Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-04-29
THE OFFSPRING OF AssAsSINA-
TON

u
to have purged from his breast, in a mat
ter of great moment the acerbity and
rancor which runs with the hot blood Of
youth, applies this truculent and con-
temptuOus phrase to the President Of the
United States, in an argument prepared
in the cold deliberation Of his closet. la
one sense, it is true, Mr.. Johnson access
sion to the Presidency was the result OF
the assassination of his predecessor; but
in another and the proper sense, 1t was
boy the choice of that portion Of the peo-
! pie who participated IT, the regular quad
rennial election for President and Vice
President held in 1864 He was elected
President in the contingency Of Mr.. Lin
coins removal by whatever caused
: whether the bullet Of crazy assassin or
tue ballot Of a court Of forswOrn parti-
sans on charges Of Impeachment When
! Mr. johnson falls under the axe Of inns
parchment. if the law Of 1892 be consti-
| tutional Mr.. Wade will egitimately sue,
coed him And this brings US to cons
slider Mr. Wade as the probable Off
spring Of impeachment, and to com
parison Of the respective merits Of the
two processes for getting rid of Chief
Magistrates
Assassination is an awful mode,
though not a new one, of dealing with a
Chief Executive whose course has Of
Tended Ii ID utterly condemnable by
every code, and can find no warrant
whether done by an organized faction in
a state like that led by Cromwell a
club inspired by the frenzy Of an infu-
rated mob, or the pistol or stiletto Of
a single malcontent On the other hand,
impeachment is prescribed and sane
toned proceeding, and proper and salu-
J tafy when originated in upright motives
and founded on just causes. Lacking
these qualities, however, it is a terrific
fundamentally, capable of being welded
to purposes of ingenious mischief ex-
ceediug in disastrous consequences to
the well-being Of society and govern
ment, its ruthless counter part-murder
Such an impeachment and such is the
character of that to which Mr. Johnson
is being subjected, is worse than assas-
sination in that it is done coOlly and
| corruptly, and without the excuse Of rev
dictionary passion. 1t is alike the cause
and the effect Of the gradual democrats
cation which permits it. It's hurtful in
6uences ramify farther into the frame
work of society A beheading or a fatal
shot is a gust of passion that comes
and goes, and leaves no fixed in
jury. 1t shocks and appals for the
time, but the reaction from its impress
sion corrects the damage Not so with
the elimination Of a conspiracy OF fac
tious leaders for the deposition Of a cons
stitutional magistrate by the forms Of
perverted law In this the most outrage~
Gus of public vices, the lust of i'll got
power, is made to wear the garb of virtue.
The conscience Of the people who indorse
or endure it, is stupefed with specious
sophistries, until they came to look COM
placently on a gigantic crime as but the
execution of just punishment.
This however, is but one of the evil
effects of malevolent impeachments.
They establish themselves as precedeats,
and bring into life formidable and in
sidious foe to stability. The conviction
and removal of Mr. johnson on the frivo-
lous pretexts which have been alleged,
will, in all probability, commence a system
which will make the Presidency of un"
certain tenure, and place its incumbent,
at any period, at the mercy Of a partisan
majority of one House of Congress, and a
conyicting two-thirds of the other
plant to its purposes Instead Of having
the head of the government fixed for
definite period, it will rock in every
ductuation of popular feeling, and fall at
the dictation Of every successfully
organized faction which may getcontrol Of
Congress. Is the assassination and forced
abdication so prevalent in Mexico worse
than such a condition Such precedent
too, would infuse into political contests
already violent enough, a ferceness
which, year in and year out will fret and
yex the public mind derange business,
promote distrust, and pave the way to
revolution upon revolution, until this
poor country will be almost afraid
to know itself" From the successful i'm
parchment by one party Of the President
elected by the other, it will be but one,
and an easy step, to expulsion by force and
the overthrow Of all law Laws abused
to bad ends soon lose their force and be-
come contemplate, both to those who are
to execute and those who are to obey
them and the peryersion Of one which
provides for change in the Chief
Executive of government will produce
utter lawlessness and endless discord.
Viewed in this light, impeachment in-
spired by party hate and demanded by
party necessity, is a crime blacker than
assassination. 1t does not simply, by a
fell act remove one man from place, but
poisons the very fountain of national
security And by this much, are the
hoary heGded raiier we have quoted, and
his associates, worse than the fanatic
who sent Lincoln to an untimely grave
---
THE Legislature adopted a resolution
requesting the Governor Ito Issue a writ
Of election to the State at large for the
purpose Of electing one additional mem
Der to Congress- Gov Brownlow issued
the proclamation in accordance with this