The Washington herald., 1911-04-16
HOUNDED TO DEATH
BYBITTERCRITICISM
How Senator Ross, of Kansas, Voted According
to His Conscience on the Question of Impeach-
ing President johnson, and mas Driven
TO Exile BY Constituents.

Constantly, as public servants in these
days show themselves before the world in
the guise of rogues and buffoons, the or
binary and long-suffering private citizen
is brought to ruminate on the change that
has come over Official life and to con-
! clude with a degree of finality that long
existence has indeed undermined the civic
purity of the republic and changed the
stuff of which governmental heads were
made. Some will say, Of course. that
time hath lent enchantment and en-
| balmed only the virtues of the great
dead. What virtues will IL preserve OF
| the living who have assumed the robes Of
those who went before?
The other day when a Senator Of the
United States resigned his seat as an evil
dence of pique and temper-striving for
| dramatic effect and producing pathetic
pathos-and then recantsd his decision,
the lay mind was struck with contrasts
| Imagine the Senators whose memories
have fingered permitting themselves SINH
| lar traducing OF the responsibilities of
| Office. Possibly the public is wrong il 1t
fancies that e Senator ought to bear
| without whimper or complaint any trial
! that may come to an Official in the up
right performance of duty. Senator
Bailey must believe this to be the case.
Yet in other days men suffered and en-
dured injustice and calumny without
| whimper and went to lives Of poverty
and ignominy rather than swerve from
conscience. One has only to go back to
the greatest of American impeachment
trials, that of President Andrew Johnson,
| to find the contrast in point.
Profitable to "Interests."
1t is interesting, first. to see-in view of
the Lorimer Impeachment lately con-
| ciuded and Senator Bailey's part in it
| how the interests were aligned in this
case. johnson desired to conciliate the
South and to restore the seeded States
| to the Union. The interests Of the North
found il far more profitable to recon
| struct" these stricken areas, TO get hold
| of their governments and grow rich from
| tho proceeds Carpetbag government
| was established, and those who held its
fruits could see no reason for relinquish-
ing their plums. The nation was for the
| time in a passion that was long In cool
ing and there was little trouble in in
| flaming the North-stili bleeding from the
hot wounds OF war-into frenzy based on
the hatred OF an enemy and the preach
! ings of the interests"
| II was one of those rare instances in
| which a people may be deluded into night
ing the battle Of its enemies.
| The memorable trial itself needs little
reviewing. The evidence shown and the
| frenzied efforts of Johnson's enemies to
influence a verdict against him are of
the familiar pages of history. 1t is only 70
introduce the principal figure of the final
act and to show his connection and cir
| oumstances that the vote is recalled.
| Ballot during the course of the i'm
parchment had shown how the members
| were aligned. OF those who early showed
| themselves friendly to Johnson and reli-
able as enemies of impeachment there
| were seven short of the necessary one
third. On the other side were number
within one of the two-thirds majority
requisite to carry the impeachment pro-
| ceedings and put the President out of
| office. This situation left seven Republi-
CAL Senators whose decision was in ques-
| ton. None would commit himself Young
est of these was Edmund G. Ross. of
| Kansas, a newspaper man and anti-slav-
cry advocate. In the same group were
| such veterans as Fessenden. of Maine,
| and Lyman Trumbuli, OF Illinois
Good Opportunity for CRATER.
The delicate position of Senator Ross
may be conceived from a hurried review
! of the situation m his own State. He was
serving his first term and had been elect
| ed after bitter fight, leaving willing
enemies at home. Moreover, no State in
| the Union had been so torn by the
| brothers war as was his own. Border
warfare, guerrilla raids. and the long
struggle between the pro and anti slav-
cry parties for possession of the State
| had eft Kansas the bitterest recollections
and ferciest animosities. 1t was fecund
ground for the spokesman, who made no
| hesitancy over calling the Johnson i'm
parchment an issue between the North
and the South.
From the first suggestion of hesitancy
on Ross part the storm began to roll
upon him. AS matter of fact. he dis
| liked johnson personally and his State
| understood this condition, yet he was I'M
willing to convict President and estab-
! lsh a perilous precedent because OF this
immaterial prejudice. In vain did he
send word to his State that he was lis
| tening to the testimony and that he
would cast his ballot according TO his
final conception of truth and justice. He
assured his constituents that he had
formed no opinions and that it was i'm
| possible for Kim to forecast his decision.
With every day that the deliberations