Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1868-05-05
WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENTS.
Special Correspondence of the Spectator.

WASHINGTON, May Auu, 1ooo.
The Impeachment Farce is very nearly |
played out; the curtain is about to go down |
on the last scene In the third act. 1t has had
larger run than any. other sensation play
that has been introduced here for many years, |
and the desire to witness it has not tagged or
abated in the least, as the run for ADMISSION
tickets on the NJ C's will testify.
- Ever since last Tuesday evening, until 8 T.
M. yesterday, Mr.. Evarts has engaged the un-
divided attention of the Court and the thou
sand Of Spectators who have daily crowded the
Senate gallery; occupying the slttlngs OF the
Court two days, and the greater portion OF two
others, three hours each day, upon an average.
By the time he finished, there was but little
left of the Impeachment articles. There was
not much vitality in Buffers and Boutwell, S
harangues when he wound up. an argument
never surpassed on this side Of the Atlantic IN
the extraordinary legal ability displayed and
the fine mastery strokes Of forensic eloquence
uttered therein. From the very first word MIR.
Evart's gives utterance to, he holds fast the at
tention of the most careless and lnattentlye
listeners-he is such fascinating speaker. lie
is not rapid declaimer, nor passionate, but,
cool and deliberate; taking hold OF the point
or subject and graphing with it in bulldog
style until the very life is choked out of it. or
| else dssecting and laying naked and bare to the
mental eye, in all its deformity or normal beau
| ty-in disgust or admiration, as may best suit
| the purpose he has in view, or intends to con.
vey. He and your friend Baldwin, (Col. Jno.
| B. in delivery have an exact resemblance OF
speech only Col B. has the best and clearest
voice. AS specimen of his style and his man
ner of dismissing some portions OF Boutwell, S
& Co.'S diatribes, | append few extracts: :,
1.-THE articles seem to have been originally
discussed and then assorted afterwards. L un-
derstood the honorable Manager Mr.. Butler)
to say that if there is not anything in the first
articles you need not trouble yourselves to think
of the eleventh, and Mr.. Manager Stevens
| thinks if there is nothing in the eleventh ar
ticle you had better not bother yourselves ny
looking for anything in the first ten laugh,
ter)-for he says county court lawyer could
get rid of them Here is what Mr. Stevens
/ saws in the House, wish it to be particular
ly noticed that intend to offer an amendment
l wish gentlemen to examine and see that this
charge is nowhere contained in any OF the ar.
ticles reported, and that unless it is inserted
there can be no trial, and that If there be
shrewd lawyers. as 1 know there will be, and
eaviling judges" he did not state any certain
ty of that, land without this article they DO
not acuuit him, they are greener than was In
anv case ever undertook before Court OF
Quarter Sessions" Laughter) Well, now,
it will not be very vain in US to think that per
haps we come up to that estimate on our side
of the Quarter Sessions lawyers who would be
adequate to dispose of these articles, and they
were quite right about it, If YOU cannot get
in what is political, and nothing but political,
you cannot get hold of anything that is crimi-
nal or personal.
In regard to the fulsome praise bestowed up
on the managers, by the Tribune, and its whip
pers in, be hit after this style, because theil
speeches were written:
There are great many speeches made In
this country and, therefore, cases would IN
doubtedly have arisen in eighty years OF oul
history where men were punished for making
. speeches Indeed, [ believe if there is any
thing which more particularly marks us to the
approval of other nations it is that every man
, ia this country not only has right to make s
speech, but can make speech and very gooc
!, one, and chat be does Ct some time or Other
actually do SO. The very lowest enithet fol-
speech making 10 the American republic adopt
ed by the I'd Vssapers is fable and eloquent. .
(Laughter). l have seea applied in the news
; papers to the efforts of honorabis aianagers
the epithet in advance Of tremendous: =
(Laughter.) I have seen them spoken Of be
fore they were delivered as Of tremendous force
; and [ saw once an accurate, authentlca state
ment OF tho force of one, and that in advance
that consisted Of $4,000 words. Laughter.
, Therefore case must have arisen for ques
tion if there was to be any punishment fo
, speech making. But now for the first time We
begin with tic Eresilegt aad accuse him; WI
take him before no ordinary tourt, pug sc Or
ganize court for the purpose, which court ad
ourns the moment it is over with the trial, fur
ri nishins 10 precedents, and must remove hiu
! from Office anqa !o2faar P new election, Now
l that is good deal to turn upon 2 spaech; On
~ think of it-to. be able to make q speech
WHICH wsEA require new eecti9n Of Pres
a sa 50 to 's aEs s paes It IL sun
s to this speech making people. let him VIZ
, is without sins among you cast the first stone.
Here is some irony shot at the futile efforts
at the Pennsylvania pastry cooks speech, man
ager Williams:
''Noblesse obHge seems to be law which thu
honorable manager does not think applicable tt
the houses of Congress- If there were any
thing in thai suggestion how should you guar(
2 and regulate your use of freedom Of speech p
Now, have not gone outside Of the debate
which are connected with the Civil Tenure act
My tins is sufficiently qscccHpied with reading
all that has been said in the behalf Of the Hous'
on that subject; but lind we'll recorded pre-
cedent, not merely in the observance OF single
Senator. but in the direct determination Of thu
Senate itself, in passing on the question which
certainly points at least to freedom Of speecl
as between two departments of the government
The honorable Senator from Massachusetts,, il
the course Of the aebats, says on the subject o
this very law in reference to tie f'resiqent:-:
You may ask protection, against whom?
answer plainly, protection against the Fresi
dent of the United States. There, sir, is the
duty of the hour. Ponder it we'll and do no
, forget it. There was no such duty on our ia
} Tiers; thege was Ee such duty On our recen
2 predecessors in this Shspber because there
t was no President Of the f5hiteq Stafes Mbo hao
2 become the enemy Of the country. We'll, now
t the President had said that Congress was hang
: ing on the verge of the government Blu
here is direct charge that the President O.
: the United States is the enemy Of the country
f Mr.. Sumner hsing called to order for this ex
preston, the honorable pen@tcr from Rhode
) Island, Mr. Anthony, who NOT unbrequently
presides with much urbanity and SO much con-
) troll oyeT yo4r deliberations, gave this view as
to what the COMMON lag Of the tribunal is on
the subject Of the harmonles aDq coRrtesies
| which should prevail between the legislative
and executive departments: lie says Ill Is
the impression of the Chair that these words
} do not exceed the usual laughterl latitude
Of debate" Laughter.) Now that IS the
custom Ct the tribunal established by the pre-
siding officer. M.. Sherman, Of Ohio said -
Il think the words objected to are Clearly In
order. Loud laughter.) have heard SINH
lar remarks fifty times continued laughter)- =
without any point of order being raised And
IL IL