Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-02-25

s0OhD0ODs
The Federal House of Representatives
has determined to prefer articles Of Inn
peachment at the bar of the Senate against
President JOHNSON, and the Senate. we
doubt not, from the givings out that reach
us from Washington, will find him guilty.
The Republican Press, with only here and
there an exception, demand his Impeach-
ment and Removal. The Cleveland Herald,
which joins the clamor for Impeachment
and Removal, sets forth the nature of the
guilt of the President in these words -
Months need not be occupied In getting
rid of this accidental President, who
uses his position to bctray the party that elect
ed him and to defeat the work of reconstruc-
tion."
That's it. He has not been a plant SER
vitor OF his party. His great crime is that
he has read the Constitution to mean that
he is under obligations to administer his
department,o Of the Government in the in
terest of the whole country, instead of to
promote purely partisan ends. -
The spectacle presented to-day by the
Republican party In Congress is humiliat-
ing TO the uttermost. ANDREW JOHNSON
holds the Office OF President because he
was elected to the Vice Presidency by the
Republican party. They doubted not his
"loyalty" when they nominated and
elected him. And while they affected to
mourn poignantly in consequence of the
assassination Of President LINCOLN,
they claimed to think that Providence had
intervened to slift, into the Presidential
chair q man who would deal OUT to the
Southern people 'justice," as they termed
1t, with rigorous severity. He. was their
man emphatically. They had faith in him.
He had made vindictive speeches when the
responsibility Of administering the Execu-
tive Department of the Government did
not rest upon him. Having entered upon
the discharge of the duties of that Office,
and having informed himself as well as he
could as to the condition of the country,
he inaugurated what was called a policy,
which recognized the fact that
the effort to take the Southern States
out of the Union had been defeated,
and that consequently the lately insurgent
States were all in the Union, entitled, as
States. to all the rights, privileges and inn
munities that each and every other State
in the Union was invested with. This pol
icy was inaugurated in May, 1866, and it
worked well. In pursuance of this policy,
he had secured the perpetual abolition of
slavery,a a reputation of the doctrine of
secession and an obligation that no part of
the Confederate debt should be paid. Un-
der this policy there was peace and quiet
in the South. The people were taking hold
and working to restore prosperity to their
desolated and Impoverished country. This
the Ohio Republican State Convention in
1865. Governor MORTON, in the fall of that
year, before the October election, made
a strong speech, in which he COM
mended it strongly and without reser-
walton. All over the country, in
speeches and in editorials of Republican
newspapers, this policy was appreciated.
1t is true that few weeks before the Oc-
tober election of that year THADDEUs STE
VEINS raised his voice against it as unworthy
of appreciation; but to this it was replied
by Republicans that STEVENS was an ex-
tremist-a soured, disappointed old man,
who held grudge against the South be-
cause Southern troops had destroyed his
iron works in the vicinity of Gettysburg
and that he was no authority tor the Re-
publican party. Although President JOHN
SONS policy had in some of its features
been irregular, ,ohen Congress assembled in
December, 1866, the soork Of Reconstruction
tods complete, and the Senators and Repre-
sentatives OF the Southern States were on
hand to take their seats. s.e
Z THxDDEUs STEVENS, before the organiza-
. caucus and had it decreed therein that
the Southern States should not be admit
ted to representation until it pleased them
to have them so represented, and the policy
of President JOHNSON, which had received
the sincere approval OF the voters general
ly in the preceding elections, was secuted
as unworthy the sanction of Congress.
From that day to this, the Republican part
of Congress has legislated for the degrada-
tion and humiliation of the Southern White
people, and to more effectually do this,
and at the same time contribute to their
party ascendancy, they have striven and
are striving. to put the Negroes in ten
States, in the matter of Government, over
the White people. By the terms, spirit and
letter OF the Constitution, President JOHN
SON Is coordinate branch of the Gov
ernment. He could not, and maintain his
oath of Office inviolate, give his sanction to
laws that contemplated so radical change
in the theory of our Government,andw which
were calculated to work so
great wrong and injury to the country,
its prosperity as though a simeon
had swept over it. By veto and other
power vested i'm him by the Constitution,
he sought to defeat the enactment of such
laws, and when passed in defiance of such
it has been his aim to execute
them in such manner as would do to the
country as little injury as possible. This
was flying in the face of Congress, 1t was
claimed. He was an obstacle in
the way Of their vengeance, their
malice and partisanism. Out of the
way be must be got. impeachment sug-1
gested ITSELF and one scoundrelly lie after
another was trumped up, and perjured'
witnesses stood ready to swear to any
thing; but the people could not discover
that the President had done anything to
warrant the infliction of such q cha ise--
ment upon him. And Congress hesitated; !;
but at the same time they enacted laws, in
utter disregard Of the Constitution, prac-
tically taking from the President his Ex-
ecutiye functions. In addition to this, they
threaten the virtual destruction Of the Su-
preme Court of the United States,i if it
shall undertake to pass judgment upon