Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1868-02-28
THE WILMINGTON JOURNAL
The Impendfng Crisis.


The decisive action of President JOHN
SON in removing Stanton, the second time
from the War Department, and the equally
decisive counter-action Of the House OF
REPRESENTATIVES, in preferring articles OF I'M
peachment, seem about to bring the I'M
pending crisis between the President and
Congress, between the Constitution and
Radicalism to a definite issue. we are
satisfied that this sharp, well-deined issue
will be of infinite service personally to the
President and to the whole country. Inc
,,artv in power have frequently threatened
imueachment, and few of the more polu
have yainly attempted to put these threa'S
into execution, and if for SO trivial cause
as the proper and just attempt OF the IRE
sident 10 rid himself of an objectionable
Cabinet Minister, and to make legal test
IF the constitutionality Of the Tenure Oh
Office Act, is seized upon by :nese mad par
tizans to make up the issue OF lmpeach-
ment. the President has good cause to re-
ioice that through party spleen his enc
mics have become so utterly reckless OF all
law, so blinded to the best interests OF the
country as to bring upon themselves the
condemnation of every patriotic man. 1t
the causeIess impeachment of the Presl-
dent if the dangers in which the Radical
leaders have placed the country !; II the at
tempted violent subversion of the COnstltu-
lion and the imminent peril in which the
peace of the Union is placed do not arouse
the neople of the North, nothing can dose,
and there is no hope for the successful re-
establishment ofkindly feeling and recon
citation, no prospect for the speedy pros
neritv and restoration of the States, and
nc promise Of the continuance Of repub-
ican form of government.
While the President has little to fear
from the present wild fury of Congress, the
assertion that General GRANT. nor the
Commander of the Department Of Wash
ington, will obey no orders of the Presi-
dent which conflict with the Tenure-of-
Office Act presents new and important diff
ficuIties, which, however, can only be tenn
porary, and may, if carried into action, in
yoIve the General in characterization which
may cost him the balance of reputation
already greatly damaged by his being
made the convenient tool of reckless and
bad men.
In this connection, however, the promo
ton by brevet of General G. II. THOMAS to
the rank of General GRANT becomes an i'm
portant and perplexing feature in these
singular complications. General THOMAS
is one of the most popular officers of the
army, and his taking charge of the Depart
ment of the Atlantic, with headquarters in
Washington, as his promotion would seem
to indicate, would certainly give new de-
parture to the conflict.
The appointment of Hon. THos. EWING,
of Ohio, the father-in-law of General SHEER
MAN, as the permanent Secretary of War
becomes, also, q suggestive fact in the
future bearing of these troubles.
The mere preferment of articles of i'm
parchment by the House, or the trial by
the Senate, need not and will not move the
President in the even tenor of his course,
but any attempt to remove him from office
during the six months or more which will
be consumed in his trial, may lead to new
difficulties involving the peace of the coun-
try. We hardly think the President will
quietly submit to his removal, and we are
nnprepared to believe the people of the
North are prepared to remain quiet spec
tators of the murder of the Constitution
and the death of the Union. There is
much in store between now and the fourth
of March, 1869, for the veal or woe of this
Country.