Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-03-14
IMPEACHMENT INKLINGS.
War Office.

Probable Duration of the Frfal-COn-
serVatiVe ReaetiOn-SIanfOn and the
War 0fHee.
al. B. s" writes on the 10th as follows
Several Radical Senators are known to
have expressed themselves, within the lsst
| two days, to the effect that upon their face
| the articles of impeachment do not present
sufficient ground for the conviction of the
President of either high crimes or high
| misdemeanors. From twenty to twenty
| two Senators, including every Democratic
Senator and some Radicals, are reported to
be of this opinion and an effort, it is said,
will be made by the luke-warm Radicals
of the Senate when it next meets as a high
court of impeachment, to initiate some
plan of dismissing the case for want OF
cause Tor action, or to tolerate any plea OF
the Presidents counsel that may be made
for this reason. Those more Conservative
Senators assume, az they assumed TO the in
finite disgust of Stevens and Boutwell,, before
the President was finally impeached by the
House. that the Senate never bound itself, is
not now bound to act in strict accordance
with theextreme party measures that almost
Invariably originate in the House, and that
it has the right as a separate body Of Con-
gress to decide for itself in this latest and
most important matter without reference to
anything except the sworn obligations Of
its members. This is an extraordinary ad-
mission. The new move Of the House i'm
peachers, led on by Bingham, is an at
tempt, which the House may hear of be-
fore many days, to bring Alabama into the
Union, willy-nillp, by an act of Congress.
Stanton has not left the War Depart
ment since the day when the Presidents
order of removal was presented TO him and
General Thomas attempted to take possess
sion. He sleeps upon a lounge in his office,
and his meals are brought to him. His
only exercise is an occasional promenade
along the walks adjacent to the build.
ing. Mrs. Stanton visits him daily
He said tonight, in conversation
with a gentleman who called upon
him, that he anticipated that this
whole question would be settled within the
next fifteen or eighteen, days. On Friday
the summons to the President would be re-
turnable, and on Friday night he (Stsnton)
thought he would return to his family.
General Thomas has sometimes visited the
War Department, but Stanton said he had
no intercourse with the General subsequent
to the second demand of the latter for
possession of the War Office, which was re-
fused.
A project is on foot to start a journal in
Washington to be devoted to the interest
of President johnson during the approach
ing political campaign. From ten to
twenty individuals have been eanvassing
the chances of such an enterprise, and it is
understood that about 100000 of capital
are ready to be pledged. l am not able to
learn that the idea has received the slight
est encouragement directly or indirect
from the President himself.
PROBABLE DURATION OF THE TRIAL.
Paragraphs from Washington have ap
peared in several papers, purporting to
give the points that will be made by the
President in his defense before the Senate,
the character of his pleading, etc. There
is the best authority for saying that all the
pretended points are founded upon the
merest speculation, since Mr.. johnson and
his counsel have not decided what hall
be the exact nature of the defense, nor
what shall be character of the pleading
first to be fled in the Senate. On Friday
the attorneys of the President will put in
an appearance in obedience to the cum
mons, and then ask for a time that they
may deem sufficient to enable the answer
to be framed and the defense prepared 1t
is generally conceded by the prosecution Of
Impeachment that twenty days will be al
lowed for filing an answer, but there is reason
to believe that majority of the Senators
will consent to thirty days for the prepare
tion of the defense. This may be followed
by an application from the managers ofthe
House, to be tiled shortly after the answer
is fled. This done, the day for trial will
be fixed, and it may be that it will proceed
instantly upon this making up Of the ISSUE
There is now manifest among all classes a
more general appreciation of the impor-
lance and gravity of this prosecution than
was exhibited for about ten days after the
adoption of the impeachment resolution,
and Radical Representatives who at first
expected to dispose Of the whole matter
by the middle of the month, tonight ad-
nit that there is no prospect Of a termina-
tion of the trial before the middle Of May.
Your correspondent has reason to believe
his own estimates of the duration of this
trial published some days ago are correct.
There was a consultation Of the Presi-
dent and the Cabinet tonight upon the i'm
parchment articles it is supposed