Year: 1868




The perils which surround the Republic
have never been of a graver character than
they are to-day. The President has been
tardily impeached on purely technical grounds
which present opportunities for a lengthy
and plausible defence, conducted, as the
defence is to be, by the ablest special plead>
ers in America. The devices invented to
curb and check the President will, fear,
return to plague the inventors. He can
now plead in his defence an invasion by
Congress of prerogative which, whether
constitutional or not, has been sanctioned
BY the law and custom of the Republic for
over half century. The opportunity to
assume this position should never have been
given to him. The moment he was proved
to be dangerous to the extent that he could
not be trusted with the usual powers Of his
Office, the proper remedy was not to pass
laws of doubtful and unusual character, but
to draw the weapon from the constitutional
aruory, placed there for just such an emer-
gency, and with it strike off his head. This
was again and again urged 10 these. columns,
but timid, half-awake Congress allowed the
golden moments Of opportunity to slip by /;





fever heat in the fall of 1866, to cool-and
now rude buffet, from the hand of the
despot they have vainly tried to fetter, rouses
them to the spasmodic cry of Impeachment
and thus we confront the issue of to-day.


That the President is technically guilty
on the indictment framed, and that the law
violated is constitutional, though of an un-
usual character, seems easily proven. But
that the skillful lawyers who conduct the
defence will be able to raise clouds of doubt
around the whole subject is very certain.
This, however, is the least of the dangers
which threaten to balk the purpose of the
loyal people determined that johnson shall
no longer protect treason and punish loyalty
in the Presidential chair


The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
is his ally. Salmon p Chase, mad with the
Presidential fever and desperate in the con.
seriousness of bafled plans, meanly jealous
of Wade, and, perhaps, cherishing the for
lorn hope Of democratic nomination, joins
forces with the enemy aud stands as the
Presidential ally. 1t has been known for
long time that the relations between the
Chief Justice and President were more cord
ial than was made necessary by the mere
offcal relations Of parties, and last Wednes-
night, the rooms of the Chief Justice, filed
with the gay and fashionable winter society
OF Washington, were startled as by an elec>
trio shock when the doors were flung open
and the usher, in a loud voice announced
1.-THE President of the United States and
daughter Few who were present with me
will soon forget the significant looks which
passed from face TO face through those bril-
liant and crowded rooms as the unusual
event Of the President of the United States
attending ar evening reception Of the Chief
Justice was fully realized. His carping
letter to the Senare-h, refusal, at first, to
OBEY the mandate to appear as its presiding
nfhcer-and his decisions OF the following
day, are but the unfolding of a plot to OBJ
>truct and defeat, as far as possible, the con =
victiou Of the President. How far he may
be able to work harm depends, OF course, on
the hrmness of the Senate but, in any event,
he is serious obstacle, with evil intentions
only limited by his courage, which latter,
fortunately, is not great. He seems deter
mined to maintain the consistency of pub
lie career which my be summed up in these





serve his party that he did not betray it.


The Senate itself is the next great danger.
There is reason to believe that a serious de-
fection exists among the republicans on this
question. Ross of Kansas, and Sprague of
Rhode Island, (Chase's son in-law), are al
ready counted secure as two of the seven
republicans it is necessary to win over to
prevent conviction. Themore than proba-
BILE detection of Fe>senden would carry at
least four more gentlemen who hang on his
skirts. The folly of Congress in not provid-
ing for the suspension OF the President DUR
ing trial will soon be evident. The bound
less opportunity this gives the culprit to cor
rupt his judges will not remain nnimproved.


The most menacing danger of all, how
ever, is the probable decision by a majority
of the Supreme Court in the case Of McCardle
that the Reconstruction acts are unconstitu
tional. Congress has failed to pass the law
requiring twO>thirds vote for such decs-
ion CTrulnbul stihed the bill in the Senate),
aud We are thus fastening to a point where
everything we have gained for loyalty and
the negro is to be undone by Judicial fiat.


The situation is alarming, and the people
must be aroused, or all is lost. There should
be voice from the North, deep and loud
enough to make the Senate keep its integri-
ty, aud awe the Supreme Court with its
equivocal Chief, into silence. Meetings
should be held everywhere, and the country
awakened to its peril. Ally feeble pen can
do little. What say here is in the minds
and mouths of all who know Washington
society or politics at all. Yetyou will hard.
y find it in the editorials or correspondence
Of single Northern paper. The Especial
Dispatches" which so largely affect public
opinion, are carefully moulded by crafty
politicians here or venal editors there, in the
interest of some candidate, never caring to
speak the exact truth once and SO the good
ship, with the passengers all unwarned, drifts
on an unknown and dangerous shore.
| If the President comes out of that Senate
Chamber triumphant aud armed with the