Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1868-03-11

heretofore; to wit, ON the 18th day Of Au-
gust, 1866, at the City Of Washiagton and
Che District Of ColHmbia, BY public speech,
declare and affirm in Substances that the
XXXINth Congress Of the United States
was not Congress of the United States au-
thorizsd " the Constellation to exercise
legislative power under the same, but, on the
contrary, was Congress of only part of
the States, thereby denying and intending to
deny that the legislation of said Congress
was valid OF obligatory upon him, the said
Andrew johnson, except in SO far as he saw
fit to prove the same and, also. thereby de-
lnying and intending to deny the power OF
said XXAIAth Congress to propose amend
ments to the Constitution Of the United
States and in pursuance of said declaration
the said Andrew johnson, President Of the
United States, afterward, to wit, on the 2lst
day of February, 1868, at the City of Wash
inSton, in the District of Columbia, did I'M
lawfully, and in disregard of the require
ments of the Constitution that he should
take care that the laws be faithfully execut-
ed, attempt to prevent the execution of an
act entitled IAN act regulating the tenure of
certain civil ofhcers,' passed March =, 1867,
by unlawfully devising and contriving, and
attem pting to devise and contrive means by
which he shall prevent Edwin NJ. Stanton
from forthwith resuming the functions OF the
office of Secretary for the Department OF
War, Notwithstanding the refusal of the
Senate to concur in the suspension there
of made by said Andrew johnson, of said
Edwin NJ. Stanton, from said Office of See
rotary, from the Department of War; and,
also, by further unlawfully devising and
contriving, and attempting to devise and
contrive, means then and there to prevent
the execution of an act entitled . An act
making appropriations for the support of the
army for the fiscal year ending June Both,
1868, and other purposes, and approved
March ., 1867 and also to prevent the exc
cution of an act entitled - An act to provide
for the more efficient government of the
Rebel States, passed March =, 1867 where
by the said Andrew johnson, President of
the United States, did then, to wit, on the
Dist day of February, 1868, at the City of
Washington, commit, and was guilty of u
high msdemeanor in office.
The seventh of the original articles was
stricken out on the ground that it charged
no offence different from those charged in
the other articles.
Wednesday the Managers of the impeach-
ment went in body, accompanied by the
the House to the Senate. OF their reception
in the Senate a reporter says:
Messrs. Bingham and Boutwell, led the
procession. Then followed Messrs. Butler
and Wilson then Messrs Williams and Lo-
gan and then the venerable Thaddeus Ste
vens. supported by a friend on either side
The procession halted moment in entering
the Chamber and the Sergeant-at-Arms an
nounced to the Chair 9 the Managers of the
impeachment on the part of the House of
REPRESENTATIVES, Mr.. Wade, from the
Chair, saluted the Committee by repeating
the same words The Managers then marched
down the aisle, and seated themselves on
historic chairs which had been provided for
them in front of the Secretarys desk,
Mess.s. Bingham, Boutwell,, Stevens and Lo-
gan to the left of the Presiding officer, and
Messrs Wilson, Williams, and Butler to
their left. In these identical chairs, placed
precisely as they now are, this dav three
Years ago, sat the Cabinet of President Lin
coin, while the incoming Vice President
harangued of plebeians and couldn't for the
life of him think who was Secretary of the
Navy. The scene is changed now, and the
chairs support seven men who are charged
with the maintenance of articles of i'm
parchment against faithless President, in
stead of seven Judges and Cabinet Ministers
to listen to his maudln rhetoric. The mem
bers of the House who had come overland
all had come. except the Democratic MEM
bers-fiiled the Hobbies to the right and left
and few entered within the bar, took what
vacant seats they could find, and made them
selves quite Al home. While the hustle con-
sequent upon such an influx was at its high
est, Mr.. Hendricks rose and moved that
Speaker Colfax be invited to seat on the
right of the presiding officer. The motion
was unanimously adopted, and the Speaker
was escorted to his seat of honor by Mr.
Grimes, Of Iowa. The President pro tenn.
raped his gravel, and ordered the Sergeant
at-Arms, who stood close by, to make proc
lamation that the Managers of the Impcach-
ment ready to exhibit articles OF
impeachment against Andrew johnson at
the bar of the Senate. The order was
promptly obeyed, and in clear, round voice
all present were ordered, on pain of impris-
onment, to keep silence during the presen-
tation of the articles. No such injunction
was needed, however. for the galleries had
already been hushed by curiosity into Z
profounder quiet than an otfial mandate
could enforce. Mr.. Bingham immediately
rose and unfolded what looked like about
two quires of foolscap paper stitched togeth
er in book FORM aud from this he proceeded
to read the Articles of Impeachment. Hi.
voice was firm, his reading slow and meas
ured, and every word that he uttered wa
audible In the remotest part of she Chamber
The galleries listened with marked attention
but in this respect they were quite in con
trast with the floor. The Managers stooo
during the reading, except Mr.. Stevens, VIII,
resumed his seat after standing about fly,
minutes. The old man smiled pleasantly a
the allusOn TO him in the citation from tn
Presidents St. Louis speech, contained il
Gen Buffers article of Impeachment A
the conclusion of the reading the Presiden
pro tenn announced that the Senate woul,
take due notice of the impeachment, an,
inform the House OF Representatives whel
the High Court of Impeachment was read
to proceed with the trial. The Manager
and Representatives. then returned to tn
House
Chief Justice Chase sent communicable
to the Senate Tuesday, in which he dissente
from the action of that body in adoptin
rules of procedure for the trial of the i'm
parchment before being organized as court
In this letter the Chief Justice holds tina
the Senate when trying the President be
comes court, and is no longer in any sens
a Senate and it follows, of course, if thi
be the correct view, that the Chief Justic
is part of the court, as well as its presid
ing officer, in deciding all questions before il
The Senate took no action on the communi
cation except to refer it to Il committee
When, however, Chief Justice Chase ar
peared Thursday in the Senate Chamber t.
preside at the pfeliminaries of the trial, h
acted upon his own theory of his duties, an,
tered the oath to each Senator until Senate