Idaho semi-weekly world. (Idaho City, Boise County, Idaho Territory) 1867-1868, 1868-05-23
s e,ui M|eeklv aGurld.
/. MACH ;, ON THE IhIPEACHERs.

1.MACK . ON THE IdPEACHERS.
In late letter, Mack" the very
clever Washington correspondent of
the Cincinnati Commercial, thus makes
good double hit at both Forney and
the impeachers in Congress:
Forney is nothing if not historical,
these times. | recently showed with
what accuracy he drew his parallels, as
in the case of Cardinal Richelieu, whom
he represented as the great minister OF
Louis XIV. This morning he gives us
two columns to show the parallel be-
tween Andrew Johnson and the Middle
Age kings of Europe-and inasmuch as
he qotes King James as one OF the Mid
die Age kings, it will be seen that ne
has read Halleck to great advantage.
He makes the startling announcement
that s'history repeats ITSELF" Does 1t
ever occur to the historic John w. that
history may repeat itself in the fate of
the court that condemns Mr.. johnson, as
well as the fate of Mr.. johnson, who is
to be condemned? And it is worthy of
note just here, that there has been no
exception to the rule, that those who
have assisted in the condemnation and
punishment of the heads of European
nations have invariably come to griet,
wherever they have survived the frenzy
and passion which their revolution GRE
ated.
The fate of the members of the "high
court of impeachment" which sent Louis
XVI to the scaffold is well known.
But, perhaps, the fittest parallel is not
to be drawn from the French Revolu-
ton, but from the English Revolution
which dethroned and executed Charles
/. They had high court Of impeach-
rnent then, consisting of iifty-elght
members. The high court of impeach-
ment for the trial of President Johnson
consists of fifty-four members. Of the
fifty-eight who signed the death war
rant of Charles Stuart, thirty-seven sur
rived the Commonwealth and lived to
see the Restoration. OF the thirty-sev-
en-, nine were executed, twelve were
imprisoned for the remainder of their
lives, eleven fled to escape punishment,
three were pardoned or released, and
the fate of two is left in doubt. The
twenty-one who died before the Resto-
ration were attained by Parliament.
Cromwell was exhumed and hung; and
SO were several others who were the
chief instigators of the regicide All
this was done, not to crafty any spirit
of revenge on the part of Charles ii,
but in obedience to popular demand
for justice, which in times of commo-
ton means cruelty. The son of the
murdered king did his best to repress
the vengeful spirit of his subjects, so
much so that Hume speaks OF him as q
prince who favored pardon and oblivion,
and adds that it was pardon for his
enemies, and Oblivion for his friends.
OF the estates of the fifty-eight regi-
cides, thirty-fye were con6scated by
exclusion from the Indemnity bill OF
Charles III twenty-one were conGscated
by attaindcr; one was restored by par
don, and the yearly income of the re-
manning one was con6scated
Let the fifty-four Senator's who have
undertaken to sign A. Us political death
warrant refresh their memories little
with this historical fact. and read their
fate in that. of the fifty-eight. who, in
l649, put the English king to death.
History repeats ITSELF" does it? Why
not in the particular l. have mentioned,
as well as in others?