The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1902-05-02

sought partially to reward him for MS
services and sacrifices seventeen years
before, by making him governor of
New Mexico.
Upon his retirement In 1889, Governor
Ross fitted up a small job office in AL
buuueruue. Much of the time he was
the only workman employed. In the
humble routine of printing letter heads,
circulars and sale bills he spent the
next ten years. During this time Albu-t
querque enjoyed the distinction OF con-
tanning the only printing office in the
country wherein the types were set
and the presses run by the hand or
former United States senator.
Two years ago Governor Ross sold
his plant and purchased a small fruit
and alfalfa farm at the edge Of town.
Here. in a1ittle Mexican adobe house,
surrounded by trees, he is spending
the sunset years of his life.
Found Him Saving Wood.
When l called upon him recently I
found him upon his wood yard in the rear
OF his house, rusty. bent, old man.
With an old hand saw he was, with pain
full effort wrestling from the trunk Of a
fallen pinyon tree the wood with which
to cook his dinner. Thus, in the grasp
ing clutch of poverty, though borne down
by the weight of his almost fourscore
years. the former senator is perforce his
own man of all work about his humble
home.
He bears ever 4 hunted and haggard
look 1t is as If he hears yet the fierce
denunciaton, the open insults, the sitting
ing iaunts which assailed him so freely a
generation ago Though the period of an
average lifetime has passed since then, he
walks about as though the profane abuse
of Butler and the violent structures of
Chandler were still ringing in his ears;
-t,, FD1t t1,,f Nxy-
cry passcrby was repeating the .sneers of
Sumner, the lordly disdain of Conliing,
the taunts of Boutwell,, and the high
scorn of the ever intense Wilson, Though
conscious Of the rectitude OF his purpose,
he is not one OF those lofty souls who
can rise above and ignore the treatment
to whic,, he was subjected in the fierce
turbulence of that tempest uous era.
In our talk. when I directed the conver-
sation to the famous trial, his appearance
changed His body became erect, his eyes
,cgained brightness, his cheeks flushed
through the shaggy white beard. His
memory, formerly hating and uncertain,
worked with the precision of a new ma
chine. His voice lost hesitancy and rang
again with clearness. It was plain that
his mind had undergone no change upon
the merits CT the trial.
Talks Of Famous Trial.
Edmund Ross feels that that trial was
in the most critical hour in the life Of the
| republic: that the maintenance of the bal
| ance of the government between the leg
| islatve executive and judicial powers
was at stake. that had Andrew Johnson
| been removed the presidency would have
| become mere bureau for carrying out
| the will of congress; and that the supreme
| court would have next fallen as soon as
it crossed the purposes of the majority Of
| congress.
Speaking upon the event upon which
| his mind seems ever to rest, Governor
| Ross said:
douglas said after the passage of the
Kansas and Nebraska bill, that he could
! travel from New York to Chicago by the
light of his burning efigies. If Seffigies
were honors, l was more distinguished
| than he. l don't believe there was even
la bypath or a country road in all the
! north so obscure but that it was lighted
by burning effgies of me. OF course,
| that was not pleasant.
Nor could enjoy having many of the
men whom l had long regarded as my
! party leaders. lry associates in, the SEN
ate, refuse me all recognition. I was
made a pariah, a political lcper, thing
| unclean. Eut l could not help it.
mo man can ever know the struggle
that vote cost me- l went into the trial
a very radical republican. was just
out Of the army. l had been through all
the bitterness of the slavery fight in Kan
sas. Much OF my fighting was against
Price and the guerrillas in Missouri,
the strong, feeling engendered by the
sorder warfare in that state. Rebellion
was hateful to me in all its FORMS The
Ku Klux outrages and the unjust acts Of
the tentative governments established by
Mr.. Johnson in some of the southern
states only added to the intensity of my
| presidents policy throughout. These were
the sentiments Of my people. We were all
thorough radicals. l do not see how we
could have been otherwise.
Majority Was Arbitrary.
when the house of Representatives
brought the impeachment charges against
Mr.. Johnson l lhad no idea but that they
We're well founded 1t never occurred to
me that that high remedy would be re-
sorted to as mere move upon the po-
litical checkerboard. fully expected that
the charges would be sustained and that
would vote for Impeachment. But when
/ I took the oath. not as a senator, but as
a judge and Juror, to give Andrew john
son a fair and impartial trial, that oa tn
meant TO me what 1t said. / determined
to throw off every prejudice and predIc-
withdrawing that was utterly opposed
to the president and earnestly desired tthe
7 office rid of him.
y THE majority of my party in the SEN
ate were, thought, very arbitrary They
+ refused to admit much evidence which j
thought should have been heard. The
CollViCllOI was Slowly lDOTnes IN upon me
during the long trial that there was toe
much politics in the prosecution. As the
q end was reached, was forced to the con
clusion that, while Mr.. Johnson had beer
Z foolish surprisingly unwise and incredi
bly, stubborn and hard-headed, yet he
was in nowise criminal, and had nowhere
crossed the line marking the limits of his
constitutional rights, but had sought only
to secure a judicial determination of al
the disputed questions in the supreme
n court.
] No man can ever know the struggle i
cost me, but I had a solmn duty to per
form and I did It. I have never regret
Il ted It, but 1t was my political deatf
. knell in Kansas, as knew It would be- ~
As he approached his three score ant
4 ten a few years ago the former senator
feared he would soon die. So during in
tervals Of leisure SUI, he prepared a small vol