The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1868-03-12


There is an argument, seriously laid
before the American people in opposi-
ton to the impeachment Of the Presi-
dent, which if it is good in that case, is
sufficient to upset all the grounds upon
which ordinary offenders are punished.
It is the argument of expediency.-
Newspapers, such as The Times, inform
us that even if the President be technic-
ally and literally guilty of the direct
violation of the law; it is not incumbent
upon Congress to notice or punish that
oftense., Mr.. johnson, they say, be
lieves the Tenure: Of Office act unconsti-
tutional, and his course sincerely carries
out that belief Mr.. johnson miscon- @
strues the Constitution and the act Of
1895 regulating the appointment of chief
clerk, and is, therefore, only to be
blamed for an error of judgment. Mr..
Stanton should have resigned long ago,
and Gen. Lorenzo Thomas (see Thur
low Weed in The Advertiser) would
make a superb Secretary of War. Be-
side, nothing injurious to the country
would have resulted from a change in
the War Office. Things would have gone
on very much the same. Congress by
its restraining legislation had prevented
any dangerous opposition on the part Of
the President to the Reconstruction
laws. Behold, he turned out Pope and
Meade turned out jenkins. What is
the use then Of making this pothes
about impeachment ? Let well enough
alone. Attend to the financial question:;
reduce taxation; economize. Wait
little longer, and Andrew johnson will
60 out of office, and then everything
can be made as lovely as possible, and
all this horrible excitement will be
avoided.
But this miserable argument is of
kind upon which the American people
have always trampled, and upon which
they will continue to trample as long as
they deserve to be nation. Concede,
as for argument we may, that the re-
moval of Mr.. Stanton, and the appoint
ment of Gen. L. Thomas, would not harm
the country, and would substitute good
Secretary for bad one, the fact re-
mains that the attempted removal and
appointment were in violation of law.
No immediate good that, under any cir
cumstances, could result from such an
offense of the Presidents, could COM
pensate the permanent evil of overlook
ing it.
For the President introduces into the
Government a principle at war with its
existence. The moment the President
deliberately and officially refuses to obey
law of the United States, no matter
upon what pretense, that moment the
House of Representatives is bound to
bring him TO the bar of the Senate We
can conceive of no Congress, Republi-
can or Democrat, pretending to repre-
sent the American people, so cowardly
and false that it would dare to neglect
this duty. Consent to forgive the Ex-
ecutive for defying the law, and pre-
cedent is established which would here
e~AeSi WOA n uAAAOWA Gu0 n0-
public. There is but one way to treat
such crime--it is to punish it. Andrew
johnson has been fercely denouced for
his abusive speeches and violent acts,
for his treachery to the party which
elected him, and his efforts to evade the
execution of the Reconstruction laws,
and in the opinions Of some these Of
fenses are greater than those for which
he is impeached. But this official an
nouncement, in message to the Senate
and in orders to his subordinates, that
he had deliberately resolved to break
his oath to protect and execute the laws,
is the one transcendent crime of his ad-
ministration. All his other crimes are
contained in this, which embodies the
principle Of rebellion as entirely as he
had called out the army and navy to
make himself Dictator.-N. Y. Tribune.
A NEW PLoUeH.-A new plough has
been invented by a mechanic in San
Francisco, which, if it proves as success
full in practice as those who have seen