The New York herald., 1868-06-02

ing oil matters that everybody knew before or tesii
iyng, as General Thomas did, how the conflicting
secretaries OF war fought out their battle over
elass 0l erog formed scene which could never De M
regarded as tragedy, but which now and then mi NJ
well have been mistaken for comedy. SO COM
pletely out OF place all the passions wh Gu nave
characterized the State trials OF history that attempts
10 invest the proceedings with Fictitious Importance
had the effect Of burlesque. me oTuutup t@SS
aooM treason Jeu nat II was slpIe mp I, I,J1com m a y,
treated 1t as such. Mr. Johnson is accused OF ms
demeanor in his administration tne penalty mat ior
which Is at most removal from his Office The trial.
4 accordingly has dealt minutely with comparatively
small affairs. 1t has been tedious rather than exct-
| ing The political element has been Kept In the
| background, and extreme partisans on either side
| have been reduced to powerlessness. The speeches
and II has been found impossible to invest them with
the intense personal interest which a great tria
1t is very curious to observe how crcum-
stances have combined, during the progress of the
cause ITSELF to diminish the importance @ Of the result M
| South, and 1t was in the interests Of Southern re-
| construction that his removal was go exceedingly
desirable. But since the trial began Southern affairs
have put on brighter aspect. Whether 1t is due to
paralysis Of Mr. Johnson's obstructive activity or to
| diminished reliance upon him among the Southern
! whites, IT Is certain that they have completely
changed their policy during the last two months.
We anticipated that the result Of making active par
tlcpation in the polls the only way to defeat the new
constitutions would he to prevent such mscarriages
as that IN Alabama, but we by no means anticipated
that 1t would be Immediately followed by the adOp-
ton Of new constitutions by five other States. Yet
that s the position Of Southern reconstruction at the
Five States have adopted new and republican con-
situations and their representatives are standing at
the doors OF Congress with those constitutions In their
hands. OF those representatives large majortty
.are republicans, as loyal TO me central gooerene
or o~a ar,saa e as arg of the Senar
or Representatives from Northern States Nor 40
they repre- sent either narrow majority or special
have been immense and both majority and minority
have been composed of mixed multitude OF all
classes and both The line OF demarcaton be-
tween republicans and democrats has nowhere
been coincidt.nt with that of race. Black men
White men men nave voted with the republicans;
and in North Carolina, Arkansas and Georgia
Mr.. Johnson's gam Of Southern obstruction is ap-
paren played QUIZ mai his pNy mas eow yeg GE
defeated. The sou thern people, repenting their
foolish dependence upon the e. bse ey got at
trial finally disposed Of WIN BE- to give legislative
Caroiinas are ready to be restored at once on the
conditions Congress has laid down. Like Mr.. john
son, but In different &c. they are waiting for the
verdict and 1t will be o ca lrious Coincidence almost
example OF poetcal juN Ice, II Mr.. Johnson should
be leaving the White Ho use under sentence of ex-
puson just as the represen atves OF these states are
returning to Washington N nd the States themselves
being welcomed back to their 1u, 1ree hnd con-
constitutional share In the ,owers and privileges OF
the central government
from the Londerl Star, May 1871
The Senate OF the United tates, assembled as
court OF impeachment, came TO decision on Satur-
day on the eleventh article )f charge against the
President BY the constitution Of the States, in the
impeachment OF public officers as IN other Important
questions, . majority Of tweI birds IS required to
procure conviction. Thirty I'VE members OF the
Senate voted on Saturday again 80 Mr. Johnson anu
nineteen for him. This division was taken upon the
eleventh and last article OF n4 eacnment, ana tne
considera tion of the remaining articles was post
poned for ten days. As the chaa ges upon which a
decision was thus come to wers the most material
of those preferred against ] lr. johnson, and
as on these the Managers OF the impeachment
have failei to obtain valid majority against
the accused 1t may be taken for granted that the
President has for the present es capped the tolls IN
which he ha entangled himself nd has baffled his
the division OF Saturday was SUIT cienty to
be significant warning to airy bn the most obst-
nate and pelverse OF men; thai ln senate, IN tnis
perfectly at with the Lower Ho use, has declared
quite as distinctly as conycti@ could have de-
Cared Its want Of confidence IN u administration
Of the President, am that this moi al condemnation
represents heartily and honestly the sense OF the
country. Still ready to como ede that the fall
ure OF the impeachI nent is in sdegree a triumph
for the democratic party, and Ou!Mt TO teach he
american people 80 me uSerM tesSoaaS =" the dfr OF
It is desirable thi It Engshmen should clearly un-
derstand the issues hch the impeachment trial was
instituted for the press purpose OF solving We
are not to suppose At the law set In motion at
washington to test any such questions Of public
policy and jurispru Dnce as raised by the trial
OF Warren Hastings or IN recent times, by the
OF Cow rnor Eyre. The American con-
stitution provides II impeachment before the Sem
ate as a safety valve, for what would otherwise be
the excess OF powty placed IN the hands of the
preme executive OIL Ger of the Union. To q cOnvic-
ton on impeachme 1t no penal consequences are at
tached beyond Nal from and disqualification for
office. This machf ery, in fact, cumbrous as 1t must
be and inefficient in an extremity as it has now
proved to be- is the ,correlave In the American sys
TEN TO O vote OF W nt Of confidence in Ministers In
our own Parllap ent. The issue in both cases.
In the OF Pre- ydent Johnson In the OF Mr.
Disraeli is in rea ty political one not legal one.
BY the technical pedantres Of the American consti
tuition the Issue been narrowed to certain legal
points, upon wt ich we have no business to offer
opinion. We HI every confidence in the honesty
and sincerity OF the Senate Of the United States and
feeling by no cans satisfied with the practical
suits OF the veJ dict, can point with no little re-
spect to the ch Iracer OF the trial simply deter
mined by legal considerations and without any refe
renee TO party ends The predictions of some writers
In this country as to the unfair and iegitmate char
acter OF an Al nercan impeachment are thus alsl1ed,
and for the IL ture trust that these critics will be
content to ait for the event Of such deliberations
before inculL atng IN prospect the character Of u
great people
nth respect to the general policy Of Mr..
Johnson we have 30 often and 80 recently expressed
q strong o. Union that 1t Is hardly necessary now TO
repeat that we believe him TO he dangerous poltl-
clan, nv chevous ruler and betrayer OF those
whom he (, vas put In his high place to represent.
shit the fe gal aspects OF the question about as you
please, th fact remains established that Mr. Johnson
was eledt I'd Vice President by the party then and
now inc II idng the majority OF the people OF the
United ct les to whose principles he is now diametr
cay opp osed and violently hostile. We cannot but
feel disa pponted that at this critical juncture the
American Constitution should have been Jound ,oant
ing IN ell zstctvthat 1t should have been unable to
shake d burden which Il loathes ana shoutd
or a continental despottsm. Fortunately, the
period OF MIR. Johnson's power, In the natural
course of things, draws to close. He was never
elected Jas First Magistrate by the free voice OF the
peope and 20 is he from the chance OF being 30
chosen know that there no respectable party con-
nectio In the United states, no decent faction even
who would have him at any price as Its candidate
between the present time and the date Of the next
| Presidential election the American people and the
| Congress would do well to consider whether state
OF the Law which permits the outrageous conduct ol
Presid .nt Johnson to pass with impunity does not
! ask for an immediate and radical change. Let us
for moment make the case our own. Inc A pres, 81
| dent, after ALL has little more power, In some re
spects he has even less power, than an English Pre-
mier. We chafe at this moment under the unw0nted
and unjust, and as we say, the unconsnutona
spectacle OF an English Premier holding once IN tne
lace OF hostile majority; but would this position
acknowledged even by tories to be exceptional and
PROVISIONAL be tolerated for an instant II MI Disraen
ca any other statesman were to persist In cngng y
fower for two three or four years, In defiance o