The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1868-03-05
Impeachment-speech of stevens

The articles of impeachment passed the
House on Monday. The seventh article. as
originally reported, was omitted. All other
amendments, except few verbal ones by Mr..
Boutwell,, were rejected. The vote on the first
article was Log in favor and Al opposed. The
votes on the other arti Giles showed no party
changes. Messrs. Stewart, of New York,
and Cary, of Ohio, voted with the Democrats
as on the passage of the impeachment resolu-
ton. The managers elected by the House to
conduct the trial in the Senate are Messrs.
Stevens, Butler, Bingham, Boutwell,, Wilson,
Williams and Logan. Before the vote was
taken Mr.. Stevens of Pennsylvania made a
speech thirty minutes in length, sitting in the
Clerks desk the members having collected in
the area in front of him. The following is the
closing part of his remarks:
By some unaccountable misunderstanding
the article which hold in my hand, and
which we may call one and half, has been
dropped out, for l do not find it in the articles
amendment 1t isS"That on tie 10Th of Aup
during the recess of Congress, Andrew John
son, President of the United States, did sus-
pend from office Edward M. Stanton, and that
while the Senate was considering the suffici-
ency of the reasons reported, Andrew John
son formed q deliberate design and determined
to prevent the said Edward NJ. Stanton from
forthwith resuming the duties of his office,
thereby committing high misdemeanor and
offence, and that when he was defeated in ac-
complishing the design by the integrity and
fidelity of the Secretary ad interim, he sought
to arrive at the same end by giving a letter of
authority to Lorenzo Thomas, Adjutant Gene
raj of the Army, to act as Secretary of War
dd interim, and severely censured the former
Secretary OF War dd interim for not yielding
to his efforts to make him betray his trust"
This charge, said Mr.. Stevens, is nowhere con-
tanned in the articles reported. There can be
no trial on it. If there be shrewd lawyers, as
know there will be, and cavilling Judges
it without that article they do not aqut him,
they are greener than l was when COM
menced to practice at the Court of Supreme
Sessions.
If that article be inserted, the Presidents
own letters show both the removal and the at
tempt to defeat the reinstatement; and al
though the Senate should decide the other
charges in his favor, how could he or his coun-
sci hope to escape from this one, and it is
worth all the others put together, unless it be
on the anconstitutionality of the tenure of
office bill? Let us look and see what chance
he has of escape there. The Senate has four
times voted on the constitutionality of that
very bill -he vote first stood-yeas 20, nays
9. am sorry to say that it was a party vote,
but every Republican voted in its favor Let
me see,-continued Mr.. Stevens, shaking his
finger above his head recreant who dares
to tread back upon his steps and vote on the
other side. There was report OF committee
OF conference afterwards on the bill, ar d the
vote then stood-yeas %, nays 10, every Re-
publican voting in favor of the measure. Then
came the vote ON it overruling the Presidents
veto, and that vote was yecs 80, nays 12-every
Republican voting in favor of the bill. Now,
then, let him who canaexpect 10 get out on the
only ground left in my article is adopted Let
him hope who dares to hope that so high
body as that Senate will betray its trust, will
forget its own act, will tread back on its own
action, will disgrace itself in the face of the
nation. Point me out one who dares to do it,
and you show me who dares to be regarded as
infamous by posterity. What chance then
has Andrew johnson with an article saved out
in order to give him locphole? You see how
fair we are. Naughter.) What chance has
Andrew johnson if that article be inserted?
The fortunate man thus surrounded, hamper
ed, tangled in meshes of his own wickednessl
Unfortunate, unhappy man, behold your
doom