History of the Impeachment of Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, by the House of Representatives, and his trial by the Senate for high crimes and misdemeanors in office, 1868Ross, Edmund G. (Edmund Gibson)
History
History of the Impeachment of Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, by the House of Representatives, and his trial by the Senate for high crimes and misdemeanors in office, 1868
Ross, Edmund G. (Edmund Gibson)
Johnson, Andrew, 1808-1875 -- Impeachment
Article 7 charges the same conspiracy, with intent only to violate the
civil tenure-of-office act.
Articles 3d, 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th may all be considered together, as to
to the proof to support them.
It will be shown that having removed Stanton and appointed Thomas,
the President sent Thomas to the War Office to obtain possession; that
having been met by Stanton with a denial of his rights, Thomas retired,
and after consultation with the President, Thomas asserted his purpose
to take possession of the War Office by force, making his boast in
several public places of his intentions so to do, but was prevented by
being promptly arrested by process from the court.
This will be shown by the evidence of Hon. Mr. Van Horn, a member of the
House, who was present when the demand for possession of the War office
was made by General Thomas, already made public.
By the testimony of the Hon. Mr. Burleigh, who, after that, in the
evening of the twenty-first of February, was told by Thomas that he
intended to take possession of the War Office by force the following
morning, and invited him up to see the performance. Mr. Burleigh
attended, but the act did not come off, for Thomas had been arrested and
held to bail.
By Thomas boasting at Willard's hotel on the same evening that he should
call on General Grant for military force to put him in possession of the
office, and he did not see how Grant could refuse it. Article 8 charges
that the appointment of Thomas was made for the purpose of getting
control of the disbursement of the moneys appropriated for the military
service and Department of War.
In addition to the proof already adduced, it will be shown that, after
the appointment of Thomas, which must have been known to the members of
his cabinet, the President caused a formal notice to be served on the
Secretary of the Treasury, to the end that the Secretary might answer
the requisitions for money of Thomas, and this was only prevented by the
firmness with which Stanton retained possession of the books and papers
of the War office. It will be seen that every fact charged in Article 1
is admitted by the answer of the respondent; the intent also admitted
as charged; that is to say, to set aside the civil tenure-of-office
act, and to remove Mr. Stanton from the office of the Secretary for the
Department of War without the advice and consent of the Senate, and, if
not justified, contrary to the provisions of the Constitution itself.
The only question remaining is, does the respondent justify himself by
the Constitution and laws?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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