Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-02-12
FROM WASHINGTON.
Co... q 5. Ohio st....n.n.l


The sswinter king still reigns in this |
Metropolis. holding all things in his frigid |
embrace. This has been an unusually cold |
winter in this latitude. Since 1857 the ice
on the Potomac has not been so Thick
measuring twelve inches at the landing op.
posite the city.
To-day is a dull time in Congress. The
Senate is not in session, and the House Is
In Committee of the Whole, for the pur-
pose of hearing read long winded speeches
upon all manner of subjects. Nobody Isl
paying much attention to what's going on,
either on the floor or in the galleries. The
discussion on the Reconstruction bill has
not been Of much interest this week. Nor
rill, of Maine, and the 'four' of Missouri,
less bitterness; but no additional lightwas
thrown upon the path of the bewildered
Radicals. Morrill, is baldsheaded old
Yankee of the real blue-bellied stripe, and
made characteristic speech. Drake takes
the "higher law' position of Stevens
that Congress can do any thing. and
that we 'sconsolidated nationality
the supreme power of which is lodged
in Congress. It is amusing to what
strange reversals of opinions and doctrines
these Radical wiseacres are driven, to sus-
tain an untenable position, and with what
impudence they stand up in the face of the
world and do it, to hold on to power and
place. Who does not recollect, that but
few years ago those gentlemen who claim
fr,v. cp
little for the Executive, went SO far as to
hold that the President was the Govern
ment, and that whoever even spoke evil of
the President, or did not yield uncomplain-
ing obedience to his opinions, committed
sin against everything that was holy, and
was traitor. Now, allspower is held to
be concentrated in Congress, and the Pres
ident inferior in power and rank to a Gen.
eral in the army. But this is nothing for
such man as Drake to do--a demagouge
of the lowest and meanest stripe. This
man Drake at the commencement of the
war was an arrant secessioniste of the deep
est dye, and was proslavery all over. He
characterized the negro as .'thick-lipped,
fiat-nosed barbarian" and rejoiced that
secession was an accomplished fact"
for which he had prayed-and now
he is the most Radical of the
Radicals. Could any other party in,
this broad land hide such scamps from
universal scorn and contempt But brakes
speech, though he had evidently written it
with great care, and intended to eclipse
even Moxa himself, failed to attract the
attention of his Radical friends or that of
the galleries. He was evidently disap-
pointed, and felt it keenly, as insensible to
shame as he is. think this Drake will
not t"quack" soon again, unless the flock
give better indications that they will, at
least, stick up their heads when he is about
to sound the keynote. r.
Your correspondent, more than two
weeks ago, announced through your COL
umns, that it was the purpose of this des-
perate body of men, called Congress, to
hatch up scheme to impeach the Presi-
dent, but it did not seem to attract much
attention, from the fact, presume, that so
many sensation stories are sent abroad by
men here who seem not to care much
whether they tell the truth or the reverse,
so that a sensation Is thereby created.
Your correspondent is not here for that
purpose. His object is to inform the people,
through your columns, of what is going on
here, nothing extenuating nor setting
down aught in malice" but to tell the plain
truth, and anything, therefore, he may say
is invariably received from sources which
are entitled to entire confidence. The plot
to displace President johnson is fast Begin
ming to attract attention from this center.
My own opinion has been, for the last two
years, that the party in power were aiming
at revolution of the Government, not as
the rebels did, by force of arms, but in the
usual Yankee style, by strategy. am now
more than ever convinced of the truth of
this opinion. These fellows have gone on
with this devilish purpose quite stealthily,
taking one outpost after another, until
they think, now that they have Grant un-
conditionally on their side, they can pro-
ceed more boldly. Grant, am led to be-
lieve, never surrendered until recently,
dent Johnson out. The plainesc indication
to me that l have yet seen that this is fully
contemplated, is that Senator Patterson, of
New Hampshire, few days ago, intro
duced bill to turn out all officers called
specialAgents of the different departments,
whose salaries are over ST. 900, within thir-
ty days, and make them subject to con-
firmation by the Senate. Mr.. Cole, of CAL
itornia, who is not Radical enough to get
into the secrets of the sring," T" said he could
not see. what the object of the Senator was !;
for if the bill passed he would turn out
-tenths of his own friends, and give the
President the power to appoint all of his
friends under the bill. Hence he could
not see what the object of the Senator was
in party sense even. To this there was
no reply, but the bill passed I think Senator
Patterson thought when he introduced this
bill, that .'old Benz would have the filling
of all the vacancies when the thirty days
had rolled round. We shall see how this
is, probably, in few days. Bingham and
Boutwell, are subcommittee to fix up the
matter in legal shape. Grant and Stanton
will testify, and, of course, as the President
and his Cabinent are not sufficient to dis
credit Grant alone, even when in con-
fused condition, no amount of human testi-
mony will be sufficient to counteract the
testimony of Grant and Stanton both
together. Therefore, ] say, they will re-
port favorably on the project of impeach-
ment, and it will be done at all hazard, al
the last and only chance Of the Revolu-
tionists TO get command of all the necessary
means of compelling obedience. They will
run the risk of being able to make the
people believe they do these things by law
viii they do it? say to you, these desper.
ate men are drunk with power, and some,
may say, with whisky, and there is ne
telling what they will not attempt to do