Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1868-04-22
fs.S. ROW, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR.
CIIEARFIELD, PA, APRIL %, 1868.
The Impeachment

The counsel for Mr. johnson announced
the close of the testimony for the defense on
Saturday 1t is understood that they re-
serve the right to offer other witnesses, for
good cause shown, but do not anticipate any
probability of their doing so. Their case
has finally broken down on the refusal, by
the Senate, to permit members of the Cabi-
net to testify to their part in advising the
President as to the unconstitutionality of the
Tenure-of- Office Law, and as to the subse-
quent acts of the accused and his Cabinet in
relation thereto up to the time when Mr..
johnson sent in his message of February
2lst. An interrogation as to the applica-
bility of the law to the Secretaries appoin-
ted by Mr.. Lincoln was twice ruled out, be-
ing first put by one of the counsel, and sub
sequently by Senator Sherman. The defense
thereupon rested their proof. We have no
intimations as to the extent of rebutting
testimony to be offered for the prosecution,
but it is not likely to be general, or materi-
ally to delay the approaching termination
of the trial
Criticisms have been very freely applied
to the action of the Senate in admitting a
large amount of testimony not strictly perth
nent to the main issue before it for judg-
ment, viz: Did, or did not, the President
violate law which it was his duty to obey?
These criticisms are certainly not applicable
to its refusal to receive this line of proof. the
rejection of which has terminated the de-
fense. 1t is here clearly held that the Pres
ident is responsible for his Cabinet, not
his Cabinet for him, and the Senate declines
to consider the advice or opinions OF his
subordinates as having any legal bearing
upon the defense of his official acts Widely
as the Senate had opened the way for the
accused to prove the intent which he alleg-
es in excuse for his official acts, and liberal
" as they have. for the most part, construed
the rules of evidence, many times waving, in
the interests of an impartial development
of the truth in its minutest particu lars, the
stringent and well-settled principles upon
which those rules have been founded, even
this liberal and unprecedented impartiahty
could not clothe the opinions and advice OF
third parties with the fairtest shadow of
Just relevancy to the question of innocence
or guilt The Senate gave to Mr.. johnson
unlimited scope in his efforts to show, by his
own private or official declarations and acts,
the nature of his,objections to the law and
the intent which he claims to have been
governed by, and which he would have
manifested in any of his proceedings to re-
sist it. The declarations and advice of 9th
er persons. whether Cabinet officers, press
correspondents or otherwise, are properly
held to be foreign to that or any other branch
of the. issue, and were excluded accordingly.
Nothing indeed, could have made these ex-
traneous matters admissible as proof except
the adoption of the Sumner resolution. or
its equivalent, which proposed, in effect, to
permit either party to offer evidence at its
discretion, admitting all and rejecting moth
ing-the adoption of which, as.such, would
have extended the trial to the dog days.
The testimony having substantially term
mated, the arguments will follow, and the
present week will likely suffice to bring the
case to close. Whatever may be the re-
suit, the verdict of the Court will be anx-
iously looked for by the whole country
TAXATION OF NATIONAL BANK STooK.-
The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania has
decided in suit brought by the county oi
Montgomery against VIM. Mintzer, that
shares of national bank stock, in the hands
of stockholders, are liable to State tax. The
leading intent of the twenty third section OF
the act of Assembly of April 29, 1874, is to
reach money in every form of investment.
1t is equally clear that the shares in nation
al banks have been by express provision in
the forty-frst section of the National Bank
ing law of June Sd, 1864, left open to state
taxation as part of the personal estate of
the holder, provided the rates of taxation
do not exceed that assessed upon other mon
eyed capital in the hands of individual citi-
zens of the State, and do not exceed the
rate imposed by the State upon her own
State banks. "A p. +. SIN. Clio. The
language of several provisions of the act ol
Congress tsays Justice Nelson of the Uni
ted States Supreme Court: Van Allen VS..
Nolan, Am. Law Reg. Vol. 5 p. 6l0) is so
explicit and positive as scarcely to call for
judicial construction.
The Kentucky Statesman saws: ifThe