The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1868-04-25
-orJohnson was Personated by one
of HIS Counsel.
Mr. nelson Swinging Round the
Circle.

IMFs "GAHS
Circle.
T The illness of Mr.. Stanbery has re-
sn1ted more dIsastrously to the Presi-
dent than anybody could have antici-
4 natsd IL was the means of unbotltng
Mr. Nelson, one OF the hitherto silent
counsel, the Presidents next friend
and as It now appears, the imitator of
bia many oratorinl graces. His speech
Thursday is pronounced the absurdest
thing that has ever been aired In the
Senate. save the Presidents inaugural.
Hare is what the reporters say of II:
Atoue O'Clock Mr.. Nelson, of the
| Presidents counsel, began what proved
| TO be one of the most ludicrOus speeches
ever delivered in the Senate. In the
manner of the speaker, in some of the
matter, in gestures, in eRrnestness ana
effect upon the Senators 1t was fully
equal to a Hard Shell sermon. 1t more
than oyerbaIances the worst that has
been charged upon the manner or bear
ing of any of the managers. Judge
Curtis and Evarts could not by any eff
fort conceal their disgust, and Curtis
withdrew at an early hour, but Evarts
and Groesbeck sat 1t through. BY turns
Senators were disguised and amused,
and these feelings were displayed with
out regard to party.
Mr.. Nelson began by giving brief
outline of his own professional career,
from which It appeared that he had
been lawyer for thirty years and had
tried cases involving life, liberty and
character. The folIowingis fair speci-
men of the first portion OF his
speech: The charge had been made
that the President was an unworthy
successor OF those who had filed his
high Office; that he was ribald and a
wanton; that he banded jests and oaths
with the crowd. These charges had
been made and reiterated, and until
now no reply had been made 10 them,
and he proposed now before entering
on a review OF the articles of impeach-
ment, to answer them. III the Presi-
dent was such a man as had been
painted, then he (Mr. n. y would say he
was indeed ga monster of such fright
full mien, that to be hated needed but
to be seem" that ga whip should be
placed in the hands of every man TO
lash him naked through the world;"
that his name should be used to fright
en- children with; that the memory of
his crimes would "cause every particu-
lar hair to stand on end like quilts
upon fretful porcupine."
He then read from Writ paragraph
for tho benefit of the Managers, and
went on with what appeared to be
parody Oh the old school speech, be-
ginning "Who was BleDnerhassett2"
repeating frequently instead of the
above words, ''Who Is Andrew john |
son?n Then he traced him from the |
time he was small boy IN Greenville,
where he soon after engaged in what
Mr., Nelson termed n humble mechan-
ical pursuit, up through his whole
career, emitting, however, his service
as Alderman, to the Presidency. This,
and his service in the Senate as a
Union man, was Mr.. Johnsons usual
speech on that subject almost word for
word, bad grammar and all. In ex-
planning who Andrew johnson was,
he declared he was an old Democrat,
had SO announced himself in his letter
accepting the. Republican nomination,
and had been true TO his early
Views. He had followed Iincoln's
policy, and, according TO Mr..
Nelson, had retained MIR. Lincoln's
Cabinet, which was thought to be quite
an admission by the managers. He
next defended at length and with great
warmth, the right and duty OF the
Chief Justice to assume and exercise
judlcinl powers, and the earnestness
with which he demanded that the
Chief Justice should assert his right in
these respects, was regarded by all as
utterly out of place. lie, however, an
nounced that he did not know
as he was expressing the views
OF any other gentleman OF tne counSol.
The whole speech bore evident marks
of having been directly inspired by
the President, and is the universal SUBJ
ject of laughter by both parties to-
: night. Mr.. Nelson did not finish,
but will, unless counsel succeed in
restraining him, occupy half the ses.
sion 10. moraow. Mr.. Groesbeck will
follow him; then Williams and Ste-
vens on tho part of the managers, ii
they have the strength, then EVarts
r and lastly Bingham.