The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1868-04-09
own conduct not his speeches brought

a own conduct not his speeches brough
g this shame upon them.
/ I have no political preiudiccs in favol
{ of MIR. johnson. | have never seer
n him. He is not one l helped to plac,
: in office, nor have ever advised him
$ or been consulted by him as to his
: policy. know he has been cheated
| and betrayed by those about him, VINO
+ plotted his destruction from the outset.
2 But while he has been most unhappy
in his friends, no man has been so for.
tunate in his enemies They have Civ
en- him high place in history as one
who suffered for the rights of the
. American people. And when he shall
90 to his final account and his friends
seek in clear, ters- and lasting terms
, to tell he was man who loved his
, country and was hated by the corrupt
and reasonable, they have only to
! chisel upon his tombstone that he was
impeached by this House of Represen-
talives and condemned by this Sen
ate.
But Congress seems to have aimed at
dramatic effect. and seek to excite an
interest in this talking OFF, like that
which attaches to the assassination of
crowned heads in darker ages. A
stranger entering the halls ofthe CAPT
tol and who learned there that one
was to be deposed because he stood in
the way of unlawful ambition or cor
rupt schemes, rs he looked over the as
scmblage and listened to the debates,
would readily pick out those who were
to do the dark deed. The face of one
would tell his character; mutlering
about judicial murder would suggest
another a third would be an old man
tottcling upon the crumbling edge Of
the grave, whose counsils should be
those ofpeace and charity, but who
shocks the world by that saddest ofall
siyhts-withered age given over to evil
passions, and in its last days mutter-
ing protanc curses and showing imbc-
cile malice as it sinks into the grave.
In view Of the foul ends aimed at by
the body that one dag is agitated by
dlscordant passions, by mutual rcproa
ches and taunts Of crime, and the next
Is whipped into accord by guilty fears,
these are lit Instruments. Who more
eager than they, to gain decree that it
Is crime to appeal to the judiciary
they hate and fear? Who so deeply
concerned for decision that freedom
OF speech is a high msdemcanor as
they who are daily CALLED and stung
and tortured by the uttered scorn of
people? We agree with them that
ppen discussion tends to bring this Con
sress into public contempt
When the sentence is prejudged the
trial will be speedy, No one thinks
the solemn mockery means fair and
honest trial There was shudder
when certain Senators solemnly swore
to judge impartially. These very forms
Of procedure which were meant to Sc
cure fair trial, are hidcous when used
as marks to hide the malice and hate
that Is lmpotent to speak the verdict
which must not in form go before the
trial. They shock Us as do pals and
shrouas and grave clothes which wrap
up the dead and decaying justice, while
the grave diggers Of the House wait to
40 their Office of putting away the mur-
dercd victim.
This Congress has by its action open
cd wide the door Tor the entrance of
many disorganizing schemes; it has
given to the future many dangerous
precedcnts, but none so dangerous as
this, none SO deadly in its tenden-
cies.
Bat there is another impeachment to
b. tried before more august tribunal
than the Senate. We arragn this Con-
gress before the people Of these United
States for its crimes against Liberty
against the Union; against the rights
OF our citizens. We ilnpcach them in
words ofOur Fathers against the Brit
ish Crown in the Declaration Of hide
pendence-bccause it "has rendered
the military Independent of, and supe-
rior to the civil power er'-because it
"hus erected Il multitude Of new offices
and sent swarms of officers to harrass
our people and eat out their sub
stance We impeach it "ior depriv.
ing US in many cases of the benefits of
trial by jury 'for taking away our
charters abolishing our most valuable
laws. and altering Fundamentally the
powers of our government "For sus-
pending Legislatures and declaring
themselves invested with power to leg.
islate in all cases whatsoever"
Beyond the crimes charged by our
Fathers against the British crown, We
also impeach Congress for its gross and
continued violation ofihe solemn de.
claration made to the American pco-
pie aud to the world, that they wagcd
war upon the South for the sole pur.
pose of restoring our Union, which I'm
ion they now keep sundered for selfish,
party and corrupt purposes. We also
i,npeach them as enemies to the liber
ties of the American people, when they
seek to take away the protection of the
judiciary and rob us of the freedom OF
speech.
There can be no freedom in that
country where Courts of law are closed
against the citizen who seeks protection
from unconstitutional statutes. There
is no help against tyranny, outrage or
corruption if there is no appeal to an
Independent Judiciary. There is no
liberty in a land if the power of the
Judiciary be not separated from the
Legislative and Executive depart
ments." What then is the condition
of our country when in One-third of
our States the judiciary is under the
feet of the military, that military which |
our Fathers told US must ever be kept
in subordination to civil authority. In |
the grand old republic of Rome the |