Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1868-09-24
CLEARFIELD, Pa. THURSDAY, SEPT. "a, 1868.

"
and misdemeanors' articles of i'm
parchment were preferred against
him but majority Of the House Of
Representatives, not yet sufficiently
taught in the new school of political
morals, held the reasons insufficient
and rejected tho articles. The Presi.
dent, who did the right thing, habitu-
ally and always, at the wrong time,
or omitted II till il became impracti.
cable or useless, suffered the Secretary
Of War TO remain in his Cabinet as
one Of his Constitutional advisers for
more than year after he knew him
to be traitor to his counsels, leagued
with his enemies in their attempt to
disparage and degrade him, or at least
willing TO stand by in silence and see
him nnjustly disparaged and degraded
when q word oftruth from him would
have placed the conduct of the Presi-
dent beyond reproach. In proof of
this, a single example will suffice
The Secretary of War had timely
official notice that a mob was assem-
bling in New Orleans, and a massacre
was threatened. There were troops
enough near the spot to preserve the
peace. The oflicerin command asked
instructions, but the Secretary gave
none, and withheld the information
from the President until after the
massacre had taken place. A thous-
and public papers accused the Presi-
dent with knowingly permitting, or
even of abetting, the massacre. The
Secretary preserved a profound 81
lence Here was one secret which
he did not disclose, namely: that he,
not the President, with full knowledge
of what was threatened, stood by and
suffered the massacre, when three
words from him, "arrest the rioters" :"
sent by telegraph to the commanding
officer, in reply to his dispatch asking
for instructions, would have averted
the mischief The publication Of the
truth, which the plainest principles Of
official duty and manly honor required
of him, would have disabused the pub
lie mind and relieved the President
from the charge Of a crime of high Of
fetal atrocity The Secretary made
no explanatory publication, and the
charge was suffered TO rest on the
President IL was not because OF diff
fidence or habitual tardness in com
ing before the public that he failed in
this. Whom General Sherman, after
marching through the Confcderacy,
captured Johnston with the remnant
Of the Confederate armies, and applied
to the President for instructions as to
the terms Of capitulation, a day was
not suffered TO pass until Secretary
Stanton prepared and published a bull
letin accusing the successful General
of treachery, and containing nara
tive charged with mere fiction and
falsehood. But let the accusation
against the President pass unnoticed,
and witnessed silently the censurc
which il brought upon him. This
was perfdy; it admits of no excuse,
no extenuation but notwithstanding
this, the President retained him in Of.
fee. But when, at last, owing 10
the promulgation of Cabinet secrets,
which could be traced TO no other
source, his longer continuance as q
confidential adviser, became impossi-
sible, the hint was taken, bill was
introduced and passed the House
which, If il had become a law, would
have enabled him TO set the President
at defiance but il was so amended
in the Senate as to allow the President
to remove a Cabinet officer not select
ed by himself, and whom he felt un-
safe TO trust. 1t was declared by the
leading members of the Senate, and, if
/ remember well, generally assented
to, that the President ought 10 retain
the power in that class of cases, and
the amendment was made for the ex-
press purpose of leaving it in his pos.
session This amendment Of the Ten
ure-of Office bill vas the last act of
fairness toward the President in either
of the two houses of Congress. The
new code Of political morals which
Senator Morton declared himselfstudy-
ing, spread in the houses like the rim
derpest in the infected States of Hol.
land, until all the party, with few
rare and most honorable exceptions,
were touched with the contamination.
At last, after long endurance and
delay, the President, by formal Of
fetal act, removed the Secretary of
War, and appointed one Of the officers
of the department ad interim, TO take
charge Of the papers and business of
the Office until a successor should be
regularly appointed and qualified, and
he, the next day, nominated a success
sor to the Senate. For this the
House at once, by party vote,
impeaohed him. In their articles
they declare as high crimes and mis-.
demeanors separately, the removal Of
Secretary Stanton, the appointment
Of an officer to perform the duties Of
Secretary dd ,Htorim-that Is, 10 take
custody of the office, the books, and
papers, and correspondence, until a
successor could be confirmed and COM
nlnclOntus lutl ItNtTbtu 10 past
acts, and impoached him for having
replied with bad temper TO their
taunts and insults They impeaohed
him for having expressed an opinion
unfavorable to their power Of framing
an amendment TO the Constitution TO
bind ten States which they would not
suffer TO be represented when they
framed it, they impeached him for
doubling the propriety OF compelling
the ten States TO accept the articles
so prepared for them under penalty
or under the pressure of military
force and thoy impeached him for in
quiring Of a military officer what had
been done with a certain regiment Of
troops of the United States which Con
gress had, by an act passed over his
veto. taken from under his command
and disposed of without bis knowl-
edge--each Of these, and others too
frivolous TO name, che House, by o
party vote, found TO be a high crime
or high misdemeanor. They sol