Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1902-03-09

htDutIICdl0 "OlIltt N0lt ftSllISS NO''
viCtion; three Republicans (Grimc5, Of
Iowa: Henderson, of Missouri, and
Ross. of Kansas were non-committal,
and the rest we're for conviction. 1t
therefore required one of the non-com-
mitted votes to impeach the President.
The mpeachers relied on getting al
least one out of the three.
The vote on the impeachment
charges was taken May 16 1868, afto:
trial which had occupied the most
of the time of the Senate for the pre-
vious three months.
mo event in the civil history of the
country had ever before occurred to
so arouse public antipathies and pub
lie indignation against any man." says
chronicle, "and these conditions
found special vent in the City Of
Washington, as the capital of the Ma
ton, as it had become during the trial
the focal point of the politically dissat-
isfied element of the entire country.
It's streets and its places of gathering
had swarmed for many weeks with
representatives of every State in the
Union, demanding in practically
united voice the deposition of the
President
1t was amid these exciting scenes
that the vote was taken. AS the roll
call proceeded, Grimes was the first
reached He voted mot guilty" The
next none committed Senator's name
on the list was Henderson, He, toe,
voted mot guilty
At this juncture there was suppress
eel excitement and discontinue among
the imDeachers. How would Ross
vote? With him all was either lost or
gained-for the imepachers. Amid the
hushed excitement the roll call pro-
ceeded as each Senator continued to
cast his vote as was generally known
in advance it would be recorded.
There was was but one more doubt
full vote. How would the silent Sena
tor from Kansas, Mr.. Ross, vote? The
clerk continued the call of the roll.
Finally the name of Ross" was call
ed. There was breathless silence.
The nerves of staid and stolid Sena-
tors were strained to the highest tens.
ion as their ears were turned to catch
the answer of the Senator from
Kansas. It was the final word ttat
would determine the destinies of a
President and a Nation. 1t would be
the doing or undoing of radical Sena-
tors and hordes of officeseekers, many
of them carpetbaggers from The strick-
en- Southern States.
Senator Ross stood up to make ans
wer. Every eye in the Senate was
riveted upon him. In slow and meas
ured tones he pronounced the words,
mot guilty" The answer was receiv-
ed in silence. There was neither
Kisses nor applause. 1t was known,
however from that instant that the
President could not be convicted. The
roll call continued and the remainder
of the Senators voted as expected.
On the final summing up it was founl
hot hn CTR Not Gni1fv To-
Guilty, 35-one vote less than consti-
tutional two-thirds majority. Thus
was .subimely and intensely dramat-
ic occasion brought to a conclusion.
The President was acquitted of the |
charge of"high crimes and misdemean.
ors in Office and his office, a co-ordin
ate department of our government, de-
c7ared free from the dictation of petty
politicians and Congress.
Senator Ross has had varied and
remarkable career, and his rewards
have not been as great as deserved.
He started out in life printer.
He went from the foremanship OF the
Milwaukee Sentinel to Topeka, where
in 1856 he founded the Tribune. When
the war broke out he enlisted as a vO.
unteer, as before stated. When he was
mustered out of service he returned
to the printing business. He went
from the type-case to the United
States Senate, and when his term ex
pired he returned to the type-case.
When the result of the impeachment
trial became known throughout the
Union, the wrath of the Republican
party burst in fury over the heads
of the recusant Senators. Mr.. Ross
was. especially singled out for animad
version. His motives were attacked