Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 186?-1872, 1868-03-13
impeachment but Part Of . Csnspir-
acy to retain Possession Of the
Goyernment In peaance Of the
Popular Will. fFfi1ef

l acy 10 retain Possession OF the
Goycrnuaent In peaance OF tho
Popular Will.
From the New York Express Feb. 25.l
Tho tyrants and traitors al Washington, a.
was expected, hays cousummated the FIRST
part Of their coospksWcy 10 retain. possession
OF the Government for another four years
the Rurnp House Of Representatives having, !,
by strict party vote, adopted resolution 10
impeach the President for high crimes aud
misdemeanors. - N4f
The indications now are that the so-callsd
Senate will follow the lead Of tho House. and
no before the 4tA Of March naxs, the country
may as well be- prepared to sce Ms. johnson
elected from Office altogether, and Ben Wade
sitting In the Executive chair.
What then? What next2 gel h.
We answer, the road will then be clear for
"tho Board Of Managers (that Il the phrase)
TO manipulate the ncrt Presidential election,
a. 10 etectualiy silence the voice Of the peo-
pie, ana have everything their own way
Already we have threats that the Democratic
party will be looked upon as part and parcel
OF "the Rebellion" and must be dealt with
accordingly. Grant viii b. made Military
Dictator, and, beiore we sss swase Of il the
same manacles which have been placed on
the down trudden people Of the South, will
BE- made 70 sncirele Northern limbs- This 10
what We are eouaing to--aad even now, wo
are not far away from IL 'i''f
The last Presidential election having been
carried BY fraud and violencs-by bayonets
rather than than by ballot--by tefrvr rather
than BY the untrammslied will Of the pso-
ple--saecess has made these demagoaues
bold--aye, bold enough to try Il ON again.
The odiy mpediment Ia thsir way was tho
Executive, and with his deposition, and the
intimidation Of the Supreme Court there 10
apparently no barrier betwesa them now,
and absolute, imperial power.
As things are going on, we think Il Is
matter Of some doubt even, whether tho Dem.
ocratic National Convention will be permit
ted 10 assemble In New York on the Fourth
of July. II would not be st all surprising II
old Ben Wade, then President, should send
General Butler here 70 overawe the people,
just ss Stanton sent him BY order OF some
supposed military necessity pending the iass
Presidential election.
Yet with these probabilities confronting
US, In the near future, these Rump Congress-
men threaten, II we dare even talk of resist-
ance, the resistance to which, as defenders Of
the Constitution and npholdsrs Of ths laws,
We may rightfully resort--to deal with Us a.
traitors and rebels.
1t may be, now, that the events Of the past
seven years have transferred q nation Of free
men into nation of abject slavcs. II may
be that people who were not ashamed 10
proclaim as vital principle Of political be-
lief ''Resistance to tyrants u obedience 10
God" have been % eowed BY THE tyranny
which yet has It's heel on their nccks that
they arc afraid 70 vindicats their right to
selfgoyernment Il may be that the nation
has lost its manliness, its usefulness, and its
patriotic courage, but we do Do., cannot be-
lieve II. Il is incredible that great people,
who refused to endure the comparatively
mild despotism Of British King, viii sub
mit-etcr0ally snbnit-to the baseY and
mcaner tyranny Of = Puritan Uligarchy,
which, We think 1t could, without much dif-
fieulty, be shown, Il mainly indebted to ter.
sof ana the exercise Of brute force for the
presented to our countrymen 20 regain their
lost liberties. We refer 70 the approaching
Presidential election. That election, these
Rump Congress demagogues may as well un-
derstand at the start, must everywhere and
In every sense be free. They must not at
tempt on this occasion, TO renew the system
of terror, whereby they reelected Abraham
Lincoln. They had better keep their shoul-
der straps, their bayonets, their General Or
dcrs, and their "A. A. G.s" out Of sight
And above all, they had better make up
their minds that the Northern people are not
going 70 recognize ior Presidential purposes
the neOro oOyern meuts which thev are IN.
gineering nj the South. We are perfectly
wen aware that Il 10 part Of the conspiracy
to count in the electoral votes Of these Pau.
African despotisms--but II the people do their
duty, by the lst Of January next we shall
not only elect President, but have Demo-
cratic Governors In al the great Northern
and Western States---in other words, Com
manders-in- Chief of the militia OF these
States, and then, Il the Washington Juuta
think they can cheat themselves into another
lesss Of power by thus swindling the people,
they would do well to stop moment, and
calculate the probable cost.
II this great Government Is really 10 bs
upset-if its Constitution, once deemed =
miracle Of wisdom, and thing too sacsed
to be rudeiy touched, IL 10 be tramp'ed under
foot, ii the priceless boon Of popular iioerty
Is to be taken away from Us, these dems-
gogues had better not dclude themselves into
the belief that the sacrifice will be submitted
to without struggle, such struggle as will
become men determined at least 10 die II
they cannot live free. .rt,t t