Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1868-04-16
WASHINGTON, April 10.

Judge Curtis finished his argument
in an hour after the Senate opened to-
day. The latter portion was delivered
with considerable life and more effect
than the portion finished yesterday
The answer to the Tenth Article was
much less elaborate than had been ex-
pected, and the slur which it contained
upon the House of Representatives, by
saying that it had resolved itself into a
school of manners, and sent representa-
tiYes of its decorum and propriety to
arraign the President at the bar of the
Senate, was deemed entirely out Of
place, and was the more noticeable from
the fact that the speech, as a whole,
was marked with great dignity. There
we're two other points made by Judge
Curtis, one that the Presidents denun-
Citations of Congress in his speeches,
were not intended to apply to the Con-
stitutional Congress, but to the ruling
majority in it. The other, that as the
Senate was Of the body denounced,
both the Court and tryers were inter
ested parties.
At the close of his address, General
Lorenzo Thomas was called and sworn.
Mr.. Stanbery conducted the examina-
ton. The witness appeared in full
uniform, and bore himself well upon the
direct examination. His description Of
HE interview with Mr.. Johnson, when
the latter handed him the order max
ing him Secretary of War ad interim,
and said, "Gen. Thomas, l am deter
mined to support the Constitution and
laws, and desire you to do the same, 3"
were amusing, although the importance
of the statement was also recognized.
The fact'was brought out, for the first
time, in Thomas evidence, that after
Stanton had refused to vacate the of
fee, Thomas went down stairs to his
room and certified a copy of the Presi-
dent't order, as Secretary Of War ad
interim, and carried the book to Stan
ton. During the direct examination,
Gen. Thomas got on pretty well, and
for time after Gen. Butler began his
cross examination. Buffers manner
was harsh toward the witness, so much
so, as to turn sympathy in favor of the
latter; but later in the examination it
became more apparent that Buffers
PURPOSE was to break the witness down
by forcing him out of any track he
might have marked out for himself, by
which he would be able to withhold a
part of what the Managers wanted to
know, and it was a final success in this,
that it partly excused Mr.. Buffers
rough handling of Gen. Thomas, though
very sharp criticism of the matter was
freely indulged in by many of Mr. But
ler's friends At length Gen. Thomas
admitted that at one time he had fully
determined to use force in getting into
the War office, and he repeated this
several times in very decided man
ner, and much to the discontinue of
the counsel. He also testified that he
had been fully recognized as Secretary
of War od interim, at the Cabinet meet
ings, and was still so recognized. This
was turned by Butler at once, upon
that portion of Curtis argument where
it was held that the President had only
gone as far as he could go himself, in
appointing Gen. Thomas to the War
Office, and then sent in the name for
action of the Senate. On the whole,
while those present sympathized very
deeply with Thomas, the impression on
the minds of most was that the Presi-
dents counsel had damaged their case
by producing him, and the Managers
strengthened theirs. The sympathy
arose entirely from the feeling that he
had grown gray in the service of his
country, and that such man, before
such an audience, should be treated
with the respect due his rank and his
wears. This he did not receive.