The Cadiz sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1864-1911, 1868-04-15
NEW SERIES---VOLUME 8. NO. 81
Fhe g:fpenchmcnt a yaiiure,

Benjomin Franklin's idea Of impeach-
ment was an honest one. Knowing to what
extent the tendency 70 eiamOr against au'
tha-ite might go, and that the accusations
Of political opponents are groundess as o
rule. He urged in the convention that franz
sl the constitution an argument ia favor OF
itnpoaehment drawn from that knowledge. Z
Ole ers favored impeachment as a means OF
asserting the supremacy of the lsw-as
means Of Furnishing treason-punishing the
abuse of furnishing ambitious ass {
sumptions. In the general view impeach<
,nent was always punishment. Franklin
favored il a means OF exploding unfound-
eA charg-s against the Exacutive--as true
way in which the President might put be~
fore the nation the exposition OF the mo
tives that governed him in cases where his
acts had been misunderstood or misreprer
sented- as the means Of providing bis hon
esty. Franklin urged impeachment that
the President might have "the ,oppcItanity
of vinlicating his character" aud that
there might be national inquest Tor ''his
honorable acquittal where he should be un- -
Justly accused.
The imp achment trial wonderfully sus-
tains prosaic Old Ben's view of this great
rational process. There ia 40 punishment
in the case at all; it is all vindication For
months he President has been held up By
bitter political opponents as the most afro o
cious criminal. and it. has been vehemently 3
declared that the safety of the Government
1epenaed upon bis removal. so perslstent,sT'
so positive so extravagant have been the
declarations against him Of the radical par
ty. that had there never been an Impeach-
mpn- trial il would never have been possi-
be to quite efface from the mind of tbo
people all that has been said; the impress
sion would have gone down to posterity
that in view OF such denunciaton thersa
must really have heen>grave acts of official
misconduct in the Presidents career. But
imreachment has brought the aecusers into
cnurt it has given them the chance TO post
their charges formally and produce evidence.
They haze now nearly concluded their la-3
bors: and with what RESULT One more OBJ
viaus than all others-the yindication of
the President they. have done their ut;
most and fni themselves utterly unable to
prove anything to his nrejudice -AUnable to
show any reason why he should be displac-
cd, why he has not been Tgom and faith
tul servant Of the people Impeachment has
absolutely no case at all Its allegations
were pitiful enough, and it cannot even
pr0ve those. All the evidence Of guilt it
has produced to this hodr reacts againstit
and proves the contrary to what il desires
Bater's effort to prove conspiracy has
made ii as clear as sunlight that there waS
no conspiracy and tina wonderful inpeach-
| er was 'hinleelf ashamed of the evidence ba
| had brought and tried to cover his shams
with laash.
| But exactly in proportion as the radicals
| find themselves unable to carry impeacG-
ment By evidence AMI the forms of justice.
| SO they become more en rgaiic in their ats
| tdm,lts 10 carry il by Bullying and outrage,
! Oil Stevens threat against any Senator
who would dare to vote against itnpeach-
,nent seemed at the time it was made TO
awaken the Senate to sofne sentiment OF
! the position in which i5was thereby put be>
| fore the county. There was some appear
ance that The rerulsion Of that old virago's
| lonlin2ef'inQ might stifnulste the court 10
! an honest discharge Gifts duty; and we may
hone that the last effort to influence ver>
( dict on matters beyond the record may
have similar result We have it said
| that General Grant finds it not ineonsist-
ent with his duty as a soldier to auneunce
it as his opinion that the only hope for tn,
peace of the cnuntryis the success OF the
pending impeachment trial. /" Thus it is
| held there is no room for doubt as to the
duty Of ne Senate OF course the ale
CATION in rrgard to Grant is an invention.
He never said such thing and never used
words that could be fairly construed to such
shape. But we see here the whole Radi~
cal plea and plan. The Radical cry to the
Senate il, if vou cannot convict the Presi-
dent on the evidence, convict him any how;
convict him because General Grant thinks
you ought to- General Grants opinions
are Of more account than the evidence,
therefore when you know what he thinks
there can be mo room for doubt as to your
duty" Neu York Hr0H