Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-03-25
FROM WASHINGTON.
tcorrespondsnos Of the Ohio Statesman. j

WASHINGTON, d. G. March 21st, 1868.
Siroe my last letter but few things have
ranspired of sufficient importance to JUS
;ify your correspondent infiicting upon
7our readers the trouble of reading aletter
rom this city for take it for granted,
that letter from Washington is always |
read by your patrons eagerly expecting,
ike the Atheneans, to hear some "new
things" The great impeachment court of
18th, and was expected to be a grand affair,
and great was the anxiety to see the thing by
great crowds from the distance; but many
were necessarily disappointed. Your cores
pondent was one of the lucky ones who got
a seat commanding full view of the whole
1t was magnificent sight.
so far as the auditory was concerned but
entirely failed to come up to my eXpecta-
tions in other respects. 1 think all hands,
both Senators and lawyers, were embar-
rassed, and as a consequence the efforts OF
counsel on both sides failed to fill the
general expectations.
1t is quite evident, from what 1 saw and
heard, that the Radicals fear Chase in this
matter, and mutterings are heard in that
quarter daily. Some good Republicans are
so plain of speech recently that they do not
scruple to charge upon the Chief Justice
that he has sold out to the "Copperheads."
The truth of the matter is this, they find
few men yet left in the party who have
some respect for law, and that they have
not quite all subscribed to the Thad. Ste
vens doctrine ofdoing things "outside OF the
Constitution" Congress, long since, gave
In its adhesion to the heresy OF the Penn
sylvania magician; but there are few
members of the Senate and Supreme Court
who are not quite so badly demoralized as
that yet. Chief amongst this latter class,
1 think, may be mentioned the Chief JUS
tice, who gives unmistakable evidence that
he still holds that the Constitution is OF
binding force, and that he will not lend his
great name and official influence to the ia
cobins to make Ben. Wade President. This
is the whole of his offense. And to destroy
his great moral influence in the Senate,
sitting as a Court of Impeachment, he is
assailed in the most vulgar style by the
whole pack of Radical politicians, who, L
take it upon myself to say, now, are filthy
and corrupt set of small men, intellectual
.ly, with no morals to speak of. 1t is now
quite evident that they cannot rush i'm
peachment through, as Butler said they
would, with RAILROAD speed" The trial
will continue at least from sixty to
ninety days. 1 nave not changed my opin-
ion as to the result, though the majority
opinion is the other way. I still think the
Senate is in a little better condition, politi-
cally, even amongst Republicans, than
Sodom was morally. But of all the cor
rupt and desperate set of demagogues that
ever were congregated together in body,
the lower House takes the ''rag off the
bush." venture the assertion, that in all
the history of the legislation of this coun-
try, from the commencement of the Gov
ernment to the present day, there never
was so disgraceful transaction as that
practiced by Schenck and Wilson few
DAYS ago. 1t has been problem with
these Revolutionists ever since they have
had reason to think the McCardle case
would be decided in accordance with the
plainest letter of the Constitution, and con-
sequently adverse to the policy of recon-
struction of the Radical Congress, in some
way to muzzle the Supreme Court so that
the decision might not be pronounced. TO
effect this purpose, the hero OF Vienna
asked to introduce revenue bill, which,
under the rule, required the unanimous
consent of the House. He stated the OBJECT
of the bill, to which there was no objection
and as soon as it was thus, by unanimous
consent, before the House. Wilson, OF Iowa,
who, until recently, was considered
tolerably honest Republican, arose and
offered an amendment to which the House
paid little or no attention, which was i'm
mediatly accepted by Schenck, and passed
with the original bill. The effect of the
amendment was to repeal the law of 1885,
which gave to the Supreme Court appel
late Jurisdiction in cases of habeds corpus
The character of the bill was not under
stood until after it also passed the Senate.
Mr.. Boyer, of Pennsylvania, fully ventilat-
ed the matter in very severe and able
styIe, There was no man in the House but
Schenck who had brass and impudence
enough to stand up and justify the trans
action. He has brass and impudence
enough to do any thing, except to face a
brave enemy. He never did that. Such
trickery as this would disgrace even Ter
ritorial legislature, where they esteem al
most any thing as fair that succeeds; but
in body called the Congress of the United
States, it should subject the parties to it,
the scorn of every honest man of whatever
party he may be. The whole legislation of
Congress is now being shaped to suit what
it is thought will again humbug the people
into the support Of the Radicals and again
place the power in their hands for four
more long and weary years, OF tyranny and
usarpation, to be perpetuated indefinitely
under the reign of Alysus the first. Hence,
the whole cry in Congress is retrenchment
and reform, and many small matters of ex-
pense to fool the people again with, will
be cut off. But Mr.. Buckalew yesterday,
in the Senate, took the wind out of the
sails of these humbuggers in retrenchment,
by offering an amendment to bill to re-
duce the army and navy to the standard ol
a pe,ceful state of affairs, which would
have reduced the annual expenses of the
Government twenty millions, and it was
voted down by a strict party vote, with
w6o S Sf Mr. Fsssig, Of co9nset1siRff wifi
the Democrats solely because on the 9Th o.
April a State election comes off in his State
and doubtless fears ''the wrath to come
i'm the nutmeg region. But no salt of this
kind will save him and his party in thai
State from defeat. s<
Soon alter the New Hampshire election
there was considerable growing here
amongst the Radicals about the result, bul
| they have somehow taken the second
thought, and it is now considered more o.
defeat than victory. for, in the fall
when elections are being held every where
on the same day, it will not be SO easy
| to colonize voters, SO as to show
voting population of one to foul
| inhabitants, the like of which never