history of the impeachment of andrew johnson-第44部分

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e　upon　which　could　be　based　an　indictment。　The　House　seemed　to　be　literally　〃lying　in　wait〃　for　him；　with　traps　set　on　every　side　for　his　ensnarement。

At　last；　after　two　years　of　this　sort　of　scheming　and　impatient　and　anxious　waiting；　the　opportunity　seemed　to　have　offered　in　the　alleged　violation　of　the　Tenure…of…Office　Act。　The　fosterers　of　the　impeachment　crusade；　weary　with　their　long　vigil　and　growing　desperate　with　every　additional　day's　delay；　clutched　at　the　new　turn　of　affairs　like　a　drowning　man　at　a　floating　straw；　and　with　the　avidity　of　a　starved　gudgeon　at　a　painted　fly。

It　was　not　strange　that　this　sort　of　diplomacy；　developed　and　exposed　as　it　was　in　the　Senate；　in　spite　of　the　unfair　and　partisan　maneuvering　of　the　prosecution　to　prevent　it；　should　have　reacted；　and　contributed　to　turn　against　the　impeachment　movement　gentlemen　who　entered　upon　the　investigation　under　oath　to　give　Mr。　Johnson　a　fair；　non…partisan　trial。　The　only　surprise　was　that；　after　the　exposure　of　the　malignant　partisan　spirit　that　sat　in　judgment　upon　Mr。　Johnson；　and　the　utter　and　absolute　failure　to　prove　any　violation　of　law　on　his　part；　but　on　the　contrary；　a　determination　to　preserve　from　infringement　the　functions　of　his　office　and　prevent　a　revolution　from　fundamental　political　forms　by　the　absorption　of　the　Executive　authority　by　the　legislative　branch　of　the　governmentthat　even　a　majority；　and　more　especially；　that　nearly　two…thirds　of　the　Senate；　could　have　been　found　at　the　close　in　support　of　the　Impeachment。

This　record　will　serve　to　explain　the　omission　to　vote　on　the　First　ArticleMessrs。　Sherman　and　Howe　being　precluded　from　supporting　it　in　consequence　of　the　position　taken　by　them　in　the　controversy　between　the　two　Houses　of　Congress　over　the　first　section　of　the　Tenure…of…Office　Bill　while　that　bill　was　pending；　and　to　avoid　defeat　on　the　first　vote　taken；　which　was　inevitable　on　that　Articleand　also　to　explain；　so　far　as　any　explanation　is　possible；　the　zig…zag　method　of　conducting　the　ballotskipping　all　the　first　ten　Articles　and　going　down　to　the　bottom　of　the　list　for　the　first　vote；　with　the　promise　of　then　going　back　to　the　first　Article　and　continuing　to　the　end。　but；　instead；　skipping　that　for　the　second　time；　and　starting　in　again　on　the　Second　and　then　the　Third。

Of　course；　the　natural　effect　of　this　battle…dore　and　shuttle…　cock　method　of　treating　so　grave　a　matter　as　an　impeachment　of　the　President　of　the　United　States；　added　to　the　effect　of　the　manifest　unfairness　of　the　majority　in　their　treatment　of　testimony　offered　in　the　President's　defensewas　to　disgust　some　who　doubtless　entered　upon　the　trial　honestly　inclined　to　vote　for　Andrew　Johnson's　impeachment；　but　wanted　it　done　fairly　and　openly；　without　any　suppression　of　pertinent　testimony　or　juggling　for　a　verdictand　amusing　to　others；　who　viewed　it　as　proof　of　weakness　in　the　indictment；　and　of　misgiving　as　to　the　result　on　the　part　of　its　supporters。

To　still　others　it　was　more　than　that。　It　was　not　only　an　indication　of　weakness；　but　of　a　determination　to　take　every　possible　advantage；　fair　and　unfair；　to　save　votes　for　conviction。　The　impeachers　not　unnaturally　feared　the　effect　of　the　defeat　of　the　First　Article　by　the　nay　votes　of　Messrs。　Sherman　and　Howe；　and　probably　other　Republicans；　which　was　certain　to　follow　the　submission　of　that　Article　to　a　vote。　Its　only　allegation　was　the　unlawful　removal　of　Mr。　Stanton　from　the　office　of　Secretary　of　War　in　violation　of　the　Tenure…of…Office　Act。　That　alleged　offense　was　repeated　in　varied　but　more　or　less　specific　forms；　in　every　succeeding　Article　of　the　Impeachment　except　the　Tenth；　and　constituted　the　sum　and　substancethe　gravamenof　the　entire　indictment。　It　was　the　basis　upon　which　the　impeachment　super…structure　had　been　erected。　Without　that　Article　there　was　not　only　no　foundation；　but　no　coherence　in　the　recital　of　Mr。　Johnson's　alleged　offenses；　and　when　that　fell　by　its　abandonment；　the　entire　impeachment　scheme　fell　with　itas；　if　there　were　nothing　in　the　First　Article　on　which　to　hang　an　impeachment；　there　could　be　nothing　in　those　that　followed　and　were　but　an　amplificationa　mere　exploitationof　the　First。

In　substantiation　of　this　view　of　the　First　Article；　the　declaration　of　Mr。　Boutwell　to　that　effect　is　here　inserted。　Mr。　Boutwell　was　chairman　of　the　committee　of　the　House　appointed　to　prepare　the　Articles　of　Impeachment　upon　which　Mr。　Johnson　was　tried。　On　his　report　of　these　Articles　to　the　House　he　said；　after　speaking　particularly　of　the　Tenth　Article：

The　other　Articles　are　based　upon　facts　which　are　of　public　knowledge；　growing　out　of　the　attempt　of　the　President　to　remove　Secretary　Stanton　from　the　office　of　Secretary　for　the　Department　of　War。

That　is；　that　the　basis　of　the　entire　accusation　was　the　alleged　violation　of　the　Tenure…of…Office　Act　in　the　removal　of　Mr。　Stanton；　as　recited　in　the　First　Article。

So；　after　taking　the　vote　on　the　Second　and　Third　Articles　and　their　defeat　by　the　same　vote　as　that　on　the　Eleventh；　it　became　manifest　that　further　effort　to　the　impeachment　of　the　president　on　any　of　the　remaining　eight　Articles　would　be　useless；　and　Mr。　Williams　moved　that　the　Senate；　sitting　as　a　Court　of　Impeachment；　adjourn　sine　die；　which　motion　was　carried　by　the　following　vote：

YeasAnthony；　Cameron；　Cattell；　Chandler；　Cole；　Conkling　Corbett；　Cragin；　Drake；　Edmunds；　Ferry；　Frelinghuysen；　Harlan；　Howard；　Morgan；　Morrill　of　Maine；　Morrill　of　Vermont；　Morton；　Nye；　Patterson　of　New　Hampshire；　Pomeroy；　Ramsay；　Sherman；　Sprague；　Stewart；　Sumner；　Thayer；　Tipton；　Van　Winkle；　Wade。　Willey；　Williams；　Wilson；　Yates34。

NaysBayard；　Buckalew；　Davis；　Dixon；　Doolittle；　Fowler；　Henderson；　Hendricks；　Johnson；　McCreery；　Norton；　Patterson　of　Tennessee；　Ross；　Saulsbury；　Trumbull；　Vickers16。

Every　Senator　present　who　had　voted　for　conviction　voted　to　abandon　the　prosecution　and　end　the　trial；　and　every　Senator　present　who　had　voted　against　conviction；　voted　to　continue　and　go　through　the　indictment。

Of　course；　it　was　useless　to　go　farther　with　any　hope　of　success；　as；　it　will　be　seen　by　this　record；　all　the　remaining　Articles　were　dead；　beaten　in　caucus　before　the　voting　commenced；　and　by　the　professed　friends　and　leaders　of　the　movement。

Possibly　it　was　the　anticipation　of　this　effect　of　the　abandonment　of　the　First　Article；　that　was　the　〃sickness〃　to　which　Mr。　Edmunds；　at　the　outset　of　the　voting；　ten　days　before；　ascribed　the　peculiar　order　of　taking　the　vote。

It　is　not　intended　to　aver　that　there　was　any　privity　or　concert　in　this　particular　manipulationyet　it　is　suggestive。　The　Impeachment　had　been　dragging　since　the　22nd　of　February；　to　May　26thmore　than　three　months；and　had　been　everywhere　the　engrossing　topic　of　the　time。　It　was　becoming　tiresome…not　only　to　the　Senate；　but　to　the　general　public。

Notwithstanding　the　City　of　Washington　was　still　filled　with　people　who　had　been　waiting　weary　weeks　and　months　for　the　deposition　of　Mr。　Johnson　and　the　accession　of　Mr。　Wade　to　the　Presidency；　for　the　fulfillment　of　pledges　of　appointment　based　thereon；　and　who　were　still　importunate　for　impeachment；　the　business　element　of　the　country　at　large　was　tiring　of　it　and　its　depressing　effect　upon　the　commercial　activities。　Even　Senators　and　Congressmen　were　being　moved　to　a　sense　of　the　obstructive　and　somewhat　ridiculous　phases　the　impeachment　movement　was　beginning　to　take　onand　not　a　few　of　those　who　in　its　earlier　stages　had　honestly　favored　the　movement；　inside　as　well　as　outside　the　membership　of　both　Houses　of　Congress；　had　begun　to　realize　the　actual　nature　and　purposes；　as　also　the　shallowness　of　the　impeachment　movement　that　from　whatever　motives　it　had　originated；　it　had　degenerated　very　much　into　a　game　of　personal　ambitionof　vindictivenessand　office　getting　and　spoilsand　practically　nothing　higher。

While　some　of　its　supporters　who　had　manifestly　entered　upon　the　trial　with　a　determination　to　convict；　were　still　insistent　for　further　prosecution　had　there　been　a　shadow　of　ultimate　success；　there　were　others　who　had　begun　to　realize；　weeks　before　the　end　came；　the　awkwardness　of　the　predicament　in　which　they　had　allowed　themselves　and　their　party　to　be　placed；　and　desired　to　abandon　the　enterprise。

The　strain　was　becoming　too　greatthere　was　certain　to　be　a　recoil　sooner　or　later。　The　foundations　of　the　Impeachment　were　shown　to　be　too　slender。　There　was　a　future　ahead　that　must　be　faced；　but　Senators　must　preserve　their　consistency。　They　could　not　go　before　their　pro…impeachment　constituencies　with　a　record　indicating　any　degree　of　weakening　in　the　impeachment　crusade。　They　had　insisted　for　months　that　Mr。　Johnson　must　be　removed；　and　it　would　be　politically　inexpedient　to　retract。

But　they　wanted　somebody　to　〃help　them　let　go。〃

So　the　plan　of　〃desultory〃　procedure　herein　outlined　seems　to　have　〃happened〃whether　by　design　or　otherwise；　is　immaterialand　that　plan　was　made　easy　by　the　concerted　abandonment　of　the　head　and　front　of　the　indictmentthe　First　Articlewhich　was　side…tracked　and　logically　carried　with　it　all　that　followed；　as　would　manifestly　have　been　the　result　if　the　voting　had　begun　on　that　Article。

While；　to　degree；　the　turmoils　and　bitterness　of　that　time　have　passed　out　of　public　mind；　there　are　still　many　living　who　retain　a　keen　remembrance　of　the　struggle　and　the　enmities　it　produced。　There　were　during　the　trial　many　thousands　of　men　in　the　City　of　Washington　awaiting　the　Impeachment　and　removal　of　the　President　for　the　fulfillment　of　pledges　of　official　appointment　based　thereon；　and　their　numbers　increased　as　the　trial　progressed。

These　anticipated　beneficiaries　were　naturally　not　idle　in　efforts　to　the　stimulation　of　zeal　in　the　cause　of　Impeachment；　and　Senators　were　importuned　at　all　seasonable　and　unseasonable　hours　in　behalf　of　immediate　and　positive　action。　The　lively　anxiety；　even　anxious　haste；　of　these　patriots　for　their　earliest　possible　entry　upon　the　service　of　the　Government；　was　emphasized　on　every　corner　and　at　every　place　of　gathering；　day　and　night；　and　the　lobbies　of　the　Capitol　were　thronged　by　them　during　the　sessions　of　the　Senate。　No　opportunity　for　a　word　with　a　Senator　in　behalf　of　the