Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1868-05-16
IMPEACHMENT.
Reply Of the Senator Henderson to the Mis-
souri Deleg alton.

The Missouri Congressional Delegation hav-
ing advised Senator Henderson, from that State
to withhold his vote on any Of the articles of
Impeachment on which he could not vote TO
conviction; and subsequently rec considered
their opinion as expressed, but still insisted
that he Senator Henderson, should withhold
or cast his vote as might seem necessary on
some one article as TO secure conviction; he sent
them letter on the l4th inst, saying, "that,
having been compelled, as a member of the
Senate, to take an oath TO try this case and do
impartial Justice according 10 the law and the
evidep ce, cannot now honoTabIy escape the
duties imposed by the obligation. Hence l
have resolved TO remain at my post aud dis
charge my duty as it Is given TO me to know
it, &c.
In their reply 10 that letter, dated Yesterday,
they except to .oue or two errors of fact there.
in, abc give their version of their interview
with Senator Henderson; saving: that at their
first interview the 12th instant, he offered 10
resign his position Senator from Missouri III
they requested him TO do so that they did not
wish TO do SO; that he SAID to them that he
would do anything they desired, except violate
bis conscience in voting ior the ccnvicton of
the President on the first eight articles of i'm
peachment; that they understood this to mean
that he would withhold his vote on these arti.
cles IL so requested, or resign his position as
Senator, that having been spoken Of in the con.
versation that at the second interview they did
not concede '.ihe unreasopableness'' of the re-
quest, but that it might have been based upon
a mlsapprehension Of what he had indicated
his willingness to dO; and that he expressed
his confident belief that the President would
be convicted on the 1lth article, and stated
that he Dad intended TO vote for con yiction ON
the 11th article until the Senate put a construc-
tiOn upon 1t that did not meet his views: and
that he was still inclined to vote for 1t.
To this last communication Senator Hender-
son this merning returned the following
answer
WASHINGTON CITY, MAY 16 1868.
GENTLEMEN: l will not protract an unpleas-
ant correspondence. But you must permit me.
in the sa me spirit of kindness manifest in your
letter OF yesterday, which, for the first time,
see In the papers of this morning, to say that
your first interview with me at my rooms, on
Tuesday morning, TO me the most torturng
interview ever held with friends, was not Of
my seeking. / had no notice of it, and
as / stated to you at the time, was great
ly grleyed that you should have felt con.
strained by duty, AZ you assured me, to seek
the interview and present for my consideration
your views on this question OF impeachment
What occurred at this interview l need not
repeat. II is true that offered to resign rather
than do W hat you requested. 1t seemed to me-
under the deep humiliation (excuse the word
of the moment, that could do nothing else /
did ask you to revise your opinions and TO act
with deliberauon, and remarked, if cou Id not
comply without doing violence to my con-
science, would resign. But, gentlemen, in all
fairness, do you not DO me great in in stice when
You sayI made the statement placed in quotation
marks, AS follows, TO wit: That you III would
co anything we you) desired, except violate
your (my) conscience in voting for the con vic-
ton OF the Presldenc on the first eight articles
OF impeachment. knew you did not intend
4, but your requests, both verbal and written,
presented TO me the sharp alternatives of per.
jury or resignation. My first impression was that
could save my honor by res ignng, and at
Cnce embraC ed 1t. i know you would not be
understood as canvassing the impression that,
though unwilling. TO per.ure myself on eight
articles, might possibly consent to do SO on
the remaining three. And if remained in NV
nn hQ tod hat
withhold my vote On any article unless salts.
fled that the law and the evidence justified nv
course. Surely coIld gain nothing by keep
ing conscience on eight articles and Violating
It on three, or even one. IL is true that the Sec
ond interview was a: my instance, but only to
protest against what regarded a most
.unreaS able" request, and to show
you its unreaso,Ia bleness 1 mentioned
several facts, and among them: st. That with
holding my vote would leave the result in any
state of the case the same, as il REG ured two
thirds to convict; and, I'd. That had been
assured by several gentlemen protesting To
know, that the President would be con yicted
on the eleventh article by two, three, or four
votes more than the necessary two-th ma
jority, though / mi zht vote adversely. You
stated that If such were the fact. all you wanted
was a conviction, and you cared not how
1 might feel constrained TO vote, provided
the end, which you thought essential TO the
safety Of the country, could be obtained But
You insisted that if were not certain of this
result you desired my resignation, in order that
my place could be supplied with one who
could conscientiously carry out the wishes Of
our people.
And now it was at this point that 1 promised
to ascertain whether l must resign or not
did not want time to consider whether / could
change my vote or sit silent, or commit per-
jury, but simply whether there would be con.
viction regardless Of my vote. These things
We're done on the spur of the moment, and al
most without counsel on my part, and to me
under u sense of humiliation which l cannot
describe. So soon az had time to reflect on
the subject, determ ned to remain In my seat
and do my duty Ii nv constituents, honest
condemn me, Will give up my seat when il
can be done with self-respect. Yours truly,
J. Il. HENDERsON
To Messrs. VIM. A. Pile, e.. A Newcombe J.
j. Gravely, j. w. McClurg, Geo w. Ander-
son and j. F. Benjamin