The New York herald., 1868-05-04
NEW YORK HERALD, MONDAY, May, 1865 TRIPLE SHEET

l. Il
Chief Justice has no right to any voice. i
such rule is adopted the Chief Justice, con
sistently with his own dignity, can only with
draw. This will leave the court without power
to go on with the trial. Congress must then
stop and impeach the Chief Justice. It may
impeach and remove him and then it will be
in no better position, for the Presiden.
must nominate his successor. Here will
be grand dilemma. Perhaps the Pre-
sident will take his own time in
making the nomination of the man who is to
preside at his trial, and perhaps before the
court can again organize with the Chief Justice
at its head Mr.. Johnson's term will expire.
1t is pretty certain that the country viii
60 into the election with all this impeachment
fury unexploded if Mr.. Chase is driven out of
the court by the radical extravaganza, and we
shall have a canvass unparalleled in excite
ment. Extremists see in all this the danger
ofpushing their madness to the last point. 1t
is dangerous to them to let Chase be heard
1t will be more dangerous still to attempt TO
compel his silence; and in their desperation at
the difficulties that they find on every hand we
see an explanation of the maniac fury that
seems to be the only principle they act upon.
More Disgracefni Scenes in the House Of
Representatives.
The gross personal debate, If debate it can
be called, in the House of Representatives on
Saturday, between Donnelly, of Minnesota,
and Washburne, of Illinois, was, if possible,
more outrageous and indecent than that be-
tween the Impeachment Managers and Brooks,
Chanler and others the day before on the Alta
Vela guano matter. The foulest epithets were
hurled at each other. Language such as no
one would expect to hear outside of the slums
of the Five Points or some other such dens Of
infamy was used and reiterated in the halls Of
Congress- Here Is specimen:-Mr. Wash
burne said it was Donnelly's schemes of plum
der which made him (Washburne) oppose him.
every corrupt measure in Congress had re-
ceived Mr.. Donnelly's support" He, Wash
burne, eff called upon to make a personal ex
planation should only make it with member
(alluding to Donnely) who is not covered over
with crime and infamy, whose record is not
stained with every fraud-with whiskey and
other frauds-with man who has not
proved false alike to his friends, his
country, his constituents, his politics, his
religion and his God This is only q
specimen of much more of the same sort from
Mr.. Washburne. Mr.. Donnelly was not be-
hind in the use of choice Billingsgate He said
of Washburne:- there be in our midst one
low, sordid, vulgar soul-one mind barren
of mediocre intelligence, one heart callous to
every kindly sentiment and to every generous
emotion, one tongue leprous with sandcr, one
mouth which is like unto den of foul beasts,
giving forth deadly odors; if there be one
character which, while blotched and spotted,
yet raves and rants and blackguards like a
prostitute; if there be here one bold, bad,
empty, believing demagogue, it is the gentle
man from Illinois" Fool, liar, blackguard,
wretch, and such like epithets are freely used
while Speaker Colfax sits in his chair and
hears 1t all and the other members laugh and
enjoy it as fine fun. How dreadfully de-
moralized our national legislature has become
These foul-mouthcd members and an incompe-
tent Speaker are bringing the country into dis
grace. They are utterly unfit for the positions
they occupy. As to Mr.. Colfax, if there were
any way of impeachng and removing him from
the chair he has long disgraced and which he
is entirely incapable of occupying, it would be
a blessing to the country. All these scandalous
scenes, however, naturally result from the
Jacobin violence and usurpation of the radical
faction in power, and there is little hope of
change, we fear, until the people become
aroused and in the next elections send another
and better set Of men to Washington.