New-York tribune., 1868-03-02
NEW-YoRK, MONDAY, MARCH ., 1865.

of Mr. Ewing and his explanatory message; but this
time not quick enough TO efiectuay disguise his pur-
poses His pretenses of Difference TO his constitu-
tonal obligations have thus vanished in view of his
acts. His violent obstnacy and pugnacous temper
are to be confirmed vices of his character. His
audacty of conduct is seen to be limited only by OBJ
tuseness Of intellectual perception His forbearance
where he has praciced it, is seen to be not the fruit
of wise discretion, declining collision with the
Legislative Department, but the offspring simply Of
cunning apprehension Of consequences. We
see this in his illegal efforts to exclude Mr. Stanton
from office, from which he only dessted when he
found himself foiled by the loyalty of subordinates
in both civil and military life.
We may 20 further and charge that the President
has laid himself open to the gayest suspicious in
gard 10 his future Intentions The creation of own
notion and TO the surprise Of everybody, OF new
military district with Washington for its headquar-
ters and the successive appointments OF. next TO
Grant our two most distinguished Generals, with the
same title as the General-in-Chief, had, palpaby.
military purpose in view. What object the President
had in trying to bring Sherman or Thomas here to
antagonist Grant. with entire military department
under the control Of the new commander, we can
only now conjecture. Hitherto it has turned out
that every successive act of the President i'll hostility
to Congress has been little worse than its prede-
cessOr We have right, then to infer that he pre-
meditated some scheme of violence, from which we
have only been saved by the honorable and unseish
conduct of these two great Generals each success
svely declining the Presidential temptation. They
both evidently suspected the Presidents intentions
or they would not have de clined his offer.
We know nothing in their history more honorable to
these men than their refusal and il is adamning tes
timony against Mr.. johnson from which he can
never escape We pass by the allegation that the
military commander of this District, Gen. Emory
was approached by Executive influence to know how
far he could be relied on to support semi-coup
d'6tat with the single observation that we shall
probably never know what a escape the
country has had from bloody collision instIgated
by Executive malevolence.
Mr. johnson goes to his trial and before the coun-
try under this fresh illumination of his record. We
do not see how the conservative sentiment of the
country is going to divide the question Of his cu
pabiliy Setting aside as wholly untenable
the extreme doctrine Of some lawyers that an Of
fcer Of Government cannot be impeached except
for an ndctable ohense, We conclude that, without
reference TO the charges of usurpaion of power and
violation of law which admit of no denial, that the
President is Justly amenable to charges of high mis-
demcanors in numerous instances throughout the
whole course Of his career President and that
such will be the constrained verdict OF public opinion
everywhere. in other countries well as our own.
We come TO tins conclusion in full recognition Of the
extreme sensbility Of some Democratic journals,
who urge the preservation of the just balance OF
power in the Executive aud Judicial branches of the
Government, which we accept pleasing evidence
OF their impartiality and candor. This may delay
but it will not always deter them from joining in the
general verdict. rs. p.