The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1868-03-17

Chief Justice Chase Assailed- Denuncistions
of Republican senators-Fears Of the Fail
ure of Impeachment.
Washington March % Correspondence OF the
Anti-Slavery Standard
The perils which surround the republic
have never been of graver character than
they are today. The President has been
tardily impeached on purely technical
grounds, which present opportunities for
LENGTHY and plausible defence, conducted,
as that defence is to be, by the ablest speci-
al pleaders in America. The devices inven-
ted to curb and check the President will, L
fear, return to plague the inventors. lie
can now plead in his defence an invasion oy
congress of prerogative which, whether
constitutional or not, has been sanctioned
By the law and custom of the republic Tor over
half century. The opportunity to assume
this nosition should never have been given
him. The moment he was proved to be
dangerous to the extent that he could not be
trusted with the usual powers of the office,
the proper remedy was not TO pass laws of
doubtful and unusual character, but to draw
the weapon from the constitutional armory,
placed there for Just such an emergency,and
with it to strike off his head. This was
again and again urged in these columns; but
timid half-awake congress allowed the
golden moments of opportunity to slip by,
the indignation of the people, raised to
feaver heat in the fall of 1867, to cool-and
now a rude buffet from the hand of the des-
not they have vainly tried to fetter, rouses
them to the spasmodie cry of impeachment
and thus we confront the issue ofto-day.
That the President is technically guilty OF
the Indictment framed, and that the law vio-
| lated is constitutional, though of an unusual
character, seems easily proven. But that
| the skillful lawyers who conduct the defence
| will be able to raise clouds of doubt around
| the whole subject is very certain. This,
however, is the least Of the dangers which
threaten to balk the purpose of the loyal
people, determined that johnson shall no
longer protect treason and punish loyalty in
| the presidential chair.
The chief Justice of the supreme court is
his ally. Salmon P. Chase, mad with the
presidential fever aud desperate in the con
seriousness of baffed plans, meaply jealous
of Wade, and, perhaps, cherishing the for
lorn hope of democratic nomination. joins
| forces with the enemy and stands as the
| presidential ally. 1t has been known for q
| long time that the relations between the chief
| Justice and president were more cordial than
was made necessary by the me1e official re
lations of the parties, and, last Wednesday
! night the rooms of the chief justice, filled
| with the gay and fashionable winter society
| of Washington, were startled as by an
electric shock when the doors we're flung open
and the usher, In loud Voice, announced
| ''the President of the United States and
daughter" Few who were present with me
! will soon forget the significant looks which
| passed from face to face through those bril-
liant and crowded rooms. as the unusual
event of the President of the United States
attending an evening reception of the chief
| Justice was fully realized. His carping let
ter to the senate-his refusal, at first, &c
obey the mandate TO appear as its presiding
officer-and his decisions of the following
day, are but the unfolding of plet to OBJ
struct and defeat, as far as possible, the con
viction of the President. How far he may
be able to work harm, depends, of course
on the firnness of the senate; but, in any
event, he is a serious obstacle with evil in
tentions only limited by his courage, which
latter, fortunately, is not great. He seems
determined TO maintain the consistency of 1
public career which may be summed mp il
these words: He never had an opportunity
to serve his party that he did not betray 1t.
The senate itself is the next great danger
There is reason 10 believe that a serious de
lection exists among the republicans on thil
question. Ross of Kansas, and Sprague, o
of Rhode Island tChase's son in-lawl ar,
already counted secure as two of the sever
| republicans it is necessary to win over Il
prevent a conviction. The more than prob
able detection of Fessenden would carry a
| +lap,a, he han,
skirts. The folly of congress in not provi
ding for the suspension of the President du
ring trial, will soon be evident. The bound
less opportunity this gives the culpri. to cor
rupt his judges will not remain unimproved
The most menacing danger of all, how
ever, is the probable decision, by a majorit,
of the supreme court in the case of McArdl,
that the reconstruction acts are unconstitu
tional. Congress has failed to pass the Law
requiring the two-thirds vote for such de
clsion (Trumbull stified the bill in the senate
and we are thus Fastening to point where
everything we have gained for loyalty ant
the negro is to be undone by judicial fiat.
The situation is alarming, and the peopl,
must be aroused, or all is lost. There shoult
be voice from the north, deep and lout
enough to make the senate keep its integrit,
and awe the supreme court, with its equivo
cal chief, into silence. Meetings should b,
held everywhere, and the country awakened
to its peril. My feeble pen can do little
What ] say here is in the minds and mouth
of all who know Washington society or poll
tics at ALL Yet you will hardly find it il
the editorials or correspondence of singh.
northern journal. The Especial dispatches,
which SO largely affect public opinion, ar
all carefully moulded by crafty politician
here or venal editors there, in the interest o
some candidate, never caring to speak tn,
exact truth once, and so the good ship, Will
the passengers all unwarned, drifts on al
unknown and dangerous shore.
1t the President comes out of that SENATE
chamber triumphant and armed with the pro
nounced decision of the supreme court OF
the unconstitutionaIity Of reconstruction
what law in the interest of freedom and 10y
atty will be thenceforth regarded? Pro
scrlption of loyal men, rehabilitation of trai
tors, the trampling down of the negro il
blood. and his own reelection by the comb
ned diabolism of the country, north anC
south, to all of which a demoraIized zreprb
lican party could offer hut weak resistance
this is the future which presents itself a.
the inevitable consequence of events which
are imminent
The south would then indeed be victori