The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-03-05
Impeachment.
p CHANCES ron CONVICTION H rHs SENATE.


/The Cincinnati Commercial, OF the 10th uIt..
niains letter from "Nsck,n from which we
hke the following interesting extract:
A senator said TO me the other day, in reply to
question on the subject. that the Senate in pass
this resolution merely expressed an opinion 70
bich II bad perfect right. No doubt its mem
rs have right TO think a. they please Of the
IS Of Mr.. Johnson. but what should like to be
Formed about is: BY what section or article Of
e Onstitution, the Senate, in executive
ssion, is empowered TO decide that this
at or the Other act Of the president
unconstitutional and Illegal; They can
ply make such q decision when sitting as q
Ugh Court OF impeachment, under articles pre-
knted by the House. Which brings back the in
Fitable conclusion that the object Of the resoa
|On was none other than to say to the House:
Send in your articles, and we'll sonvict." rhsts
be plain English of 1t. Otherwise the president
pay commit an Illegal and unconstitutional act
md still not be guilty OF high crime and INSIDE
beanor.
am satisfied that an official investigation would
discover the existence Of q positive agreement
Between the two houses on this subject. To pass
articles in the House and have them fail in the
enaie would be IN nous to the Republican party.
therefore the House required some expression OF
opinion from the Senate before committing itself
10 the passage OF the resolution Of Monday.
Mr.. Johnson's counsel will certainly raise this
point at the trial. There is much Ia Il worth
tuing. II the president is to have q trial, he is
Entitled to the benefit OF an impartial jury. Call
you man impartial who, before he enters the
Jury box. declares that the accused 10 guilty. II
not, then every senator of the twenty nine who
Voted for the resolution OF Friday night Is dis
qualified 10 sit IS q Juror, and the president Is
5ool and ought 10 be hanged first and convicted
afterwards, N he abides witheut protest appeal
by the decision Of any such court. man 40
|cused Of stealing horse wouldn't be asked to do
it The Jurors must first swear they don't know
PIE stole the horse. The presidents jurors have
ALREADY sworn not only that the horse Was stolen,
but that the president stole IL. Such jury Is a
|mockery, such q trial an empty ceremony.
When made the suggestion contained in the
above paragraph TO a senator, few days since,
was met with the reply that to constitute crime
there must be an act conjcined with an intent,
and that the Senate had only declared the act I'M
constitutional while on the trial the question in
tent would come up. Now it may not be known
10 the learned senator referred TO that the statute
which the president IL arraigned for vi0ating says
nothing whatever about malicious intent" but
The Senate has declared officially that the presi-
dent has committed this act, and has, therefore,
conde nned him already. II only remains to ratify,
as court OF impeachment, what they have de-
clared as Senate, and the president Is convicted
and removed.
THE STATUS OF SENATORS.
The Senate consists at present OF ffty.three
Notwithstanding twenty seveH states.
There ia a vacancy in the representation OF Mary
land, occasi0ned by the refusal 70 admit Mr.
Thomas, who was found guilty Of the crime Of
having q son. Maryland will undoubtedly elect
another senator in time to sit in the High Court Of
Impeachmept-bnt mark the prediction, the sen
ate will not receive him Immediately, but viii
"reier" the subject TO the judiciary committee for
investigation. A majority msy do that, aud doubt
less will do it, and thus reduce by one the strength
OF the minority in the High Court of Impesch-
ment II will require thereby thirty ak votes to
convict, or eighteen TO acquit the president,
should the court consist OF hfty-three. On strict
party question, the Senate ID thus divided at
present:
Republicaus-Anthony, Cameron, Cattell, Chan
dler, Cole, Conkling. CONFESS, Corbett, Cragin,
Drake, Edmunds, Ferry, Fessenden. Fowler, Free
linhnysen, Grimes, Harlan, Henderson, Howard,
Howe, Morgan, Morrill, Of Maine, Morrill, OF VT,
Morton, Eye, Patterson Of New Hampshire, Pom
eroy, Ramsey Ross, sherman, Sprague, Stewart,
Sumner, Thsyer, Upton, Trumbull, Van Wrinkle,
Wade, Wiley, Williams, Wilson and Yates-l2.
Democrats and Conservstiyes-Bsysrd.B ucka-
lew. Davis, Dixon, Doolittle, Hendricks, johnson,
Norton, Patterson OF Tennessee, Salisbury and
McCreery, senator elect from Kentucky, who will
take bis seat In few days-ll:
This is a strict party cassifcation--giving the
Republicans the fuIl benefit OF the doubtful ones,
and OF men who, like Mr.. Sherman, talk conser-
yetism but generally vote radicalism. A majority
Of six over the required two-thirds 10 favor OF
conviction should the trial assume strict party
aspect as the impeachment did in the House.
Should seven out of the forty-two vote with the
minority, the president will be acquitted II
] were called upon to name seven who
viii be apt to do this, | should
say Fessenden, who hates Wade and
won't vote him into the White House IL he can
help Il (; Anthony, who is naturally conservative,
and frequently shows courage enough to vote IN
dependent Of bis party Grimes, who doesn't ad
mire Wade, and has been opposed to impesch
ment all alorg. There's three. As for the four
more, shall not mention names nor improper
motives-but vacant judgeships and the like have
much TO do with the votes OF senators whose
Official career is about to draw to close-snd
there are fifteen Of them in that interesting stu
alton. That's vile SANDER, il II! Well, Thomas
H. Benton is my authority, Senators were no
above such bsrg aims In his day, according to the
"Thirty Years. and are they better now thai
theni Besides. didn't New Hampshire senate
in the last Congress change front within twenty
four hours on the question Of admitting the presl
dents son in.lAw TO his seat, and didn't the pres
dent appoint him United States judge next day
wait and see and stick pin here. II the presi
dent be not acquitted, then there is no purchas
IN patronage