The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-04-18

Impeachment has as little to do with law,
reason and justice as with astronomy. 1t is
simply the political issue. In this trial the
people must see the collision of opposing
powers, policies and principles in our politics,
struggling for the mastery. On the one hand
is the violent radical policy-the destructive
policy-the policy of Sumner, Stevens and
Wendell Phillips-the policy that is afraid of the
future-that sees ne chance for success but in
bounding on the nation to revengeful course
against the South, and in crying that there is
no safety but in setting the niger above the
white man. On the other hand we see the
calmer, wiser policy of trying to restore the ma
ton to peace by return to the principles of the
constitution, and rec0nstructing by and with
the Southern people. Since the end of the
war the struggle between these two lines of
policy has been constant and growing in bitter
ness. and now at last it has come to direct
issue over the alleged offences of the President,
who favors the wiser policy. Thus the one
policy has the other before it in the position of
a culprit, and will condemn it, of course. Po-
litical fury never went so far and then stopped
short. Hitherto all has been done, more or
less, in accordance with the forms of law,
though the spirit of the law has been ignored
or defed. Mr. johnson certainly knew that it
was not in an honest purpose to try him that
he was brought before this so-called court.
He knew that the intent was to condemn in his
person certain political policy. Neverthe-
less, he went quietly to trial, evidently not dis
posed to be the first to fail in observance Of
the law.
None viewing the situation calmly can believe
that the impeachers are honestly urged by the
motives they pretend. Asserting the SUI
premacy of the law is no part of their pur
pose; but to secure the supremacy in the
government of the political policy of their
party is the single object to which they are
willing to bend everything, including the law.
Hitherto, however, both parties have kept sub
stantially within the forms of justice, the
impeachers especially doing their utmost to
disguise their purposes, and to conceal from
the people the fact that this grand farce of a
trial is only political game. But the forms
of law, however elastic, cannot be stretched
beyond certain limit, and it has now become
point who shall first dare to 60 openly out
side the law. Stevens, as the exponent of
the policy of violence, declares that Johnson
must be condemned without regard to what
is proved or disproved before the Senate.
This is the member of the radical party whose
tongue the more willy politicians cannot control,
and whose Impotence of disguise has hitherto
done 80 much to tell us what radcalism truly
aims at; and just at the point he indicates his
party will break with the law. 1t is under the
necessity to find the President guilty, law or
no law, and if it does not SO find him guilty it
convicts itself of the crime of Obstructing and
endeavoring to remove the man who was
executing the law. If it cannot prove the
charges alleged, and yet finds the accused
guilty on those charges, it violates all form of
law and stands confessed in its true character.
1t will then be for the President to determine
If he should submit to a verdict that has not
even the forms Of justice to give it sanctity
and force.