Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-02-24

TOM
Unfortunately, the complexion of affairs
at Washington is not lovely. 1t is dark
and hideous, and may grow into appalling
ugliness, rather than into serenity and
beauty. The bold, bad, reckless men, who
have boosted, as thing to be proud of,
that they have legislated outside, above and
In defiance of the Constitution, are about
TO draw another excessively heavy draft
upon the temper and patience of the peo-
pie. If the country is not precipitated.
within few days, into an internecine
War, it will have cause. tor thankfulness
most devout.
There is no cause for such war, or any
war, and If precipitated upon the country,
it will be crime Infamous beyond compu-
tation. Long ago Secretary STANTON be-
came Objectionable to President JOHNSON
as a Cabinet Officer-as Secretary Of War.
The President became impressed with the
belief that some other man would admin
ister the War Department in way that
would more conduce to the success of his
administration and to the welfare OF the
country; and he, accordingly, gave hint
to Secretary STANTON that he would great
ly oblige him by rendering his resignation.
Being in the interest of politicians who are
intent upon the subversion of our form OF
government, in order to secure the per-
petual ascendancy of their party, Mr..
STANTON affected not to notice the hint.
Thereupon the President, instead
of repeating the hint, made direct re-
quest that he resign the Office of Secretary
of War, which he had thus far held by his
sufferance. Obedient to the conspirators
against Constitutional Liberty, he refused
to resign. No other alternative had the
President than to suspend him. which he
did. The Radical Senate reinstated him.
STANTON pretended that the reason he
wished reinstatement was that he might
stand before the country vindicated in his
official conduct, and that he should tender
his resignation Immediately upon being
reinstated. Getting into Office once more,
he has held on with unrelaxed and unre-
laxing persistency. "Hold on" has been
the injunction to him from the Radicals in
Congress. Having determined to force
Negro Suffrage upon at least the
South, and conceiving military
Dictatorship essential to that end, they re-
alize the necessity of having In the War
Office for that Dictatorship q plant CO.
adjutor. and in the person of STANTON they
recognize the fit instrument to play that
important part. Evidently, STANTON and
GRANT are joint conspirators with the
D.J oIe tn ncf ho hnr ioo
of the White people Of ten States in this
Union. On Friday the President, by Ex-
ecutive order, removed Secretary STANTON
and appointed General LORENZO THOMAS
to discharge the duties OF the War Office
for the present; and this General THOMAS,
at the instance of Secretary STANTON, has
been arrested for accepting the appoint
ment and undertaking to perform the du-
ties pertaining to the office; and he is held
under arrest. Did this arrest simply show
q determination to try conclusions in the
Supreme Court of the United States as to
the Constitutionality of the Tenure of Of
fee bill, there would not be cause for the
slightest agitation or apprehension. More
than this, however,is evidently contemplate
ed. That this is so, is manifest from the
precipitate haste with which resolutions of
Impeachment were introduced into the
House, and the vehemence with which
their passage was urged, and the prompt
ness with which the Republican Senators,
through committee chosen for that pur-
pose, communicated to Secretary STANTON
the instructions not to surrender the War
Office. If no object beyond the mere asser-
ton of the right to control the ap-
pointment and removal of Cabinet
officer were concerned. it is not plaus-
ible to suppose that matters would be
carried to such extremity in man.
ner so extraordinary and out of all
Everybody knows, who
understands anything about the nature,
theory and practice of our Government,
that for the President to remove Cabinet
officer, or any other officer that exists
through his appointment, is not an i'm
peachable offense. It can not be made ap-
pear that In the eye of the Constitution or
in the eye of common sense, the removal of
such officer is either "treason, bri-
oCAyS Va OUACk CAlmC 0uu mlce
demeanor" that is to receive adequate pun
ishment only in Impeachment. To under
take to Impeach, for a cause manifestly so
Insignificant and hitherto held to be so
harmless, is so preposterous that no one
would suppose that men elected to repre-
sent the people in Congress would under
take it. And yet we are told that to-day,
in all probability, Congress will pass Reso-
1utions looking to the Impeachment of the
President for removing Secretary STANTON.
It is the intention, If these Resolutions
shall be passed, to suspend President JOHN
SON from discharging his Constitutional
duties as President OF the United States
and to constitute Senator WADE President
for the present. The truth is President
JOHNSON is clog, an impediment in the
way of the Radicals who want to
Negroize the South-to make out of it q
sort of Jamaica and Hayti. It is to get
him out of the way-to remove this clog,
this impediment-that the Radicals in Con-
gress catch hold of this removal of STAN
TON as pre.ext for Impeachment.
Suppose Congress pass the Impeach-
ment Resolutions and suspend the Presi-
dent, and constitute Senator WADE acting
President, what then 2" is question that
will readily suggest itself. If this shall be
done, the President will have no other
course lett than quietly to submit to being
deposed, or to Immediately put Senator
WADE under arrest as soon as lie shall
qualify as acting President. Ii he is equal
to the position, the latter course is the one
he will pursue. Should he pursue this
course, and Congress then undertake to
forcibly release Senator WADE, and sup
port him In this usurpation OF the Presi-
dental office, undoubtedly conflict of
arms will ensue. A few days