Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1868-03-31
THE IMPEACHMENT.

to absorb all others. Reconstruction for the
nonce, is scarcely spoken of, and when men
toned at ALL only to be regarded as part OF
the unholy scheme instituted for the contin-
nation of power in the hands ofthe party that
is now seeking, through unconstitutional
means, to get possession of the Executive De-.
partment.
One hundred millions of gold in the Treas
ury. and Presidential election to come off
within the year, are considerations which
might we'll be expected to furnish motives
for action with any party whose career has
been marked with unbuslling fraud and wan
ton disregard of the true interests of the conn
try. The radical party, with its present pat
ronage, does not mean to leave any obstacle
in the road to its complete success, and sooner
than run the risk of defeat in November, its
leaders will sieze the reins of government and
drive the country to irretrievable ruin. And
this they are about to do.
1t is too late now to inquire whether this
might or might not have been prevented.
We are not Of those who find it convenient to
denounce the inaction of Mr.. johnson, and
to say that he ought to have done thus and so,
We give him credit for patriotism, and be-
lleve the present welfare and future glory of
the country has been his aim, but from the
very inception of his administration the odds
have been against him and his hands tied.
/ is true he has been allowed to talk well and
write elegantly, but these innocent exercises
Of his, whilst they have doubtless been a re-
lief to him, have not weakened his opponents
or created the slightest diversion in their orig
inal and digested plans fdr the overthrow OF
the constitution. If action was needed, Mr..
johnson was but one man and though clothed
with high official trust, he was without any
guarantee Of support in the event he attempt
Cd to resort to force His protests have been
manly and vigorous and at any period of the
government prior to 1861, would have been
perfectly resistless.
But the seed which arc now about to pro-
duce such harvest of destruction were sown
during the reign of Mr.. johnson S predeces-
sor, and the present President may not be
entirely blameless for the root they have ia
ken. 1t was then that the constitution re-
ceivcd those stabs from which it has not yet,
and is not likely ever to recover. The first
intracton, quietly submitted to, opened the
tlOod-gatcs to general generalization, until
the dominant party found it convenient to
base their legislation and consolidate their
structure upon the ruins of, and outside, all
measures of constitutional restraint. What
all this is to lead to, it needs no keen pro-
phetic sense to foretel.
As a matter of course Mr.. johnson will be
convicted. No other result ought to be
looked for. Like the military commissions
which sent Mrs. Surratt and hundreds of
others to the scafold, the tribunal before
which Mr.. johnson is arraigned, has been or
ganized to convict. Any other verdict would
not be in keeping with the grand scheme of
scoundrelism that is to make the government
despotism, or deluge the country with blood.
But the end is not here the evil stops not
with removal Of the President. He must
have a successor, and he must be one upon
whom the revolutionists can rely, to carry
out in detail, and to its very minutia, the
programme that is marked ont. What is that
programme, and what the result of its faith
1ul performance, are questions which we find
admirably answered in the columns of the
Doylestown CPa) Democrat, whose editor
was 4 Provost in this town during its occu-
pancy By Gen. Patterson. After careful
survey Of the field, he has arrived at the con-
c.usions presented in the extract below -
We have often remarked in our columns,
that the Radicals have struck for Empire in
this country, and we are still of this opinion.
TO attain it, they will use all the means that
unblushing impudence and love CT tyrannical
power may suggest. Their object is to elect
the next President at all hazards, and they
will not scruple at the means They do not
intend the people shall have fair ballot if
they can prevent it, and they will take the
proper means to prevent it. They know that
they stand in danger OF losing the vote of the
majority of the Northern States unless the
ballot is given to the negroes. The measure
is now before Congress, and we expect to see
it pass before the adjournment. This bill en-
franchises the negroes in all the States where
they do not already vote, and they hope
thereby to secure New York, Pennsylvania,
Ohio. and other States. Before the present
session of Congress adjOurns, a test oath bill
viii be passed, in some shape or other, which
will exclude from voting enough Democrats
to give the Radicals majority in all the close
districts This will enable them to carry
every State and again to have two-thirds
majority in Congress. Our friends must not
argue that the Radicals will not dare to do
such outrageous things, that they will be
afraid and all that. They dare do anything
that becomes necessary to secure them in
power, and which is proved by the history of
the past six years None of the acts we have
specified likely to be done by them in the
future are more monstrous than what they