Year: 1868

WAITING FOR THE NERD1CI.


We recall no time when the popular
anxiety has been SO intense. 1t is in
deed a solemn matter to depose the
President of the United States. Rulers
have been removed, but in no other
country without commotion and civil
war, and after long years of oppression.
The head of Charles only fell after CEN
turies Of royal tyranny. The life of the
gentle Louis atoned ten thousand crimes
of the House of Bourbon. France was
rocked to it's foundation; society was
rent asunder; the church was overturned.
There were mighty wars; the bravest
and best of her sons were driven to the
scaffold ere she closed her brief and
giddy dream of Freedom. Before a
king could be removed, the nation itself
was brought to the verge of ruin. The
removal of Mr.. johnson will be an
event as important in its consequence
as the execution of Louis. This dis
tinction exists that, by the formal opera
ton of the law, with scarcely ripple
upon the surface of our social and po-
litical life, we change in an hour the
whole character of our Executive, and
condemn to ignominious retirement
man who has used power to thwart the
will Of the people. One idea will be
forever craven upon our history; that in
free America the voice of the people
will be the supreme law.


Therefore we await the verdict with
hope and confidence. Every business
and national interest waits. The feel
ing that removal could not be avoided
has given the nation comfort, and we
see no danger but that of acquittal If
there we're any vagueness in the issue,
if it were merely technical and incl
dental proceeding, if we claimed to re-
move Mr.. johnson for infdelity to the
party that elected him, we might well
tremble at the precedent. The issue is
plainly this: Andrew johnson is either
Criminal or he is King. His acquit-
tai admits that any President may take
q judicial cognizance of the laws. The
Constitution gives him now the Veto.
The Senate, by his release, would m AXE
and whimsical as that of an emperor
He may remove Grant, decline to recog
nize Congress, cease the collection of
revenues, suspend the tariffs, do what
ever pleased his fancy, and say in de-
tense, 81 regard these laws as unconsti-
tutional, and I cannot execute them"
A tyrant wants nothing but pretext,
and a pretext any time may convert
the danger of the future, but we are
sure that Senators will not be insensible
to. the record of the past. The Repub-
lican Senator who rises in his seat
says, Il am the same as Andrew John
son. / am his defender and apologist.
| go into history as his companion. His
deeds are my deeds-his speeches are
my speeches. I give to his past career
my approval / accept the RESPONSE
bility of anything he may do in times
to come The pardons of unrepentant
Rebels, the massacres in New Orleans
and Memphis, the unpunished murders
in the South, the frauds in the revenues,
the anarchy in many parts of the South,
his incident and incoherent speech es,
SO justly called even by his counsel Mr..
Evearts, the voice of the beaten re-
bellion,' now receive my commenda-
tion.'' For remember that Senators are
not merely jurors but Statesmen! If this
were charge against Mr.. johnson af-
fecting his own personal safety and
comfort, and of consequence to no one
else, we might pardon a verdict of re-
lease. The nation is on trial as well as
Andrew johnson. To be sure, under
any circumstances, he has only few
months to serve; but the verdict that
releases him becomes precedent to fu-
ture rulers who may have greater genius
and courage, and q higher share of the
confidence of the people. The nation,
therefore, demands that the principle
involved in this contest between Repub-
| licanism and Imperialism should be set
tied forever. 1t can only be settled by
q verdict Of Guilty.