The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-08-14
FIRST EDITION
TtHADDEUS STEVENS.

11,. ConrressiOnaI Carser-The P-mm-
uvlVamiN School System HIS CIR latest
Pride.
A corrspondent of the New York Tribune
writes from Washington, as toltows!-
About a fortnight before his severe Illness,
which compelled him TO abandon, as one of the
Managers OF impeachment, the prosecution of
President johnson, l spent an afternoon with
Thaddeus Stevens. 1t was the day before the
ORGANIZATION of the Court of Impeachment and
he was in unusual spirits at the prospect OF the
esTly success of movement which he had
anaupurated and pioneered The prospect of
success Mt that time was very hatterlng to the
impeachers: it seemed that the trial, convlc-
ton and removal OF the President would prove
n fitting climax to the career of his most earnest
and bitter enemy; aud during our conversation
yentured to suggest TO him that he was almost
ready TO exclaim with simeon, Lord let thy
servant depart in peace" He answered, with
out hesitation, that he had mo wish 70 90 Just
yet.n
growing old and weak, and must look forward
to an early end to my career, but" and he spoke
in a matter-oi-iact tone and manner, Il have no
intention of dying just yet"
The spirit proved stronger than the flesh on
that occasion, though his illness compelled him
to relinquish an active part in cause in which
he was undoubtedly enlisted heart and soul; but
his death on August IL. But though the flesh
grew weak even unto death, the spirit does not
appear to have faded in the least. iii were
possible for him to describe his own death-bed
he would doubtless say that 'he died hurrah-
II am going to die like Nicanor," he said to
me ON the occasion have alluded to, I'm har-
ness. | mean to die hurtahng"
He attached peculiar meaning to this last
phrase, which was ii tavorite one with him, and
/ have heard of his using it on two or three
occasions. Que of these is noteworthy. A citi-
zen of Knoxville, Tenn, had visited him, and
had conveyed to him message OF respect and
good wishes from Governor BroWnlow, who, by
the way, is an admirable prototype of Mr.,
Stevens, possessing the same earnest, bitter and
indomitable spirit, alike in hate and IN gene
rosity, and not unlike in (ugliness ot person.
When his visitor was about taking his leave,
Mr.. Stevens SAID to him:-
Give Governor Brownow my respects; tell
him hope he will be restored to health, and
live long time and that say when he dies to
die hurrahing."
/ first met Mr.. Stevens in the room of the
Impeach hment Committee, just across the lobby
from the Speakers desk in the House of Repre-
sentatives. When | went in the room the Com
miltee was not, of course, in session. Only MIR.
Stevens General John A. Logan. and General
BENJAMIN +. Butler were present. MIR. Stevens
was at one end of the long committee table,
munching a soda-cracker. Logan and Butler
were at the other end digging with huge PEN
knives into a large cheese, and eating cheese
and crackers with evident relish. Occasionally
they would address a word or two to Mr.. Stevens
on the all-absorbing question of impeachment
but at th at moment-the lunching hour-their
chief attention was devoted to the edbles. At
the moment, Mr.. Stevens was waiting for his
servants to come to carry him to the
carriage which usually conveyed MIN 10 MS
house, and not beng able to talk to HIM freely,
and fully there, | made engagement with
HIM for an hour or two OF the afternoon. While
WAS still in the Committee-room talking to
him and his associates II the servants, two
young and stalwart white men, came for Mr..
Stevens. They took him up as he sat-chair
and all-aud conveyed him through the lobby
TO the Southern entrance of the Capitol, where
the carriage awaited him. The incident served
to remind General Logan of an anecdote of Mr..
Stevens which illustrated at once the humor
and : hoi ipAn nu,ita oh a nil n m
Logan stated that on one occasion while he
was being thus carried by his servants who are
both young men hardly in the prime of life, Mr..
Stevens turned to them aud said drily, but hesi-
tatinely, sho wing by his feeble manner and tone
his exhausted condition.
"Boys, l wonder how I'll get to the House
when yod two die"
He seemed to think he was never to die but
always to be member OF the House.
During the first part OF the interview some
thing was said by me relative TO Mr. Stevens
famous speech comparing Mr.. johnson to Charles
!, and declaring the formers usurpations greater
thanEt those of the English King, and in any
other country would have cost a king his head.
He said that their cases were parallel in a great
many particulars-in the contendng parties,
the personal actors, and the prlncioles involved.
Something Of the same idea had occurred TO my
MUD day or two previous, while reading Gold
win Smiths '"ThIee English Statesmen" then
just published in this country, and which had
read in the cars en- route to Washington. inter
rupted him by remarking that had come to look
upon him as the John Pym of this mpeach-
ment and read TO him from a note book a
passage from Smiths volume which seemed to
me 10 apply as well to him AS to Pym:-"He h I'D
stood" says Godwin Smith, speaking of Pym,
''among the foremost OF those evll.tempered
spirits who protested that the liberties of Par
lament were not the favors OF the crown bat
the blrthIight of Englishmen, and who, for so
dong, we're imprisoned without law. He had
resolved, as he said that he would rather suffer
for speaking the truth than the truth should
suffer tor want OF his speaking" l would have
gone on with further quotations, but Mr. Ste.
Vens interrupted me-
THAT is uuImportant; the parallel is not
strong-not so strong as | would like to think
it-for greatly admire curt and crusty old John
Pym; it is not as strong parallel as Macauay
unconsclously drew twenty years ago. His
arrangement of Charles | in the first volume
o, his history, applies with hardly change OF
word, except names, to Andrew johnson. 1t Is
really remarkable document. Give me that
volume of Macauay, aud will showyou the
passages"
/ handed him avoume of Macaulay, and turn
ing to some marked passages ne read rapidly,
interpolating his explanations.
Much of this Mr.. Stevens quoted. At length
he finished with this passage. not read, but
quoted from memory, with the book closed, and
pronounced in a very impressive Manner
'When a country is in the situation that Eng
land then was, when the kingly office is regarded
with love and Veneraton but the person who
hlls that office is hated and dlstrusted it should
seem that the course to be taken is obvious
The dignity of the office should be preserved
the person should be disc9rded."
Naturally enough all this led to my asking
him the chances Tor the success of impeachment
He answered very prompuY;-
"Good, ! think, now. We managed to gel
Buffers additional articles adopted to-day; anC
think Mr. johnson Will be convicted on them
Before the adoption of those articles we hadn'
tal1 at nd mi ftal lVuT,