The Portland daily press., 1868-11-19
PRESS,
Thursday Morning, November 10, 1863.

PoRILAND

Impeachment of Andrew johnson.
Mr.. EDITOR,-I was surprised to find that
Messrs. Morgan and Schenck reported that
there was no sufficient occasion for a session
oil Congress on the tenth instant. 1t seems
to me there ought to have been a session for
the express purpose of impeaching the Presi-
dent and removing him from the Office he has
so l)ng disgraced. True it was less than
four months to tue fourth of March. Brit
why should the business OF assassinating 10y
al men in the rebel States go on till the 4th
of March? Have not the Southern loyaists
suffered enough?
And think even now. that when Congress
comes together in December the first busi-
ness should be to impeach the President.
lie should be impeached and removed from
Office not merely to save the loyal men of the
South from pillage and mur Ter and TO secure
them the right of free suffrage without dan
ger; but also as an example to deter all Pres
idents from committing like crimes in future.
In my opinion the President was cleaI ly
guilty under the former articles and ought to
have been convicted. Ii he were to be put
ON trial upon those articles now, no doubt he
would be convicted. There will be twelve or
fourteen members in the Senate from the
newly organized States ON the first Monday
OF December. Most of these will be loyal
men. The question would be political one;
and every loyal Senator from those States
would vote foI the conviction of Andrew
johnson. The loyal men in the South have
suffered too much from his usurpations and
crimes to tolerate him any longer.
But OF course he would not now be i'm
peached for those crimes and misdemeanors
for which he was acquitted. In my opinion
he was not charged with his principal crimes
and misdemeanors on his former trial. The
question of impeachment had been before
the House of Representatives twice before.
The matter had been presented with great
ability by Gov. Boutwell,. The r publicans
were actuated by motives of kindness. They
were very reluctant to proceed to this new
and extreme measure.
A majority of the Republicans voted not
to impeach the President. In my judgment
it was great mistake. Kindness to Andrew
johnson has proved death to thousands OF
loyal men in the South.
1t has been claimed that those votes against
impeachment amounted to decision that the
President was not guilty of the charges set
forth in Mr. Boutwell's report. Not so. Those
votes simply express the sense of the House,
that it was inerpedient to present articles of
impeachment at those times.
The great crime for which Andrew John
son should have been impeached and remov-
ed frem office in December, 1865, was the pO-
Hticat crime OF usurping the power OF Con-
gress to recognize the Rebel States, and of
exercising that power in such manner as to
place all the authority in those States in the
hands OF traitors, to the exclusion OF loyal
men. As a political crime this could not
well be surpassed. For this great crime the
President has not been tried. In the opin-
ion of the undersigned for this crime the
President should be impeached as soon as
Congress meets. If the House should i'm
peach him for this great crime, think he
would certainly be found guilty. All the
loyal Senators from the Rebel States would
certainly vote, "Guilty." l should even hope
that the President would be excluded from
ofiirv ana cUusIgneo TO everlasting lnramy by
a vote of nearly three to one.
The idea presented by Messrs. Wilson and
Woodbridge in their report, that the Presi-
dent can only be impending for crimes and
misdemeapors that are indictable in the
courts, is simply ridiculous. 1t is completely
refuted by Mr.. Boutwell,. But it is so ridicu-
lous, that it requires no serious refutatiOn.-
Boys that are studying law learn better than
that before they are admitted to the Bar
The most aggravated crimes that the Presi-
dent can commit, will generally be political
crimes against the safety of the State, for
which he cannot be indicted in the Courts.
jew.