The New York herald., 1868-03-05

ampton ana Bremen. The mails Tor Europe VIII cose NJ
the Post Office at twelve H.
The Impeachers and tho People-Slgnincant
| Returns.
Town elections held in several parts Of our
State on Tuesday, and others in Maine, show
decisive gains against the republicans. Such
is the direction of the peoples voice, and the
people are the court Of last resort Higher
than the "High Court that already struts in
the Senate chamber, the real grand inquest of
the nation, the voters at the polls give the
only judgment from which there is no appeal
1t is one OF the benefits mixed with the evils
| of impeachment that it is destined to give o
striking illustration that this fact is the vital
point in our political system. No hope for
the freedom and happiness of nation can be
founded on the assumed sanctity Of any law,
the patriotism Of any man. or the public virtue
OF any given body of men, their superiority to
corruption, passion, factious spirit, or base
motives of whatever sort. Written law may
be safety for time but as new conditions
arise and the letter of the law no longer
strictly covers all points, its spirit must be
relied upon, and this is FILTERED away by men
whose trade it is to make the worse appear the
better reason, or colored by the preconceived
convictions Of lawyers and judges till the view
taken of the intent and purpose of law be-
comes the accident Of education. Still less
is reliance to be placed upon definite political
bodies. Representative assemblies, senates,
courts are made up Of men seeking individual
development and advantage and in pushing
personal and selfish interests the question as to
how far such men will 60 and what lines they
will overstep is determined in each mans con-
science, and consequently is determined one
way or the other as men differ in their opinions
in regard to how much harm one can justidably
do ".hat good may come of it." But the politi-
cal quantity that is always certain is the
people. Always old and always young, joining
the calm reason Of ripened years with the en-
thusiastic love of country that is the glory of
youth-thus giving the grand average result
of the national life-the peoples voice is the
nations safety and it is the inherent life OF
our system that this voice is regularly, repeat
edly, eff ,iently brought to bear on all great
topics.
Never more than now were the necessity and
the advantage of this seen. In the city of
Washington there is in progress remarkable
spectacle. The Senate of the United States Is
to try case turning mainly on the validity Of
a law it assensed to and helped to make. 1t
has, therefore, all reasons that pride can sug-
gest to determine its law valid. It can scarcely
determine against its law; and determining in
favor, it finds the culprit guilty. Thus the
accused is condemned before he goes into
court And that, we are told, is the highest
tribunal, the most sacred bar our laws provide.
What mockery Of the very name of justice
ly less than judicial murder that he should be
condemned by men who had determined his
guilt in advance. He has q right to know as
far as may be that they who judge have never
declared their opinions. Yet only the other
day the Senate OF the United States formally
declared the President guilty Of the charges
now made against him-declared by
vote that the President had not the
right to exercise that power for the exer-
else of which it is now to try him. Nor Ia the
House of Representatives in more enviable
position. II puts forth eleven articles of accu-
sation. Two of these articles were formerly
considered by the House and it determined
against them. As for the other nine, they are
already given up as insufficient, If not ridicu-
lous, by the impeachment leaders themselves,
Bingham, Butler and Stevens. Yet on such
trumpery bill it is positively declared that the
Senate must convict and dare not do other
wise. 1t Is question Of political majority.
There is felton, rather Of courtesy than aught
else that the Presidents guilt or innocence is
q thing in doubt; that, as the learned counsel
argue on either side, no one shall know exactly
what the law is, and that that grand mystery
will only be made plain when the Senate rem
ders Judgment Yet in the meanwhile every
one knows exactly what the judgment will be-
Experts count the vote Of the court on their
fingers, having no other guide than a know
ledge Of the political complexion Of the judges.
Thus we come to the fact that in the highest
court known to our law, and on the most
serious case that can come before that court,
justice is denied tor political reasons. Parti
sans determine that their party requires the
OBSTRUCTION ol certAin lnau, anu ecy VIII
debauch the most sacred institutions OF
human government rather than see the
escape OF the victim. Such political
crime differs in form only, not in essence, from
the murder OF Tiberius Gracious in the pre-
ence Of another Senate and in this event
would lie the seeds and the excuse Of revo-
luton were there not already sufficient
remedy provided in the appeal to the people
at the polls. Not competent to come between
the accused and the accusers, the people stand
as If with the very attributes Of Divine justice
itself, that permits the crime 10 60 on, but
takes care that tho criminal escape not. Judg-
ing the judges, the people give effect to the
greatest Of all means for purifying power--in
.La=-in. hu a ,un ur.iX.- .~n.a.Dln lhnI ..n.u an