The Waynesburg Republican. [volume] (Waynesburg, Pa.) 1867-18??, 1868-06-03
WENDELL PEisB5PS ON IMPEACH-
MEM.

!
No matter what Mr.. Justice Chase
announces, thirty-live Senators out of
iifty-four have pronounced President
Johnson guilty. Poll the nation and
seven out of every ten say Amen to
that verdict. A technical rule Of tho
Constituton-requiring twO-thirds
vote-may save his Office; but tho
Judgment of the nation Is recorded
against him as criminal. Thus far
he leaves the tribunal set to try him,
free from any Punishment but infamy,
The only difference between this and
conviction is that, convicted, he
would have gone forth bearing his
disgrace alone, BY this, which men
call acquittal, he drags half a dozen
Senators down with him TO ihiamy:
Liberty knows nothing but victories.
Our whole success for thirty years past
has been fed by just such defeats as
this. The annexation Of Texas, tho
compromise of 1850, Kansas trampled
in blood, Bull Run, the second cleo
ton of Lincoln, his murder; all these
Seeming defeats were victories in dis
guisc. The traitors who plotted these
successes" were the only men who
died by them. Polk, Seward, Pierce,
Webster, Clay, and their fellow-oon-
spirators, all died by their own hands.
In the light of such history wo
should read this hour. Menwh walk.
ed then with proud scorn, now. hang
their heads in the pity or contempt Of
the world, and are objects Of the special
hate of the parties they led to ruin.
Poor Pierce and Buchanan stood ~
vainglorious and flattered, Wanting
their "consciences" as loudly in days
gone by, as Trumbull and Fessenden
do to-day. One may fancy those half
forgotten wretchcs, rising up from,
their living tombs at Lancaster and
Concord, to cry out TO these fresh
comrads, care ye to become like unto
us?"-whilc. Marshfeld and Ashland,
scorningsuch fellowship, proudly claim
that if they fell, they at least fell be-
fore temptations of q more decent
level.
We care comparatively little for tho
results of this acquittal at the Norths
1t only intensiiies little the atone
ment we deservedly pay for our long
completely with the slave power. A
little more business prostration, a little
more suffering by the laboring classes;
and we have all richly deserved hun
dred times as much. But when we
think of the unsheltered heads of
Southern loyalisis, white and black;
when we think Of this Pacha of AS
sassins again let loose; Of Anderson
vile reopcned; then, putting Fessen-
den and Trumbulls name side by side
with the infamous ones of Ice and
Davis and handing them down, blood
stained, to the loathing of history, we
cannot but remember that,those arch
fiends Of Mississippi and Virginia were
angered to that horrible revenge by
the defeat Of q great revolution which
they had nursed for years. But these,
their mean allies from Maine and Hi
nois, steep the South in the murder,
from motives which make even treason
additionally contamptible.y We beg
pardon even Of Lee and Davis for az
sociating such despicable crime with
theirs.
We never supposed Fcssendcn would
vote for impeachment. His associ.
ates long ago charged him with such
shameless and greedy nepotism as
shocked even the corruption of Wash
ington; prostituting his high place to
crowd hungry kinsmeh into Office.
Whether this be true or not, we have
no means Of knowing. But the Sen
ator whose character was such that his
comrades could even SO suspect, him
would, of course, be wholly un-
able to stand the pressure Of an honr
like this. Such a mans speeches are
the last source we should resort to
for measure Of his motives. E We
will read his argument the moment any
man will show us the slightest reason
for snpposing that it had the least in
fiuence on his opinion. D-.I ~ ''
.