The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-05-19

people In the severai territories C'6quatter
sovereignty to settle the question of slavery
or no slavery for themselves. Between these
opposing factions and ideas the party was
broken to pieces and between Breckenridge
and Douglas the republican party, under Lin
coin and on the platform of no further extern
sions OF slavery, came into power.
The democratic radicals Of that day were the
Southern slaveholding oIigarchy and their
Northern pIo-slavery adherents. The most
conspicuous of all these was Benjamin F.
Butler, of Massachusetts,, who, after voting
fifty-seven times for JEFF Davis at Charleston,
rallied with his Northern confederates at the
adjourned convention at Baltimore, under
the Southern slavery extension. banner of
Breckenridge. This same Butler is now the
most implacable of the Northern radical leaders
for JOhnson's impeachment, against such of the
founders and builders of the republican party
as Chase, Fessenden and Trumbull. Butler
and his faction of impeachers, however, ruling
in Congress, will rule the convention, and they
have resolved upon Johnson's removal through
the application of the screws and pulIeys in
their party platform. Assuming that they will
succeed in making the removal of Johnson under
this impeachment the party shibboleth for this
Presidential campaign, what will follow? We
say that we may look for a party crash like that
which followed the Charleston Convention. or
for an Independent Presidential ticket which will
at least carry off the balance Of power, as in The
case of Van Buren, in 1913 and Of Fillmore in
1856, provided always that this election is
conducted in the usual way.
But if this impeachment test of party allegi-
ance shall be adopted at Chicago, it will cover
the purpose of elfecting Johnsons removal at
all hazards. If this thing, thus resolved upon,
cannot be otherwise done, it will be done
through postponement of the verdict upon the
articles pending until dozen new radical SEN
ators, more or less shall have been added to
the Senate with the restoration of the recon
sructed Southern States. The task of substi-
tutng Wade for Johnson in the White House,
0d Suterim, will then be comparatively
easy. Then, the last obstruction to the
radical programme being removed, the
Presidential election may be reduced to mere
formality through an enlargement of the mill
tary powers of General Grant, or il may be
indefinitely postponed, together with the cleo
tons for the next Congress- upon the convenient
plea Of necessity for the public safety. The
suspension of the voting upon the impeachment
articles, after the failure of the experimental
vote upon the eleventh, is a proceeding so
extraordinary and so suggestive, under the cir
cumstances, that we may build upon it the most
audacious revolutionary designs without strain
ing at or conclusions. The postpOnenent
beyond the Chicago Convention can only be
interpreted as party appeal to the conven-
ton and in view ola fixed design to remove
Andrew Johnson. The vote taken has dis
closed the vote required to consummate this
object, and the convention is expected to sup
ply the deficiencies in declaring the test of
party fidelity.
In any event, as complete defeat on the
impeachment will be complete vindication of
President Johnson vindication which will
entirely disarm the radicals so far as he is con-
cerned-we may safely assume that they will
still put Off the decisive vote till they are sure
of their game. For the time being his fate
and the fate of the republican party are in the
hands of the Chicago Convention, where
radicalism is rampant and conservatism is
almost invisible