The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1868-02-28
To Correspondents.


Aa- J. b. ROBINSON, office of the Rural Gentleman
No 2North Eutaw street, is authorized agent for
Baltimore.
Impeachment OGPrestIe,af John.
In these revolutionary times, events move
rapidly. Since our last issue, the Destructive
Faction, which holds its high carnival in
Washington, has been shifting its scenery
with bewildering rapidity; and even now the
public is waiting and wondering whether the
next scene is to open upon tragedy, or only
broad farce. That the mad faction which
now holds the reins of our government will
be satisfied with nothing short of the total
subversion Of our cherished institutions, to
be followed by despotism or anarchy, must
have been long since apparent to all candid
and unprejudiced observers.
The present is but one STEP or rather stride
in the road to ruin, in which, we fear, we are
fast becoming accustomed to travel
We cannot hope, in the limited space at
our command, to give full, or even wholly
ineligible, account of the movement now in
progress at Washington, which presents as
Its most conspicuous, though not really its
most important, feature, tie Impeachment of
the President Of the United States.
How President johnson, on the 18th of
August last, suspended Edwin NJ. Stanton,
from his position of Secretary of War; and
how, more recently, that official, through the
action of the Rump Senate and by the dupli-
city OF General Grant, sneaked back to- and
has since held on to, that position in spite of
the well-known and plainly expressed wishes
OF the President are matters fresh in the
minds of our readers On Friday last, the
President, in order TO get the question, and
the law under which the Secretary pretended
to hold over against the wishes of his supe-
rior, before the Supreme Court, which is the
only proper tribunal entitled by law to decide
the matter, issued the following order, per-
emptorily removing the Secretary from the
Office which he has so tenaciously clung to:
EXECUTIVE MANSION,
Nv AsHINGToN, Feb. 81, 1868. (
SIR: by virtue of power and authority
vested IN me, as President, by the Constitu-
tlon and laws of the United States, you arc
nereby removed from office as Secretary of
Inc Department of War; and yonr functions
as such will terminate upon receipt of this
communication. You will transferto Brevet
MAJOR General Lorenzo Thomas, Adutant
1eneral OF the army, who has this day been
authorized and empowered to act as Secre.
tary OF War dd interim, all records, papers
ana other public property now in Your custo-
dy and charge.
Respectfully yours,
"(Signed) ANDREW JOHNSON,
T.: Htnt of the United States
10 H. En- Irwin NJ Stanton, Washing
ton, d. C."
Upon the receipt of this order, Mr.. STAN
ton intimated to General Thomas his willing
ness to vacate, and only asked a little time
to arrange his private effects; and then
straightway transmitted copy of the order
70 the Senate. Whereupon the Senate, the
House and the ex-Secretary, each after its
kind, commenced the incubation of devil
ment.
The Senate, for the encouragement of their
facile tool, Matched the following:
"ReSotced By the Senate 0fHe United States
mat under the constitution and laws of the
United States the President has no power to
remove the Secretary of War and designate
any other officer to perform the duties of that
office ad interim"
The ex-SecretaIy went to work to prepare
an affidavit looking to an arrest of Gen.
Thomas for violation of the provisions of
the tenure of civil office" law and on Sat-
llr0ay morniuo tho Ho,orol ,-oz .., -
warrant from Judge Carter, Chief Justice
OF the District Supreme Court. The General
gave bail in the sum of five thousand dollars,
and then again demanded of Stanton the sur
render Of his Office, which was refused and
which demand has been daily repeated since
with like result.
In the meantime the House rescinded its
resolution to adjourn over till Monday, and
on motion OF Mr.. Covode received and re.
ferred to the Thad-Stevens- Committee res
olution declaring that the President be i'm.
peached for high crimes and misdemeanors
On Monday this resolution, after a protracted
debate, was passed by vote of yeas 1876, nays
AZ. Mr. Stevens then offered resolution for |
the appointment ola committee oftwo men,
bers to go before the Senate, and at the bar
thereof, in the name of the House of Repre-
sentatives and of all the people of the United
States, to impeach Andrew johnson, Presi-
ident of the United States, of high crimes and
in office, and to inform the
Senate that the House will present articles of
and will prove the same" The
resolution was adopted and on Tuesday the
committee, consisting of Messrs Stevens and
Bingham, appeared in the Senate, as thereby
provided, and formally impeached the Presi-
dent.
FROM these hasty and Incorporate pro-
ceedings of reckless, revolutionary faction,
we turn with pleasure to the calm, dispassion-
ate and able message which, on Monday, the
President sent to the Senate, in answer to its
resolution quoted above, and in vindication
ofhis course in the removal of Mr.. Stanton.
The President argues, that independent of the
tenure of civil Office" act, his right to remove
the Secretary of War and designate any
other officer to perform the duties of that Of
fee ad interim" is clear and undeniable, and is