The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-08-08
WHEN ANDY" JOHNSON HAD It
OUT WITH A WAR SECRETARY

the senate announced that 1t did not
concur in the presidents course. No
tice to this effect was served on the
president, on Stanton and on Grant.
Forthwith Grant surrendered the keys
of the war department to the adjutant
general, resumed his duties at army
headquarters, just across the street
from the war department, and stan
ton without ado took possession of his
old office. In turn, President johnson
was vexed at Grant; he insisted that,
spite of the conclusions reached by the
senate, Grant ought to have held on.
Angry words We're exchanged between
johnson and Grant. The wrath of both
men was aroused-they never there
after became reconciled.
Matters reached a crisis in February,
1868, when President johnson informed
the senate that, in the exercise of the
power and the authority vested in him
by the constitution, he had removed
Mr. Stanton from office and named
Lorenzo Thomas, the adjutant general
of the army, to be secretary of war, ad
interim. Then the real trouble started.
The partisans were in the saddle. Their
talk influenced many republicans VINO
hitherto had been conservative. There
were hasty consultations between senate
leaders and house leaders. The senate
recorded its dissent with the action
taken by the president. On the day
when this was done, Mr.. Covode, or
Pennsylvania, introduced in the house
a resolution providing that Andrew
Johnson, president of the United States,
be impeached of high crimes and mis-
demeanors."
The debate thus precipitated continu-
ed until speeches were delivered which,
in addition to the leave to print fur
nished more than 200 columns for the
Congressional Record. When the house
vote was taken 126 members were for
the resolution, AZ were against 1t, II
were reported as not voting. Forth
with arrangements were made for the
| trial of the president at the bar of the
| senate. The famous impeachment trial
is matter in well-known history-it
was a memora BILE affair. Its result was
that IS senators voted that the presi-
| dent was guilty; 10 voted that he was
not guilty. Conviction required two
thirds. Those who were i'll favor of the
removal of the president by impeach-
ment needed to win over just one vote.
In the succession of roll calls on sew
eral of the counts, they failed to do
this the proceeding to impeach the
| president failed.
When the trial ended there was an
outburst of republican indignation
against the republicans, not included
| among the administration, or Johnson,
| republicans who voted against i'm
| parchment These We're Fessenden of
| Maine Fowler of Tennessee Grimes of
Iowa, Henderson of Missouri, Ross of
Kansas Trumbull of Illinois, Van Win
kle of West Virginia. Gross injustice
was done to some of these men. Their
names were maligned, their motives
impugned. Time set this thing all at
rights. 1t is the judgment of history
that in the failure of the Impeachment
proceedings, the best result was reach
ed; and it is the weIl-grounded convic-
ton of the American people that a
president should not be compelled to
endure a cabinet officer in whom he
does not confide.
After the end of the impeachment
trial, Mr.. Stanton promptly resigned
Upon his retirement congress passed a
vote of thanks to him for the great
ability, purity and fidelity with which
he had discharged public duties"
Stanton was broken in health-the fail
ure of the impeachment trial was to
him bitter disappointment. He sup
ported Grant for the presidency, in the
campaign of 1868. On December 20,
1869, Grant appointed him to the office
of associate justice-the Office was one
that Stanton always had craved. But
it was in vain. Four days later, De-
cember "a, 1869, Stanton died.