guilty as charged In the article of
impeachmentaH Whereupon each
Senator shall rise in his place and
answer either guilty" or not
guilty" The next and last resoIu-
tion provides that in case Of conviction
1t sh all be the duty of the Chief Justice
to at once pronounce the removal Of
the President from ofiee, according to
the requirement OF the Constitution.
Senator Reyerdy Johnson, as soon as
these resolutions or orders were read,
interposed very promptly with the
words 60 object" the effect Of which
Is to defer their consideration for one
day. It has always seemed to me that
Senator johnson, 10 whom my atten-
ton has thus been directed, ought to
be one ofthe oldest men in the world
for have been hearing and reading of
him so long, as one learned in the law,