The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1868-05-15
impeachment from an English Point
OF YIeyY. :. J

impeachment from an English Point
OF Yle3y. ..,.,...-..,.,.,,,
The great State, trial of the new,
| world is rapidly approaching Sitst
close. and any hour ,nsys6w sffns
jsus Intelligence of the judgnent 6Roy
fnousced upon Andrew Johnsch ~
ethe American Senate. It is "a atfaiigs
lend Of q mighty conflict sineliar
ilexample of political batsaosi The
smost gigantic, costly and sen9 9ainagy
struggle ever known hos iWindiad
Into . prosecution of which We, in
this Country, can only think that isa
need never have been instituted at
all. Whether the President of the
Republic did or did NOT commit the.
offences imputed tol him, Is a. ques-
tion which !. really seems hardly
necessary to entertain, no plain does
the conclusion, appear, 1aeCording to
English opinions. that these offences
I were not such as shon1d heys ;;;;::.. !! al,
| upon mis- trial. 81 As@ tiDilcH lU hn
l,o The, whole charge against Presi-
dent Johnson amounts to. little more
than this. that he placed himself id
opposition to Congress. The Execu-
tive and the Legislature have been
for some time at variance; but that is
q misfortune which might occur at
any time. The Constitution gave
powers to Congress and powers to
the President; and it' was always
possible that these authorities might
differ in opinion. No doubt such an
antagonism might be carried by a
President to such o point, and be
supported by such measures as would
Justify an impeachment, but it seems
impossible to regard in such light
as this any of the proceedings ascrib-
ed to Mr., johnson. That he did not
sympathize with the views of Con-
gress is, of course, notorious, but in
America opinions are surely free;
that he. spoke without much respect
Of Congress-, may be admitted; but
in America speech is very free in
deed We know of nothing said by.
the President, on this subject, which
might not have been said of Parlia-
ment or ministsSs here, without
creating more than q passing remark,
and certainly members of Congress
have spoken rs hardly of Andrew
johnson. as ever he spoke of them.
There was O political faud between
the parties, and party feeling ran
high; but as things go in America,
and, indeed, in all free countries, it
seems out of all measures to make
angry words the ground Of solemn
impeachment. elTna ~ a.
| The impeachment of the Chief
Magistrate of q nation. is an net of
extreme gravity, to be justified only
| by overpowering considerations of
| public welfare. We fail to discern
anything resembling such iustifica-
ton in the case before us. It appears
to us only an unmeasured expression
of party feeling. A Republican Con-
gress has been impatient of Demo
cratic President. and that is all. It
is certainly. possible that q, majority
OF tho Senate may rule Conscientious
ly. as we'll az rightly, that President
Johnson's attempt to dismiss Mr..
Stanton was q violation of law; but
it will not be held in Europe, and we
should think it would not be held in
America, that tho act was such vio-
lation of law rs to demand these ex-
treme proceedings. IL will be far
easier to rule that the President has
occasionally been indiscreet Of speech;
but this, too. will give very little sup
lport to the case for impeachment.
Nobody can deny that Ir. Johnson's
conduct has fallen short of the digni-
ty of his place; but we are bound to
add that. upon the whole, it has been
as becoming and as polite rs those
who placed him in office by their
votes we're entitled to anticipate.
Taking his official career from FIRST to
last, he has certainly exceeded the
expectations which were formed of
him. It is not for us to beg the
question by deciding between the
claims of Republican and Democra-
tic principles; but even if it be as
snmed that the policy pursued by
Congress was right. and that advo-
Gated by the President wrong, there
was no reason on this ground for
putting the President on his trial.
Congress had its own, though with
little opposition. It was thwarted,
but it could not be controlled. The
President, as matter of fact, did
not succeed in removing Mr.. Stanton,
nor could he enforce his own views
on the reconstruction of the South.