Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-04-28
IMPEACHMENT.
WASHINGTON, April 27.
SENATE.
The Court opened at noon.

reporters be admitted To the secret session.
to take the debate on the final question. to
be reported with the proceedings.
Mr.. WILLIAMS moved an amendment |
by inserting the following at the end:
But no Senator shall speak more than |
once nor to exceed fifteen minutes during
such deliberations.
At the desire of Senator JOHNSON.
Rule % was read.
MIR. JOHNSON said-That will be on
each article.
Mr.. HOWARD moved to amend the
amendment by inserting after the words
" l5 minutes" the words lone question"
The amendment was rejected-19 to 30.
Mr.. BAYARD moved to amend Mr.. Will
liams' amendment by allowing 30 minutes
instead of 10. Rejected-l6 against 81.
On motion of Mr.. MORTON, and sec
onded by Mr.. HOWARD, further consid-
Grafton of the subject was postponed until
after the argument was concluded.
The additional rule offered by Mr.. Sum-
ner, was, upon his motion, laid over until
the close of the argument.
The CHIEF JUSTICE directed that the
argument proceed, and at 1890,
Mr.. STEVENS mounted the Clerks
desk and read his argument in pretty firm
voice from printed slips. After about ten
minutes he took a chair and read sitting.-
At five minutes before one his voice show
ed signs of weakness, and Mr.. Butler read
the remainder of the argument.
Manager STEVENS said he should dis
cuss but single article. the one that was
finally adopted upon his earnest solicita-
tion, and which if proved he considered as
quite sufficient for the conviction of the
distinguished respondent. He desired to
discuss the charges in no mean spirit of
vituperation, but argue them in manner
worthy of the high tribunal before which
he appeared, and of the exalted position OF
the accused. The trial of the Chief Magis-
trate of the nation, which was intensely in
teresting to millions of men could not be
belittled and reduced to mockery.
When Andrew johnson took upon him
self the duties of the office, he swore to
take care that the laws should be faithfully
executed, duties of legislation and the
adjudication of laws falling no way to his
lot. To obey the commands of the sover-
eign power of the nation, and to see that
others obeyed, was his whole duty. His
attempt to escape that duty will be mis-
prison of perjury.
Mr.. STEVENS said: / accuse him in the
name OF the House of Representatives of
having perpetrated that foul oftense.
MIR. Stevens then reviewed the question
OF the Secretaryship'of War, and charged
that the President had plainly and wilfully
violated law which he had sworn to see
faithfully executed. Mr.. Stevens ridiculed
the idea set up by respondent that the case
did not come under the tenure OF office law,
because Stanton was appointed by Lincoln.
He claimed that by the Constitution the
Vice President, when called to the Presi-
dency, was not serving out term of his
own, but only the unexpired term of his
predecessor.
Relative to the matter of intent, Mr..
Stevens said in impeachments more than
i'm indictments, the avering of the fact
charged carried with it all that was neces-
sary to say about intent. He went further
than some, and contended that no corrupt
or wicked motive need instigate the acts
| tor which impeachment is brought. 1t was
enough that they were official violations OF
law.
The President justified himself by assert
ing that all previous Presidents had exer-
cised the same right OF removing officers,
but there were now express laws against 1t.
So the cases were not parallel. The Presi-
dent said he removed Stanton to test the
constitutionality of the law. He had al
ready seen it tested and decided by votes
twice given by two thirds of the Senators
and House of Representatives. 1t stood as
| law upon the statute book. Instead OF
enforcing that law he took advantage OF
the name and funds of the United States to
resist it, and to induce others to resist it.
The first asserted that he did not remove
Stanton under the tenure of office law.
| lDlS was q ulTSCG VI Ills Wv :
| letter to the Secretary of the Treasury
How necessary that a man should have a
good conscience or a good memory. The
President denies he attempted to prevent
| the execution of the tenure o. office law,
and yet in his correspondence with Gen.
Grant he approached the General by the as
sertion that he (the General), knew his OBJ
ject was to prevent Edwin NJ. Stanton from
forthwith resuming the functions OF his
| Offina n1inU the Senate miph ht
decide in his favor.
| A question of veracity grew out of this
| correspondence, the President asserting
that the General had promised to aid him
1 in defeating the execution OF the laws, by
preventing the immediate resumption oi
the functions OF Secretary of War by Stan
| ton, and that the General violated his
promise. This the General denies, though
he agrees with the President that the Pres
| ident did indu"e him to make such prom
ise and enter into such arrangement. He
maintained that the President had been
guilty of violating the law, and Of mispris-
on of official perjury.
| Mr.. Stevens then referred to the claim OF
the President to violate the tenure OF office
law, because he considered it invalid, anC
considered the position of the President in
accepting the oath to take care that the
laws were faithfully executed. He also
detailed the action OF Congress on the law
explained its provisions and criticised the
claim of the President to disregard them
He then took up the action of the Senate
on the message OF the President informing
that body of the suspension of Stanton
and afterwards its action upon the removal
of Mr.. Stanton and the appointment of Mr.
Thomas ad interim. Notwithstanding tht
Senate declared he had no power t1 re-
move the Secretary of War and designate
any other officer to perform the duties &C
| l,oo ThOrnac in nflina
"This offspring Of assassination" sail
Mr.. Stevens, & turned upon the Senate, who
have thus rebuked him in constitutional
manner, and bid them defiance"
After the death of Mr.. Lincoln, instead
of being content with the position the peO
pie had given him, he sought to become
thereafter the Chief Executive of the ma
, ton. This he know could only be done by
|, changing principles and creating a new
party to sustain him. Alter some little hes
itation he resolved upon that course anC
perpetrated betrayal of the party tina
had elected him, and the principles he pro
fessed, baser than the betrayal of Judas Is
CARROT, who betrayed only single individ
ual, johnson sacrificed whole nation anC
the holiest of principles.
Mr.. Stevens then discussed the articl,
| charging the President with usurping leg
isative powers, and proceeded to show how
he had interfered with the work of recon
struction. He then briefly reviewed the
whole case, compared the services OF MIR
Stanton with those of Mr.. johnson, noticed
the claim of counsel that no removal of Mr.
Stanton had taken place, because Mr.. S
still held on to the Office, and concluded by
saying if the President is not willing tt
execute the laws of Congress, let him re
sign and retire to his village obscurity.
Mr.. WILLIAMS then took the floor
After speaking of the august character o
, the tribunal and the intense interest whicl
is felt all over the country by the entir'
= people, who were awaiting with anxiety
, the verdict, which is either to send thrills
of Joy to an afflicted land or rack 1t anew
with the throes of anarchy and depotism
| L lo1 ta thott 10