Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1901-11-27
ONE VOTE RUINED HIS CAREER.
A Man Who Saved Andrew Johnson from
Being Driven from the Presidency.


2S.-A former Governor working at
the case as a job printerl A former
United States Senator, whose name
within the generation has been upon
every lip, whose vote saved Andrew
johnson from being driven in igno-
miny from the Presidency, bending
in his old age over a wood saw The
man who prevented tho now all but
forgotten name of Benjamin +. Wade
from going into history as the
eighteenth President of the United
States, ending his days in poverty
and obscurity! Such are the ex-
tremes of fortune which have fallen
to the lot of former Governor and
former Senator Edmund G. Ross, of
Albuquerque.
Governor Ross, as he is known to
his neighbors, is one of the ubiqui-
tous Ohio men. lie was born rs
years ago at Ashland, Ohio, near,
both in place and time, to the birth
of Senator William B. Allison, of
Iowa. He is one of the Oldest
printers living. He began learning
his trade at 8 years of age. Thence
forth the printing office was his only
school, his journeyman's certificate
his only diploma. He is storehouse
of interesting reminiscence of the
primitive "deyil's tail" press and
other early phases of the cart pre-
servative."
The slavery excitement of the
early SOS found the young printer
foreman of a job office in Milwau
kee. Of New England Puritan an
cestry and Northern Ohio birth, he
was naturally strong Abolitionist.
The formation of the young Repub-
ican party at Tipon, Wisconsin,
therefore appealed to him with rare
force. He soon after took an active
part in bringing about meeting at
Milwaukee for the organization of
the new party at that place.
lie shortly removed to Kansas
and, with the vigor of youth and
ardor of intense conviction, entered
the fight against the introduction of
slavery in the new Territory. In
1856 he founded the Topeka Tribune,
one of the first newspapers west of
the Missouri river, and made of in
fiuence for the cause he supported.
When the civil war began the young
editor enlisted q private in the 1 1 tn
Kansas cavalry. He saw active SER
vice throughout tho war and at it's
end was mustered ont as lieutenant
colonel. When Col. Ross returned
homo the Legislature was in a dead
lock over the election of a Senator.
His services to his party before and
during the war here stood him in
stead and the dead lock was finally
broken by tho election of the young
printer colonel.
SENATOR FROM KANSAS,
In Congress Senator Ross was a
strong party man. Throughout the
long fight over tho reconstruction
measures he was radical of the
strictest sect. In this he we'll rep
resented the intense spirit then
dominant in Kansas and was thor
oughly popular with the people and
his party associates in the Senate.
He was obedient to caucus mandates.
He had shown no indication of az.
piring to leadership. His future was
full of promise. When the Congress
sional leaders'at length determined
to remove the President through the
forms of an impeachment trial, they
never doubted that they could rely
upon the Kansas Senator to the ut
most. 1t was we'll known that seye-
raj Republican Senators were not
kindly disposed toward such dras-
tic measure as impeachment, and
toward the end of the trial Senators
Fessendcn, Fowler, Grimes, Hender-
son, Trumbull and Van Wrinkle an
nounced their opposition to convic-
ton upon any of the charges, and
several others did not believe there
was evidence to sustain several of
them. To remove the President,
this rendered it necessary that every
other Republican should vote for
impeachment and the attitude of
Senator Ross now became source
OF much uneasiness to the impeach-
ment managers.
WOULD NOT SHOW HIS HAND.
After the Senate had been organ
lied as Court to try the charges he
had steadfastly refused to discuss the
merits Of the case or to indicate how
he would vote. His only statement
was that he would hear the evidence