Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-03-13
WILL THE sENATE CONVICT

There are a great many persons who
regard the Senate under its organization
to try the President, as "a court or
ganized to convict" and the Radicals
about Washington make no attempt al
concealment that this is their conviction.
They appear to be entirely confident that
the President will be convicted, and the
previous declarations of Senators adiudga
ING him guilty, are referred to as corroboo
rative of this opinion. They seem to
entertain no doubt whatever that Sena-
tors will be governed by their partisan
feelings in rendering verdict upon the
charges against the President One OF
the coolest things we have yet met with
on this point is contained in the WASH
ington letter of agate" to the Cincinnati
Gazette, dated the Sth inst. This writer
says:
There il, ! suppose, no reasonable doubt
as to the result of the great State trial soon
to begin. The charges relate to matters of
public notoriety. The evidence is conclu-
sive; and, for the most part is of official
record The case may, indeed, be said to
be made up almost before it has begun;
and the opinions of the Senators, as to
whether the acts charged upon the Presi-
dent are sufficient cause for removal from
Office, have not been concealed. Unless
extraneous circumstances, therefore, are
likely to influence the judgment of the
court, its verdict may be anticipated. But
what extraneous circumstances can influ-
ence the matter? They must arise either
from considerations of individual interest
or Of party necessity, or of public expe-
diency. Ii is only Just to a body of psrti-
sans called suddenly TO perform the gravest
Judicial functions, to say, that the last
consideration is the only one likely to have
much weight in the decision OF the Senate
There are, indeed, many Senators who look
thoughtfuily to the effect of this action
upon the future welfare of the country;
who have hitherto hoped that the extreme
measure Of removal from Office might be
avoided who have feared lest an act of
public necessity might be made easy
enough to be hereafter initiated on grounds
of party necessity; who have believed
that under the powers granted by the Con-
stitution, Congress could so hedge about
bad President, as to make it expedient to
delay his impeachment long after his overt
acts had mede il justihable Such, I'M
doubtedly has been the view of Mr.. Fes-
sender, of Mr.. Grimes, of Mr.. Sherman,
of Mr.. Anthony, and of several Others"
Here it is gravely argued that the Radi
cal Senators, as partisans, having put
themselves on the record in favor of the
conviction Of the President, there is no
thing to fear now that the party will soon
experience the satisfaction Of seeing this
obstacle to the usurpstion Of the duties
of the Executive Department bv Congress
removed The only fear that this body
of partisans, as Agate 6ttingly terms
the United States Senate, win not per,
form the work assigned them, is that
extraneOus circumstances such as
considerations of individual interest. or
Of party necessity, or Of public expedi-
ency, will cause them TO falter Here
is Radical discussing, through Radi-
cal journal, the probabilities Of United