The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1868-03-03

Mr.. Howard said preliminary motions of
couI Sc might be very material. For instance,
a motion to euash the impeachment, which
would open nest Of legal and even political
and partisan questions, upon which the coun-
| sci might expend themselves for months, as
might the point be exhibited by the senator
| from kentucky, Davis, yesterday Ihe o9hate
could not sit week after week TO near such ar :
| guments which they must decide upon the
| fiaal hearing. He was too old lawyer not to
| know that danger was to De apprehendeC from
| those delays merely for the purpose OF staving
| off hopipc something would turn up in favor
| of the accused. His only desire was that there
| should be fair and reasonable speedy trial, so
| that they might proceed with other important
business.
Mr. johnson would prefer that there be 10
limitation oil time; that they should follow tie
established precedent. The rule. however.
would operate upon the managers on the part
OF the House as counsel for the accused. Many
preliminary questions of great importance
would probably be raised on this trial, and it
would not do for the court to limit defence as
10 the manner OF conducting the case: In SIM
lar trIals objections to jurisdiction often ed 10
dlsmlssa oil cases. These articles alleged no
criminal intent and the counsel might argue
that that was fatal to them, tnat the fresl-
dent had acted without criminal intent, then,
If they satisfied the Senate that the objection
was well founded, the trial would be at an end
and other articles, if thought advisable, could
be presented. lie was particularly anxious TO
preserve the honor impartiality and Justice of
the Senate, so no one could complain. He
therefore thought they should adopt no rule
that would wear semblance of iniustice-
Again, conviction required two-thirds vote
ana he thought this rule should be suspended
ii one-thlrd demanded it. As there was no
precedent for this he thought commanding
puDllc policy required that there should be no
limitation on debate.
Mr.. Hendricks held that as those rules pur-
ported TO be for all future cases they should
not be considered with reference to any nartic-
ular case, but in the light of the usual prac-
tees of the courts
Mr.. Dixon Said if the counsel did SO foolish
q thing as to prejudice the court against them
ny unnecessary delay, the court could at any
time stop. People were more anxious that the
trlai should be just and that it should be pro-
tracted. Suppose they protracted it for
month. would that work any injury? Lim-
tatIons of time Were of recent Introduction in
the courts. Doubtless men OF great ability
and character would appear in the defence,
and all proprieties would be observed and if
any limit was to be imposed it should be at
least two hours
HOUSE.
The House re-assembled at 10 o'clock, Mr..
wa Lburne, of Illinois, in the chair, and con-
tinued the discussion on the impeacbment ar
ucles there were not dozen members in
the House, and but few spectators. MANY
members had speeches printed
MI Garfield took the floor and explained
the cause of his absence when the vote was
taken in the House on the present articles Of
impeachment If he had been present he
would have voted aye. 1t was known that he
mad on previous occasions uniformly voted
against impeachment, but it seemed to him
that the President had taken advantage of the
obvious unwillingness of the House to be fore
ca INTO impeachment, and had grown more ar
rIogant, more reckless and more defiant fiji
thefe was now no remedy but to impeach him.
ts1N slfl D.
the same side. He also had hitherto onnosed
impeachment, ana yet he had been convinced
lhat the President had been guilty if NOT of !
hI@h crimes and misdemeauors, at least of |
great lmprudence. The majority of his con- |
stltuents had hitherto been opppsed to the i'm |
parchment of Mr. Johnson but he had infor- |
hiatioh now not only that the Republican sum- |
porlers but that influential Democrats in his |
district were anxious that the President should
be lmpeached and removed
Mr.. Niblack followed on the ;onnosite side ot
the question. The first and most important
DrahCh OF 1t he said had already been disposed
OF, ana 1t only remained for the House to form
uiate articles of impeachment on which the
IresIdeht could be tried. He would not dis
cuss the question in any partisan view aud
regretted the last speaker should have de- |
Seended to ordinary partisan discussion The
hepubllcan members OF the House were pre- |
pared TO reVolutionize the courts for the Dur- |
pose OF getting rid OF a President who was |
TO Airlcanize the institutions of the country. |
and now they were ready to Mexicanize them
Mr.. PIke said that if the articles under dis |
cusslon were sufficient to ground an impeach- |
men upon, IL was quite evident it did not in |
Giude some OF the graver offences for which |
ne might have been arraigned, and he had |
learned with great pleasure that an amend |
meht was to be presented bv the gentleman |
from massachusetts (Boutwell) which would |
lmpart at least remedy to this difficulty IN |
was quite certain tlaf
factory TO the House and to the country, for
Ine reasons Tor removing President johnson |
II placed on this record. The whole record |
OF ms oIierces of what he had done, and what |
ne ma ialled to do, were coterminous with his |
official life. He had endeavored to bring Con- |
gress INTO derisien and disrepute as a body |
hanging ON the verge of the Government he |
had made himself a jest and by-word; had |
prostltuted his Office in the use of veto and |
OF appointing power; had given all possible |
encouragement to the rebels, and had done all |
ne couiq 10 prevent the reconstruction of the |
rebel States. The forbearance of CONGRESS- |
mad only led to greater violence of action on |
the part Oh the President. The time had now |
come; the law was plain; the President should |
be lmpeached and driven out; impeachment |
No1id end the combat; imp aachm MT was |
peace; If he seemed to the Democratic party a |
martyr, That party was welcome. to him; but |
Andfew johnson had in him the poorest stuff |
IhaG ever q martyr was made of Let him he |
then said, be elected from office as soon as the |
forms of the law will allow, and the whole |
country will say, amen.
MT. Kerr, speaking OF the 10th article, said |
that charge had never been made on such |
himsy, such shadowy, such absolutely unsub- |
stanilai testimony as that on which that article
rested. N fair minded men could rise from |
It's feading without utter establishment that it
contained so little, was so triflng and SO abso-
intely disgraceiul TO the intelligence of the
House. There was not enough to convict
Whlte man, much less negro of stealing an
orange. As to Mr.. Lawrence'S statement that
the impeachment movement was supported by
Democrats, he declared he had vet to hear Of
the hist Democrat in or out of Congress who
supported it. On the contrary, all Democrats
and most of the respectable Republicans had
spoken OF 1T as disgraceful to Congress and |
the country.
MIR. Paine discussed the question as to how |
Andrew johnson should be tried, whether as |
PRESIDENT of the United States or as Vice |
PRESIDENT, dIscharging the duties and powers |
OF President That was an important cues
ton connected with other questions, as to who |
should preside at the trial. If the President
OF the Senate were to preside ON the trial. then
certain Andrew johnson should not be ar
raigned as President, in his opinion. The
committee was right in the descriptions; the
trial should be presided over by the Chief JUS
tice of the United States
just before noon the committee arose and
the proceedings of Saturday were concluded
through. the form of an adjournment. The
nose immediately commenced its session of
Monday, dispensing with prayer and reading
OF the Journal, and went into committee of the
whole Mr.. Schofield in the chair, and resumed
the consideration of the articles on impeach-
ment.
MIR. Trimble, of Kentucky, entered solemn