Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1868-04-16
IMPEACHMENT.
rRoeRnss or run TRIAL
WASHINGTON, D. c., April ., 1858.

WASHINGTON, ID. c., April Q, 1868.
THE IMPEACHMENT TRIAL.
On the opening of the Senate for the
Impeachment trial this morning, the
A managers examined two witnesses, one
to know that the President had required
i those he appointed to pledge support Ia
the executive, and the other to testify
that johnson had appointed him post
4 master and subsequently removed him.
It IL now the Intention of the managers
to show from the records of the Senate
that no reasons have been rendered to 10,
or even notice given of removal.
JUDGE CURTIs's OPENING SPEECH.
! Judge Curtis began his opening of the
! case on tho side of the President at q
quarter TO one. He had before him some
twenty or thirty of loosely written notes,
at which he merely glanced at intervals.
He was provided with some fifteen books
| for reference, among them two volumes
of the Congressional Globe, to show the
opinions of Senators Sherman and Will
! lams and Mr.. Schenck Of the construc-
! ton put on the clause i'm the civil tenure
bill relating to Cabinet officers. Scna-
tors paid very close attention to the
speaker, who went on in a very clear
| and compact argument, entirely free from
rhetorical display and in a somewhat
monotonous manner. The argument was
on the supposition that Mr.. Johnson had
never appointed Mr.. Stanton Secretary
/ of War, and seemed to produce very little
effect. The most marked points made
were those where the opinions of Sena-
tors recorded in the Globe were quoted
as to the intent aud meaning of the civil
tenure act, and where he answers Mr..
! Buffers statement that in case the Presi-
dent had been little less defiant, possi-
| bly, the House might not have proceeded
to the impeachment. After speaking
an hour and twenty minutes, the Senate
took reces, when the Judge resumed,
and after forty minutes made known his
desire that an adjournment should take
place, which was ordered.
EFFECT OF THE SPEECH.
The speech is about halffinished. The
Democrats expressed themselves highly
pleased, and say it Is unanswerable.-
The Republicans found less that was new
j to them in the defense of the President
thar they had expected, and altogether
is is safe to say that the speech has pro.
duced less effect than was anticipated
even by Republicans. The Democrats
say they expect more of rhetorical dis
play aud more effective address from
Mr.. Evarts.
WAsHINoToN, SO, April 10, 1868.
ARGUMENT FINISHED.
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 expected
and the slur which ii contained upon
the House of Representatives, by saying
that 1t had resolved itself into school Of
manners and sent representatives of its
decorum and propriety to arraign the
President at the bar of the Senate, was
deemed entirely out of place, and wal
the more noticeable from the fact that
tho speech, as a whole, was marked with
great dignity. There were two other
points made by Judge Curtis-one that
the Presidents dcnunciations of Con
gress In his speeches were not intended
to apply to the constitutional Congress
but to the ruling majority I'm II, and thu
other point was that, rs the Senate was
part OF the body denounced, both cour
and triers were interested parties.
GEN. THOMAS ON THE STAND.
At the close of his address, Gen. Lo
rcnzo Thomas was called and sworn.-
Mr. Stanbery conducted the examina
form and bore himself well upon direc
examination. His description of the in
tcrview with Mr.. Johnson, when th,
latter handed him the order making him
Secretary OF War dd i,ltoriln aud safd.--
"General Thomas, am determined Il
support the Constitution aud laws, ant
desire you to do the same,n wore very
amusing, although the importance of the
statement was also recognized. The fact
was brought out for the first time In
Thomas's evidence that after Mr.. Stan
ton had refused to vacate the office
Thomas went down stairs to his room
and certified copy of the Presidents or
der rs Secretary OF War ad interim and
carried IL back to Stanton. ur
HARSH TREATMENT IN BUTLER's HANDS
During the direct examination Gen
Thomas got on pretty well aud for q time
after General Butler began the cross-ex'
animation. Buffers manner was harsh
toward the witness, so much SO as to turn
sympathy In favor of the latter But
later in the examination II became more
apparent that Buffers purpose was e
break the witness down by forcing him
out of any track he might have marked
out for himself, by which he would b,
able to withhold part of what the mana
gers wanted to know, and II was n fina
success IN TINS tnnt partially excused
Buffers rough handling Of Thomas
though very sharp criticism of the man
/ ner was freely INDUCED In by many o
Buffers friends. AT length Thomas adj
mitted that at one time he had fully de
termined to use force In getting into tn,
war office, and repeated this severa
times In very decided manner ant
much 10 the discontinue of counsel. III,
also testified that he had been fully
recognized as Secretary of War dd IN
tsriN at Cabinet meetings. and was still
so recognized. This was turned by But
Ter at once upon portion Of Mr.. Curtis
argument where II was held that TIL,
President had only gone ns far as h,
could go himselfin appointing Genera
Thomas to the War 0iiiee, and then sen
in his name for the action OF the Senate
On the whole, while those present sym
: pathlzed very deeply with, Thomas, tn
impression ON the minds OF most wa
: that counsel had damaged their case b,
, producing him aud the manager
; strengthened theirs. Ths sympath,
arose entirely from feeling that he ha'
grown grey In the service OF his country
and that such man before such an au
/ dienee should be treated with the respec
dina hia rank md hia vaara