New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1868-02-25


of rumors il was amusing vet satisfactory to watch
the flow of the notification which had been quietly
given by an officer of the cOlored Union League OF
the District and neighboring Maryland that 4'OOo
black men in arms cOuld be gathered in Washington
in TO hours time, $500 of whom had served as
soldiers in the war. If not amusing 1t was
more satisfactory TO see the accommodating eVl-
dences that the Democrats in the city,
the Convention and Representatives alike were
recoiling from the President as a ruined man and
political corpse. Not only did they abandon HIM,
but as they went they turned and cursed him Tor MS
folly and damned MIN for his wrong in not giving
them the privilege of consultation before ne uecueu
ON measure which was wreck and rum 10 the party
that was running, in large part, on his warfare on
Congress and his hinderance of reconstruction. Not
in public did these Copperheads bite, and hiss, and
writhe They stayd in their holes and inAamed each
other with each Others venom. -fr
Throughout the day the volume of the current in
favor of impeachment, seemingly full to the brim,
got an increase and rolled so strong and deep that
to politician standing on its edge, it was evident
that no man in the Republican party in either House
of Congress- had the strength the will to resist IT,
Men went to bed with minds cleared oil doubts and
questions and familiar with the proposition OF
change of Administration by the process OF judicial
proceeding and dropped asleep anticipating the char
acter and consequences of twelve months govern
ment of the country under honest, brave, positive
radical wise Ben Wade If they woke again they
thanked God for his aboundng goodness in giving
the Republic even one year Of administration by
Old Ben, everywhere beloved and everywhere con-
fded in.
It is 10 o'clock ON Monday morning; the galleries of
the House are filled the corridors are filed, barriers
are placed across them to hold back the masses Of
men and women who crowd to gee the FIRST impeach-
ment of an American President. The multitude Of
colored people who pour into the halls and stand
about the galleries is exceeding suggestive. The oc-
cason had the interest of almost life death to all
OF their race, in ten States Mr. Ashley of Ohio opens
the debate. and fully covers and proves the point
that the Constitution has authority for the Presi
dents removal of faithful public officer during
session Of the Senate, without the consent and APP
prevail of the Senate; but he oyeriOws inevitably
from the narrow confinement of the case made by
the motion to impeach, and parades in review the
multform official wickedness of the President, which
he will crown with bloody revolution unless flung
from Office Mr. Cooke of Illinois, in two;minutes Of
conceded time, declared his purpose to vote for i'm
parchment, if there were no Tenure-of-Ofiice Act
to vote it for Johnson's violation of the COnstu-
ton Mr. Boyer of Pennsylvania leading Demo-
craft finds it in his practice Of political debate to call
this movement for impeachment an attempt TO per-
petuate the power Of Edwin NJ Stanton, and TO argue
that the Secretary of War is tenant ct will,
and not an appointee of the Office and therefore, his
was not IN violation of the Tenure-of-Ohce
law HC then quoted from an act of an early Con-
gress to show that the President had power
to remove and appoint, and challenged the
production of q statute that had repealed that
power Mr.. Myers of Pennsylvania sprang at
him with reply which Boyer lodged and ran from,
to the mirth of all. Gen. Cake, distinguished sol
der of the fighting sort. and great co0l-mner in
the Allegheny Mountains, where he raised and
equipped the first Pennsylvania regiment that
reached Washington, next arose and made wild work
of the canting objection to Impeachment that it was
violation of the Constitution, a cry which was
chorussed by Rebel sympatbizers seven years ago,
and had since been dinned in the ears of patriots.
The hammer falls on the unfinished speech Of aman
who talks as well as he fights 1t is now evident from
the gallery that a sufficient number of entries to
sneak have been made on Mr.. Colfax's book to con-
sumo to-day and that the general desire to address the
House on this absorbing theme must be satisfied IN
five minutes of time to each speaker carved and dis
trbuted out Of the half hours allotted to the few
who have secured the privilege. Mr.. Bcaman OF
Michigan. a sound Republican, and a. sound tariff
man generally, asks leave to print his remarks, and
gives away his 90 minutes. First he bestows one
minute on Price of Iowa, who, if he were not an
able man, with power of compacted expression,
could not have satisfied the House. as he did do that
johnson deserved impeachment for rushing madly
upon his fate. He was followed by Blair Of
Michigan, who spoke 20 minutes and showed
MS clear as MONDAY, that the President was
estopped from pleading his appeal to his constitu-
tional right to remove Mr.. Stanton. Said he He
has. by his own act foreclosed the question Of the
constitutouality of the Tenure-oi-Oice act for he
submitted the question of Mr.. StaDtOns removal to
the Senate and that body Overruled him, and de-
clared that Mr. Stanton was the Secretary of War;
and that the President had no authority to re-
move him." Mr.. briggs of the same glorious state
of Michigan reached the marrow of feeling by
speech Of minute and a.half long, in which he said
that IL the whole Democratic party were laundering
at the doors of the House to-day, as threatened by
Mr. Brooks the other day, he would vote for the
resolution, and he hoped that all would vote fear
lessly. Elhu B. WashbuTne Of Illinois, noted Tor his
intolerant and industrious opposition to lmpeach-
ment on the two occasions when 1t has been at
tempted, arises to address the House. He always
commands attention. On this OCCASION the sudden
conversion of Gen. Grants friend and political adj
wiser to the extreme Radiealism of removing the
President from office lends additional interest to the
words of a man who always speaks with deep moral
convictions and vigorous force of intellect His ar
raignment of Johnson was terrible. His denuncia-
ton of the wickedness. extravaganza, perbdy, cor
rupiOn and treason of his Administration fell upon
the sympathes of the House with the force OF blows
of sledge-hammer. His voice, always loud, was
pitched, by the passion of his burning indignation,
to higher key, and filed the vast chamber until it
echoed SIR" said he. gesturing with his whole
body "the Attorney General. not satisfied by being
the medium through which so many mail robbers,
onrutnrfolnrs rullin hnun honn mr.