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
The conspicuous indelicacy of this move was two-fold: 1st, in that the
House proposed to investigate the action of a co-ordinate branch of
Congress: and 2nd, that the trial not being concluded, it had to a
pointed degree the appearance of an attempt to intimidate Senators
who had voted against conviction into changing their votes at the next
ballot in fear of an inquisition for alleged corruption. In that sense
it was an act of intimidation--a warning. It was an ill-disguised
threat and a most unseemly proceeding--yet there was not one among the
supporters of the Impeachment to condemn it, and few who failed openly
to justify it. Partisan rancor and personal and political hostility to
the President had reached a point that condoned this indelicacy of the
House towards the Senate, and justified the public assault upon the
dissenting Republican Senators, and the insult to the Senate itself.
The demand for adjournment and delay seemed to have been understood
by the impeaching majority of the Senate, and was of course promptly
granted and further voting postponed, and the Senate adjourned to May
26th.
The next ten day were days of unrest--of anxiety to all who were
involved or in any way interested in the impeachment proceeding.
While the result of the 16th gave hope and comfort to the opponents of
impeachment, it caused little or no perceptible discouragement to its
more radical friends. They were more active and persistent than ever.
The footsteps of the anti-impeaching Republicans were dogged from the
day's beginning to its end and far into the night, with entreaties,
considerations and threats, in the hope of securing a reversal of the
result of the 16th. The partisan press of the States represented by
the anti-impeaching Republicans came daily filled with vigorous
animadversions upon their action, and not a few threats of violence upon
their return to their constituents. But it was in vain.
The Senate reassembled on the 26th of May to complete the vote on the
articles of impeachment. After the usual preliminary proceedings, Mr.
Williams moved to begin the voting on the Second Article, which was had
with the same result as on the 11th--and then the Third, and still
with the same result. It then became manifest that it was useless to go
farther, as all the balance had been rendered certain of defeat, and by
still more decisive votes--a considerable number of those so far voting
for impeachment having committed themselves in the previous conference
against all the balance. So, to save themselves from being forced to
vote against impeachment on any of the articles, there was a unanimous
vote of the impeachers to abandon the case and adjourn--and with it went
glimmering the visions of office, and spoils, and the riotous assaults
on the public treasury that had for months been organizing for the
day when Mr. Johnson should be put out and Mr. Wade put in, with the
political board clear for a NEW DEAL.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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