The Portland daily press., 1868-04-09

Horace Greeley on Impeachment.
The following extract is taken from
peech made by Mr.. Greeley at recent
meeting of the Old Union Republican Cam
,aign club, in New York: ~
A few words of one Mr.. Andrew johnson
loud laughter and applausel VINO IN har-
.ngue not long ago described congress as
BODY hanging ON the verge OF the govern
nent must conclude these rambling remarks.
That gentleman is now hanging on the verge
If the government, laughter and think is
mite unlikely to hang there much longer,
laughter and applause and when be shall
naye passed into oblivion or obscurity, as
such men necessarily pass, this will be his
epitaph, that, throughout his three years.
rule as President OF the country, he never
uttered one VOID calculated to conciliate and
harmonic the lately warning elements which
this Union. challenge any man
to go through his utterances from first 10
last, and sh,w where Mr.. johnson ever ut
10 bring the people together and make them |
forget their past differences in present bar |
mUny. From the beginning to the end, that |
man has tried to asgravate our dissensions
for his own selfish purposes. The South has
had no worse enemy; the ugh he, after being
their tremendous denuncator, and alter
threatening them with all manner of pun
ishment. turned around to be what is called
their friend.
Ills enmity, his denunciations, did not
hurt them very much. think his friend
ship has hurt them much more. There is ne
section OF the country, there is no State OF
1t, which is not the worse off to-day for tina:
mans rule over us. There is no interest ad-
vanccd by him; there Is no element OF dis
cord which he has not aggravated by the
kind OF management which he has shown as
President of The United States.
At last, I think his time has come. Laugh
ter !. AT any late, when our friend, Presi-
dent Spencer, comes into court and begs
Tor forty days, OF thirty days. or any number
OF days, before he goes to trial, you generally
think that he has pretty hard case tor
client. Johnsons main effort is to gain time.
Fight off, get oil, get out OF the way OF the
court, ii he can. When you are ON jury,
you know by such indications as these that
YOU have pfett, hard case coming up be-
fore you. Why, Sirs, If / were President,
and believed myself innocent, / would say:
Gentlemen, have done with this fooling!
cannot afford to sit here with my authority
questioned, with one Secretay OF War in the
While House and another in the Department.
We must have a government not anarchy
Now, ii there is any charge against me, let
it go 10 trial tomorrow; let us go on, get
through this work quIckly;I demand your
verdict. We cannot stay here in this condi-
ton.
who would like to be President under
impeachment? | think that any honorable
mar would say that was the worst position,
The most uncomfortable, the most undesirable
that man ever held !; and yet it would seem
that Mr.. johnson covets the privilege OF re-
hi, IL, ,ab s,.ct lAv,rr
possible. l know that the Romanist said of
purgatory that the objector to it mghtgo fur
Their and fare worse; and suppose this is Mr.
Johnson's apprehension now llaught"rl: but
after all, say this Is an unmaniy position
1t is what tho lawyers sometimes call contes-
sion and arrogance, when man comes up
and says cali ask is that you will put this
trial off as long as possible; do moi bring it
up; delay it until can get away. Here
johnson stands begging of, begging off. Do
MT get me before the jury. Says the Judge
to the fellow sta ding in the criminals box,
Don't be alarmed, my good fellow, you shall
that's just what am afraid Of" Laugh
ter. That is the position of this gentleman.
Just the same. ~ 8
cannot mistake the signs of the times.
We have patiently endured that man. We
have set Congress to watch him. They have
stayed in Washington month after month,
with nothing else to do than to see that he
dId not do any more mischief. Then we had
to set the General of the Armies to watch
him, and the Departmental officers and all,
until people got tired OF watching him and
said, Get him out OF the way. Let us have
Government that is Government, not
perpetual obstruction, not peril to the coun-
try 10 the White House greater than ever
Jeff DAVIS was in Richmond. IApplause.l /
know the Democratic party will try to make
out of him all the capital they can; but, after
all, in my deliberate judgment, they will be
glad in their hearts when they hear that he
is put out OF the White House. For we want
peace, we want reconciliation; we want gov
eminent we are tired OF anarchy, and strife,
and apprehension and uncertainty. Every
interest demands that the work OF reconstruc-
ton shall go on rapidly. and that we shall
not have what DR.. Franklin spoke of when
Directing to composed legislative body of
two Houses He said 1t reminded him of
Dutchman who once got stuck in the mud,
and who hitched span of horses to each end
oil his wagon, and whipped up both ways and
made them haul 1t out. We have tried that
way to get out of the mud long enough
laughter and applause we want team that
viii, draw all one way hereafter; and ihinl.
we will then be able to haul out
believe that within one month from the
time you set oil Ben Wade in the White
House tremendous applause], there will be
considerable scatteration in the big granite
building down in Wall street. Cheers.l l
think you will find good many dead ducks
beside John w. Foruey. Laughter and an
plause. l believe we are about to have a
government OF vigor, and honesty, and pur-
pose-a government which will collect the
revenue, instead of allowing whiskey gam
bleis and thieves to rob us OF it and build
opera houses out OF the money which belongs
in the peoples treasury. Cheers.] believe
we are very near that blessed day when coun-
terfeiters will not be pardoned by the score
when the men who are depicting and divest-
in5 the government of all its means will find
themselves much more comfortable ard safe
in Canada than on this side of the line.
lCheers.] And so. fellow-citizens, without
taking more of your time, believe that the
gentleman that now occupies the White
House will very soon be swinging around the
circle once more without any such distin-
guished retinue as he had on a former occa-
sion, and without making his journey at tie
expense OF the American people. lCheers.l
l think he will make his next electioneerip9
tour at the expense OF the Democratic party
and pretty serious expense it will be il
be makes such speeches as he did before
Laughter and appanse.l believe he will be
a. 1t, creating disturbance. and heart-burning
and hostility among the masses. but no more
uttering proclamations of mischiei and conten-
ton from the White Hous. and in that faith,
and In the confident assurance tina. the Pres
idential election before us will result in a Re-
publican t1umpb-that great and good
msn will be called into the White House, and
the country thereafter be at peace, united
and prosperous for ears, ifnot forever, bid
you farewell. Hearty cheersl n