Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-05-17
THE ELEVENTH ARTICLE-wHAI
TITS.
ARTICLE XI.

VI 1DluuAbAdy bN lubAAI blfCGNAiS QNNldIG
affirm in substance, that The thirty-ninth
Congress of the United States was not a
Congress Of the United States authorized
by the Constitution 10 exercise legislative
power under the same but, on the contrary,
was Congress of only part of the States,
thereby denying and intending TO deny that
the legislation Of said Congress was valid
or obligatory on him, the said Andrew
johnson, except so far as he saw fit to APP
prove the same, and also thereby denying
and intending 90 deny the power of the
said thirty-ninth Congress to propose
amendments to the Constitution of the
United States; and in pursuance Of said
declaration, the said Andrew johnson,
President of the United States, afterward,
to wit: on the Dist day of February, 1865,
at the city Of Washington, in the District
of Columbia, did unlawfully aud in disre-
gard of the requirements of the Consti-
tuition, that he should take care that the
laws be faithfully executed, attempt to pro
vent the execution of a,I act entitled IAN act
regulating the tenure of certain civil Off
GERS" passed March 2, 1867, by unlawfully
deyising and continuing, and attempting TO
devise and contrive, means by which he
should prevent Edwin M. Stanton from
forthwith resuming the functions of the
office of Secretary for the Department of
War, Notwithstanding the refusal of the
Senate 10 concur in the suspension thereto
fore made by Andrew johnson, of said Ed
win NJ. Stanton from said office of Secre-
tary for the Department Of War, and also
by further unlawfully devising and con-
a., ,sl al a. 4
trive, means then and there TO prevent the
execution Of an act entitled can act max
ing appropriations for the support of the
army for the fiscal year ending June 30th,
1868, and for other purposes approved
March 9, 1861, and also TO prevent the ex-
ecution Of an act entitled "An act TO pro-
vide for the more efficient government Of
the Rebel States" passed March 2, 1867 /;
whereby the said Andrew johnson, Presi
dent of the United States, did then, to-wit
on the Dist day Of February, 1868, at the
city of Washington, commit and was guilty
of high misdemeanOr in office.
An analysis of this article of impeaeh-
ment exhibits the significance of the
vote Of yesterday. A critical examina-
ton discovers it to contain the sum and
essence Of the first three articles regards
ing the attempted removal Of Stanton
and appointment of Thomas, which was
the grdUdplen of the impeachment move
ment on the 9th of February. The
fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth
articles relate to the alleged conspiracy
with Thomas and depend entirely on
the first three, so that il may be said that
the eleventh virtually embraces them all
The ninth in reference t. the alleged
tampering with Emory, and the tenth in
regard to the Western tour, both of which
have already been condemned as trivial
and untcnable, are not included in it.
In addition, the eleventh article charges
the President with dcnOupcing Congress
as an illegal body, and with an attempt
to defeat the law creating Grant
his superior in the military supervision
of the reconstruction work, and with OBJ
structing the operation of the recOnstruc>
ton laws themselves 1t was drafted by
Thaddeus Stevens, the master mind and
Lucifer Of this now fallen host, and was
intended by him rs summary of the
Impeachment, and chiefly relied upon by
him and his associates to secure cOnvic>
ton, in the event that the other specifca-
tons failed. 1t was for this reason, that
so long as ten days since, when symptoms
of detection began to be visible, that a
motion was made to obtain a verdict upon
this before the others, and the bringing
it forward yesterday was, doubtless, the
result Of anxious caucus consultation
since Monday. 1t was intended origi-
nally rs the reserve, but the dire exigency
the forlorn hope to lead the ad.
vance. Its fate is written, and considers
ing its scope and purport, it prefgures
the defeat Of theoth articles, and writes.
the epitaph of impeachment in the single
line, talSHm IN unO .falsum an omnibus
The concoction of this article was
adroit, and it was fitly framed to stake
the whole ease upon. If there was any
crime in the Stanton proceeding, it pre-
,ented it 1t was the new matter that
inspired the impeachers to move, only
Dne week after the House of Representa-
ives had refused to vote, that the Presi-
lent had committed an impeachable
,dense Ii included, also, all the explO,
led charges reyamped 1t did more, 1t
presented a willful appeal to party pass
ions It asked of Radicals the removal |
# the President because he opposed the
Radical policy This was thought to re
nforce the whole line and make it I'M
and was we'll calculated to do |
O. In its defeat, therefore, there is a
eep political significance. An iniluen-
ial section Of the Radical party has de-
Jared that all the violent attacks upon
he President are groundless that he (
ommitted no crime in stigmatizing Cons
ress as Rump that in opposing re-
onstruc ton, ne was not rcviving the re-
ellion. In fact, it is solemn and
flicial yindication Of President johnson
efore the country and intlicts q stag
sring blow at the unity Of hat formida-
le organization, that for three years has
the land with its baneful
lduence. The shrewd leaders, having
entured on the attempt to remove the
resident, foresaw the disastrous conse~
uences Of failure, and in nothing more
early than in the condemnation it
0uld administer 20 them in the defeat
this feature Of their scheme. Hence
lie herculean effort to save it, and hence
le dismay that oyerwhelms them now.
THE impeachers hate Chief Justice
base with a cordial hatred. They are
snouncing him furiously, and they swear
e is in league with the Democrats and
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