The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1868-03-19
Johnson,s Efforts at Delay.

country from a bad and hated ad-
ministration, from universal corrup-
ton, and from suspense while his
! removals. pending, merely for the
sake Of delay, and to tire out the
lpeople, upon the calculation that all
the injury to the country will dam
age the Republican party. x tr,
! The country must not be kept in
this state of suspense, and the man.
/ fold evils of this bad administration
must not be permitted to continue,
merely that ne may obstruct affairs.
The country is entitled to govern
ment. 1t has not a government
while the Executive is in state OF
suspended animation. The vast in
terests of this great nation must not
be obstructed merely to aid his
stratagems for personal purposes.
If Andrew johnson were crimi-
nal nnder arrest, held secure by con-
finement in prison against commit
ing further crimes, or escaping pen
atty, time might. be granted him on
the same terms as to such criminals.
1t might even be allowed him mere
ly for delay, for the chances of a
4
change of feeling. But while he is
impeached for unfitness to be the
Executive, and is only on trial by
the Senate, he still holds all the
power Of the Executive office. and
continues the public evils and per
lis which have made his removal
necessary.
These conditions make it impera-
tive that his case should be summa-
rily settled. This necessarily fol
lows the leniency shown him in
permitting him to remain in office
under impeachment by the House OF
Representatives. Suspension from
Office is the natural order of i'm
parchment. 1t is contradiction IL
law that a tribunal should try a
criminal without having control of
his person. The practice would al
ways make impeachment danger
Gus proceeding. ~
James Madison, who, by the
testimony of his own notes of the
| proceedings of the Constitutional
Convention, is more than any other
man the father of the Constitution,
laid down this authority of Congress
in the matter of impeachment, in the
Virginia Convention for delibera-
ting of the National Constitution.
There is one security in this case
to which gentlemen may not have
averted; If the President be con-
nected in any suspicious manner
with any persons, and there be
grounds to believe he will shelter
himself, the House of Representa-
tives can impeach him; they can re-
move him if found guilty; they can
suspend him when suspected, and
the power will devolve on the Vice
! President. Should he be suspected
also, he may likewise be suspended
till he be impeached and removed,
and the Legislature may make a
temporary appointment.-Vol. 2,
page 367.
There could hardly be a more ur-
gent need for the suspension of any
President during trial, than is de-
monstrated in this case, both be-
cause of the vast injuries to the
country by the continuance of John
sons administration, and because Of
his threatening demonstrations,
against the peace Of the nation.
Congress has however, in its mag
nanimity, and because his efforts at
armed force have been circumven
ted, permitted him to continue in
Office until the decision of the Sen
ate; but this makes it the more i'm
perative that the decision should be
given without Unnecessary delay.
| 1t must be borne in mind that Mr.
johnson has made several dem on
straions Of an intention to get con-
troll of the army in order to resist or
overthrow Congress. He attempt
ed to make an ally of Grant in or
der to get rid of an obstacle to this
scheme, in the War Department.
Failing in this. he made new mill
tary district, to place all the forces
in the North and at the Capital un-
der another commander, as if to put
the army under a General who in
case ofa crisis would overpower
Grant. He made two efforts to find
a General for this use. He sent an
other General to take possession of
the War Department by force. He
consulted the Commandant of the
District of Columbia as to the dis
position and number of troops.
| After these plain Demonstrations
the Senate is compelled to consider
that his purposes are criminal and
dangerous, and that the public peace
| is preserved only by the fact that
he has not succeeded in getting con-
troll Of forces to precipitate war.