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 — John Shaqi
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
As to the success of Mr. Lincoln's plans, had they been sanctioned, or
even had they not been repudiated by Congress, Mr. Blaine, in his
book, asserts that Mr. Lincoln, "By his four years of considerate and
successful administration, by his patient and positive trust in the
ultimate triumph of the Union, realized at last as he stood upon the
edge of the grave--he had acquired so complete an ascendancy over
the public, control in the loyal states, that ANY POLICY MATURED AND
ANNOUNCED BY HIM WOULD HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED BY A VAST MAJORITY OF HIS
COUNTRYMEN."
It was indicative of the sagacious foresight of Mr. Lincoln that he did
not call the Congress into special session at the close of the war, as
would have been natural and usual, before attempting the establishment
of any method for the restoration of the revolted States. The fact that
he did not do so, but was making preparations to proceed immediately
in that work on his own lines and in accordance with his own ideas, and
with the hearty accord of his entire Cabinet, of itself affords proof
that he was apprehensive of obstruction from the same element of his
party that subsequently arose in opposition to Mr. Johnson on that
question, and that he preferred to put his plans into operation before
the assembling of Congress in the next regular winter session, in order
that he might be able then to show palpable results, and induce Congress
to accept and follow up a humane, peaceful and satisfactory system of
reconstruction. Mr. Lincoln undoubtedly hoped thus to avoid unnecessary
friction. Having the quite unlimited confidence of the great mass of the
people of the country, of both parties and on both sides of the line of
hostilities, there seem to be excellent reasons for believing that
he would have succeeded, and that the extraordinary and exasperating
differences and local turmoils that followed the drastic measures which
were afterward adopted by Congress over the President's vetoes, would
have been in a very large degree avoided, and THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN NO
IMPEACHMENT--either of Mr. Lincoln had he lived, or of Mr. Johnson after
him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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