The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1868-04-02
THE PRESIDENTS ANS WEIR.

The Presidents answer to the arti-
cles of Impeachment presents no new
points, but places the issues OF law and
of fact so definitely before the Senate
that hardly any reply from the Impeach-
ment Managers can be necessary. We
can now separate the questions OF fact
from those of law, and see npon what
points testimony will be brought, and
what will afford themes for argument
merely. The answer to the first article
(that based upon the attempted removal
of Secretary Stanton in violation Of the
Tenure Of Office law }. does not seem to
deny any distinct statement of fact con-
tanned in the article, but simply raises
the issue Of law whether the Tenure Of
Office act is constitutional. If this be
correct, no testimony can be necessary
on either side under the first article.
We Judge. also, that the answer to the
second and third articles denies no
statement of fact contained in them, and
therefore calls for no testimony The
answer to the fourth article (charging
conspiracywith Gen. Thomas TO en-,
ploy force in obtaining possession of the
War Department. raises question of
fact upon which testimony will he nee
essary. But the testimony would be
confined to the language ana acts of the
President, and Gen Thomas, snd must
necessarily be brief. The answer to the
fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth articles
presents no issue of facts whatever. In
answer to the ninth article. which charg-
es an attempt to induce Gen. Emory to
violate the Tenure of Office law, the
President denies the fact, and states that
he merely designed to express his pri-
vate opinion that the law is uncons titu
tional. The answer to the tenth and
eleventh articles, based on his speeches
made in swinging around the circle,"
raises no issue of fact except upon the
correctness Of the published reports,
and no very serious questions can arise
on that point. The testimony on the
trial, therefore, seems to be narrowed
down to the Presidents instructions to
or interviews with Gems. Thomas and
Emory relative to the employment of
force, and to the correctness of the pub
lished reports of his speeches in swing
ing around the circle. The speeches
will be proven by the reporters, whose
accuracy is unimpeachable The inter
views with Gems. Thomas and Emory,
and the evidence of intent to use force,
should occupy but few hours. All
the other issues are of law, and rest on
argument merely, and are mainly COM
prised in the single point Of the consti-
tutionality of the Tenure Of Office act.
The Senate having discussed the
whole question of the Tenure of Office
law more fully aud ably before passing
it than the counsel for the President are
likely to do. it is absolutely impossible
that any argument on this point can be
brought before the Senators with which
they are not already familiar. The
Presidents point, so frequently reitera
ted, that he only desires to test the con
stitutionality of the act. has no great
force, as this end would be rs fully &C
complished by his conviction and re-
moval from office, as by any other
judgment As the Presidents counsel
have shown that they could prepare an
answer in eight days, for the prepare,
tion of which they had asked forty, we
trust that the manifest simplicity of the
case. in all it's issues of law and Of fact,
~ill cause the Senate to push the trial
to speedy conclusion. Delay can
really he Of no benefit to Mr. Johnson,
aud mnst be seriously detrimental to
the interests Of the country. TIE
course of the Opposition in the House
in raising question as to the authority
OF the Managers to file their replication
without previously submitting it to the
House, IS but another effort to ohstrnct
the trial But it will fail. for nothing is
than that the Managers have
been clothed with full power in the
Y. Tribune o. aa@a
WEARING OUT THE LAND.-The editor
of the Monthly Report of the Depart
ment of Agriculture of Washington, J.
R. Dodge. Esq has been on tour of
through the wheat growing
regions of, the West. His observations
there lead him to the conclusion that
the manner Of wheat cultivation in that
section is wrong, and must soon prove
ruinous to the farmers who practice it.
BY the course of cropping pursued, the