Year: 1867

BRID0E--lteprblican


Representatives James +. Wilson
and Frederick Il. Woodbrid tc handc,
in report dissenting from the con
clusions arrived az bya majority o
the committee. They say that on IN,
Sd day of Juno, 1867, II was declared
by solemn vote in the committed
that from the testimony before then
il did not appear that the President
Of the United States was guilty Of
such high crimes and misdemeanors
as called for an exercise of the impeach
ment power of the House, The vote
stood-yeas, 8 nays, 4.


On the 2lst instant this action OF
the committee was reversed, and q
vote of FIVE TO four declared in favor
Of accommodating to the House an
impeachment of the President. For.
ty-eight hours have not yet elapsed
since VIC were informed of the charac.
ter of the report which represents this
changed attitude of the committee.
The recentness of this event compels
general treatment of some features
Of the case as il is presented by the
majority, which otherwise would have
been treated more in detail.


The report of the majority resolves
oil prescriptions against the Presi-
dent, closes the door against all doubts,
affirms facts as established by the tes-
timony, in support Of which there is
not particle of evidence before us
which would be received by any court
in the land. We dissent from all this,
and from the temper and spirit of the
report. The cool and unbiased judg-
ment of the future, when the excite
ment in the midst OF which we live
shall have passed away, will not fail
TO discover that the political bitter
ness of the present time has, in no
inconsiderable degree, given tone to
the document we decline to approve.


Dissenting as we do from the report
Of the committee, both as to the law
of the case and the conclusions drawn
fro m the facts developed by the testi-
mony, a due regard for the body which
imposed on us the high and transcend
entity important duty involved in an
investigation Of the charges preferred
against the President, impels us to
present at length cur views of the
subject which has been committed TO
us BY most solemn vote of the House
of Representatives. In approaching
this duty we feel that the spirit of the
partisan should be laid aside, and that
the interests Of the Republic as they
are measured by its Constitution and
laws alone should guide us, and we
most deeply regret that in this regard
we cannot approve the resort of our
colleagues who constitute a majority
of the committee.


While we would not charge them
with design to act the part Of parti-
sans in this grave proceeding, we none
the less feel panied by the tone, tenn
per and spirit of their report. But
regret will not answer the demands of
the present grave and commanding
occasion, and we therefore respond TO
them by presenting to the House the
result Of 8 careful, deliberate, and we
hope, a conscientious investigation Of
the case before u.s. Messrs. Wilson
and Woodbridge then proceed TO dis
cuss the constitutional question with
regard to impeachment, showing by
reference to legal authorities, that an
impeachment cannot be supported by
any act which falls short of an indict-
able crime or misdemeanor


English preeedehts are referred to
at length and copious extracts are
made from the testimony of the COM
miteee 10 order 10 refute the reasoning
and conclusion of the majority. They
conclude as follows:


A great deal of the matter contain
cd in the volume of testimony report
ed to the House is of no value what
ever Much of it is mere hearssy
opinions of witnesses, and much of it
is utterly irrelevant TO the case Com
paratively small amount of il could
be used on trial of the case before
the Senate. All of the testimony re-
lating TO the failure to try and admis-
sion to bail of Jefferson Davis the
assassination of President Linco
the diary of. Wilkes Booth, his place
Of burial the practice of pardon bro.
kerage the alleged correspondence
of the President with Jefferson Davis,
may be interesting TO a reader, but it
is not Of the slightest Importance so
far as a determination Of this case is
concerned.


Still, much of this irrelevant matter
has been interviewer into the report
of the majority, and has served TO
heighten its color and to deepen its
tone Strike out the stage effect Of
this irrelevant matter, and the prom
inence given TO the Tudors, the Stu
arts, and Michael Burns, and much of
the play viii disappear. Settle down
upon the real evidence in the case
that which will establish, in view of
the attending circumstances, sub
stantial crime by making plain the
elements which constitute it-and the !
case in many respects dwarfs into
political contest. In approaching
conclusion we do not filil to recognize
the stand dpoiuts from which this case
can be viewed-the legal and the po-
litcal Viewing it from the latter,
the case is q success. The President |
has disappointed the hopes and expec-
Nations Of those who placed him in
4 power, he has destroyed their conf
dence aud joined hands with their
enemies be has proved false to the
e1press and implied conditions which |
a rndnrlin Lis nlnrniinn 70 rnnNrnr and |