The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-05-01

certaintv Of the conviction and removal oi
the President the accounts by mail from Wash
ington continue to represent his chances as
steadily improving. The National 1ntelli-
gencer Of Tuesday says: ut is noteworthy
that during the last two or three days there
has been the most striking change in public
opinion The speech Of Mr.. Groesbeck pro.
duced a very remarkable effect, and it's 'recep-
!on by the Senate has led to the belief that
portion of that body, sufficient to control the
result, are ready to hear and to weight argu-
ment, with a view to making. up an honest and
impartial judgment. On yesterday, we think,
majority Of the intelligent and well-info1med
persons withwhom we conversed, or of whose
opinions we heard, were impressed with the
belief that acquittal was probable, if not GER
tain. Outside of the list Of managers and
few ultras in the Senate, we hear Of nobody
that pretends to believe conviction s warrant
ed 'by any other consideration than party ne
cessity. The growing belief, in short, is that
impeachment is doomed"
MIR. GROESBECK's ARGUMENT.
Mr.. Groesbeck's argument began, like those
I of his predecessors on the same side, with a
consideration of the character of the tribunal,
the speaker urging that it is court, and not.
as the managers would have it, an institution
above all law; acknowledging no restraint;
worse than a court.martial in that it has
broader and more dangerous Jurisdiction. He
then proceeded to consider the specific acts
on which the articles are based, and to argue
arst. that Mr.. Stanton was not covered by the
Civil Tenure act; second, that if he was so
covered the law is unconstitutional, and there
fore no law at all; and third, that the Presi-
dent has the full right to make an ad Interim
appointment I pass over the main body of
the speech thus lightly, because the points
presented, although argued with much origi-
nalitv and force, have been the topics OF pre-
yious arguments, and send you full report OF
the conclusion of the argument, in which Mr..
Groesbeck advanced into new ground, so far as
the present trial is concerned, and defended
the President on theory, the boldness OF
which is matched by the eloquence with
which it was put. Looking back over the
case, he was glad to be able to say there we're
no political questions involved init. TheGues-
tions we're, where is the power Of removal lodg-
ed by the constitution? Is Mr.. stantons case
covered by the Civil Tenure act? Could the Pres
ident make an al interim appointment Did
he do anything mischievous in his interview
with General Emory? And then the mat
ter of freedom of speech, which he appre-
hended nobody would carry on his back as
heavy load for the remainder Of his life. Strip
ped Of all verbiage, that was the case upon
which their Judgment was asked. 1t shocked
him to think it possible that the President
could be dragged from his Office on such ques'
tions as whether he could make an ad in,ersn'
appointment for single day. Was this mat
ter justifying the disturbing of the quiet Of the
people; shaking their confidence in their Pres.
ident and driving him from Office? How mea-
gre. he said, how miserable is this case! An
ad interim appointment for single dayl An
attempt to remove Mr.. Stanton, who stood de.
family and poisoned all the channels Of inter.
course with the President. Mr.. Groesbeck
continued as follows:
Ido not speak this in censure of MIR. Stan
ton, but such is the fact. We have been re.
ferred to many precedents in the past history
Of England, but those precedents should oe
to you, Senators, not matters for imitation, but
beacon-Gghts to warn you from the dangerous
rocks on which they stand. What is to be
your Judgment, Senators? Removal rom
Office and perpetual disqualification !? II the
President has done ANYTHING tor which lSa,,1e ne
| o1eo he disnna1ified from holding Office
hereafter. What is his crime He tred 70
pluck thorn out of his heart, for it had
become thorn there, and the Senate had
fastened it there. What more had he done
He had made an dd anterara appoint,
ment to last for single day. You could
have terminated it whenever you saw ut; you
had only to take up the nomination Whlc1
he sent to the Senate, and which was good
nomination, and the ad interim would nave
hands; you had only to act on the nomlnatlor
and the matter was settled. That was ne
crime. 1 can point you to cases that have oc
CURED, and point especially to that case O.
Floyd's where the Senate in its legislative ca
pacity weighed the question, decided upon IL
heard the report Of the President, and recelvet
it as satisfactory. For the purpose OF tn m
President do? He talked with an officer abou
the law. That is the Emory article. Wha
else did he do? He made Incorporate speeches
when reviled he should not have reviled again
when smltten on the one cheek he should hav'
turned the other also; then he would have es
capped impeachment. But, said the gentleman
who addressed you the day before yesterday
he was eager for pacifcation and for tn
restoration of the South. I deny it, il
it, as being criminal. Here, too, th,,
| proaident fnlIowed reason. and trod the patl