Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-05-23

hi WAY been in the national
q sJM capital for many
!; !: !: s: ;: !: !:
HShdSEA years, and he
ElxZW4t314l JSSNN came into the hall Of
dfyW&RGs1 the House and took
.-NlHX ~AS&Ik off his broad brim-
Nl.NfTNI AEN med felt hat, he
EH walked with per-
WY : : ::::: g: :: &: e: ::
were strange to him;
| the place itself seemed familiar enough.
He spoke to Grow of Pennsylvania, who
was Speaker when South Carolina took
| her doll rags and walked out of The House,
and to one or two others who were in Con-
gress more than thirty years ago They
greeted him with much pleasure evidently.
| He looked curiously about at first as
though to get his bearings, and then walk
| ed down enc of the aises AMI slipped into
| an empty chair. 1t appeared to an on
| locker in the gallery that he had been at
one time a member Of the House, and was
| trying to locate his old seat. One sees so
much of that sort of thing. Men come
back and gaze wistfully over the arras
that separate the lobby and the floor at
the seats they once occupied and they
| never can quite hide the shadow of the
great regret that fingers on their faces as
they finally walk sadly away.
There wasn't anything about the looks of
| this man, however to SuggcS: diSappOiIIt-
ment. He rather tail and stockily
| built with large features, clearly cut as a
| cameo, with long white hair tossed back
| in curling masses from Il nigh forehead,
and decision in every feature of his pleas
| ant countenance. Very soon he was III the
midst of group of men, who were shak-
ing him by the hand AMI greeting him
| warmly.
| A few moments later the visitor left the
House, and Judge Blue Of Kansas said to
Star reporter: That IS eX Gov. Ashley
OF Ohio, author of the Impeachment reSC-
luton that came near knocking Andy
johnson out
JOhnsOn's Inauguration.
Subsequently, in talking with a Star re-
porter Mr.. Ashley said: Il introduced the
resolution impeaching Andrew Johnson Of
high crimes and misdemeanors. There was
nothing personal in the introduction of
those resolutions, was thought at the
time; the contrary Andrew Johnson
and myself had been warm friends uD to
the time when he came to me and told me
his plans for administering affairs as Pres
ident of the United States; then l knew
that he and the republican party had part
| ed company, and / thought he was recreant
TO his trust, and should be condemned in
the only way that We had any power to
touch him.
You do not remember Johnson's inau-
guraticn, but dc. l wanted to crawl I'M
der my chair go hide my head in TIE
cloak room when he began his maudlin
speech. oh, it was horrible! The more
he said the worse it got That was one
time that the newspapers didn't want
facts, and every line that was sent i'll
was severely edited, lest the dissraceful
truth make us a laughing stock abroad.
1t would have been lasting disgrace
had all that he said gone into print. and
into the archives. In the Senate chamber
that day were the representatives of all
the foreign governments, accompanied by
the ladies of their households, all the heads
of departments, the Supreme Court. the
cabinet officers, all accompanied by eie
ganly attired ladies, and there We're hun
dreds Of h,Eored guests 1t was simply
frightful the exhibition the drunken buff
foon made of himself.
"Previous to his induction into the office
in public, Mr.. johnson accepted the offer
of a house belonging to Sam Hooper, which
was elegantly furnished, to live il: till the
White House could be thoroughly reno
waited. 1t was in ore Of the big, hand
some parlCrs of that house, in the COM
pany of half dozen gentlemen, all men,
bers of the House at that time, that Mr..
Johnson outlined to me his policy. l made
up my miEd then and there that if he
| meant to carry out those plans that he and
the republican party were two, and l told
him so in language more pungent than po-
lite, and we never touched hands after
that episode. 1 was not far wrong in my
idea Of how matters would shape up, either
| as subse Guent events proved.
An Estimate of johnson.
Il began my career abolition DEM
ocrat 1 cast my first vote, in 1852, for
John P. Hale and Julian for President and
Vice President. They were what were
called free democrats 1 voted for FIRE.
mont and was a member of the committee
that notified him of his nomination. 1 was
dole 70 to fret cpt,I1
ton, when the party was born at Pitts
burg I was in the first convention that
nominated Mr.. Lincoln, and was in the
second convention that nomina ted him, and
/ voted for Mr.. Johnson in that convention
because I had known him in the south and
believed him to be Union man, thorough
ly saturated with Union sympathy. 1 lived
/ to find him a scheming scoundrel and l
never darkened the doors of the White
House while he polluted it with his pres
ence.
1.-The talk that had with Mr.. johnson
before he moved into the White House was
SUFFICIENT proof to m. that he had sold his
principles and was a renegade. and SO
set about preparing the articles of i'm
parchment IS soon as opportunity offered
to reach him, which failed because of the
remissness of Kansas man, who defeated
it in the teeth of opposite n from his whole
state. Kansas was against johnson and
for impee hment to man, except in so
far as her representation in Congress was
concerned, and believe she tried her best
to control them, but couldn't. l know that
| wheE Ross Of Kansas voted against i'm
parchment there was lying or his desk a
telegram from Kansas, signed by d. r.
Anthony and one thousand others, telling
him to vote for Impeachment or come
home prepal ed for political death. I know
also that On his desk there lay a telegram
ready to send in reply that he would vote
his convictions regardless of what the
state instructed, and 1t was signed in full
| with his name.
Memorable Scene.
1.-The men who were in that chamber the
| day the vote was taken will not soon for
get 1t. Among the Senators was Grimes
| Of Iowa, who was at the time stricken
| with death, but in his desire to do what he
| thought was justice to Johnson, he was
carried into the Senate chamber a dying
| man to cast his vote against Impeachment.
| The House had adjourned to permit US all
| to go over, and the Presidents cabinet,
! all the foreign ministers. the Supreme
| Court and other dignitaries, with elegantly
| gowned women, were in attendance. Chief
Justice Chase presided. as he had all the
| time and you could have heard pin drop
| as the names were called alphabetically.
ut was known positively that eighteen
| Senators would vote against the resolution
| of impeachment, and a single accession
| would defeat my resolutions. For days we
bad 1ahOred in season and ont to ret an