history of the impeachment of andrew johnson-第50章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！



Mr。　Morrill　of　Vermont；　would　not　support　the　4th；　6th；　9th；　or　10th　Articles；　as　they　were　unproven。

Mr。　Morrill；　of　Maine；　Mr。　Yates；　Mr。　Harlan；　and　Mr。　Stewart；　would　vote　to　convict　on　the　Articles　relating　to　the　removal　of　Mr。　Stantonuncommitted　on　all　others。

Mr。　Fessenden；　Mr。　Fowler；　Mr。　Grimes；　Mr。　Henderson；　Mr。　Trumbull；　and　Mr。　Van　Winkle；　each　declared；　at　that　conference；　their　opposition　to　the　entire　list　of　the　Articles　of　Impeachment。

But　eighteen　Republicans　committed　themselves　at　that　conference；　for　conviction；　out　of　twenty…four　who　filed　opinions。　While　it　was　taken　for　granted　that　the　six　Democrats　who　had　failed　to　declare　their　position　at　that　conference　would　oppose　conviction；　the　position　of　the　eighteen　Republicans　who　had　failed　to　declare　themselves　became　at　once　a　source　of　very　grave　concern　in　impeachment　circles。　Out　of　that　list　of　eighteen　uncommitted　Republicans；　but　one　vote　was　necessary　to　defeat　the　impeachment。　This　condition　was　still　farther　intensified　by　the　fact　that　eight　of　the　eleven　Articles　of　Impeachment　were　already　beaten　in　that　conference；　and　practically　by　Republican　committals；　and　among　them　the　head　and　front　and　foundation　of　the　indictmentthe　First　Articleby　Messrs。　Sherman　and　Howe；　two　conspicuous　Republican　leaders。

A　forecast　of　the　vote　based　on　these　committals　as　to　the　several　Articles；　would　be　against　the　First　Article；　twelve　Democrats　and　eight　Republicans；　one　more　than　necessary　for　its　defeatthe　eight　〃not　guilty〃　votes　including　Messrs。　Sherman　and　Howe。

Against　the　Fourth　Articletwelve　Democrats　and　nine　Republicansincluding　Messrs。　Edmunds；　Ferry；　and　Morrill　of　Vermont。

Against　the　Fifth　Articletwelve　Democrats　and　eight　Republicans…including　Messrs。　Edmunds　and　Ferry。

Against　the　Sixth　Articletwelve　Democrats　and　nine　Republicans…including　Messrs。　Ferry；　Howe；　and　Morrill　of　Vermont。

Against　the　SeventhArticle…twelve　Democrats　and　seven　Republicansincluding　Mr。　Ferry。

Against　the　Eighth　Articletwelve　Democrats　and　seven　Republicansincluding　Mr。　Edmunds。

Against　the　Ninth　Articletwelve　Democrats　and　twelve　Republicansincluding　Messrs。　Sherman；　Edmunds；　Ferry；　Howe；　Howard；　and　Morrill　of　Vermont。

Against　the　Tenth　Articletwelve　Democrats　and　ten　Republicansincluding　Messrs。　Edmunds；　Sherman；　Ferry；　and　Morrill　of　Vermont。

It　is　somewhat　conspicuous　that　but　three　gentlemenMessrs。　Sumner；　Pomeroy；　and　Tipton；　in　their　arguments　in　the　Conference；　pronounced　the　President　guilty　on　all　the　chargesthough　five　others；　Messrs。　Wilson；　Patterson　of　New　Hampshire；　Frelinghuysen；　Cattell；　and　Williams；　pronounced　the　President　guilty　on　general　principles；　without　specification；　and　Messrs。　Morrill　of　Maine；　Yates　and　Stewart；　guilty　in　the　removal　of　Mr。　Stanton；　without　further　specification　of　charges。

As　but　one　vote；　in　addition　to　the　twelve　Democratic　and　the　six　Republican　votes　pledged　against　conviction　at　the　Conference；　was　necessary　to　defeat　impeachment　on　the　three　remaining　Articlesthe　2nd；　3rd；　and　11thand　as　nearly　a　half　of　the　Republicans　of　the　Senate　had　failed　to　commit　themselves；　at　least　in　any　public　way；　the　anxiety　of　the　advocates　of　Impeachment　became　at　once；　and　naturally；　very　grave。　How　many　of　the　eighteen　Republicans　who　had　failed　to　declare　themselves　at　that　Conference　might　fail　to　sustain　the　Impeachment；　became；　therefore；　a　matter　of　active　solicitude　on　all　sides；　especially　in　impeachment　circles　in　and　out　of　the　Senate。　Republican　committals　in　the　Conference　had　rendered　absolutely　certain　the　defeat　of　every　Article　of　the　Impeachment　except　the　Second；　Third；　and　Eleventh；　and　the　addition　of　but　a　single　vote　from　the　eighteen　uncommitted　Republicans　to　the　〃No〃　side；　would　defeat　them。

It　was　under　this　unfavorable　condition　of　the　Impeachment　cause；　that　the　Senate　assembled　on　May　16th；　1868；　for　the　purpose　of　taking　final　action　on　the　indictment　brought　by　the　House　of　Representatives；　the　trial　of　which　had　occupied　the　most　of　the　time　of　the　Senate　for　the　previous　three　months；　and　which　had　to　a　large　degree　engrossed　the　attention　of　the　general　public；　to　the　interruption　of　legislation　pending　in　the　two　Houses　of　Congress；　and　more　or　less　to　the　embarrassment　of　the　commercial　activities　of　the　country。

For　the　first　time　in　the　history　of　the　government；　practically　eighty　years；　the　President　of　the　United　States　was　at　the　bar　of　the　Senate；　by　virtue　of　a　constitutional　warrant；　on　an　accusation　of　the　House　of　Representatives　of　high　crimes　and　misdemeanors　in　office；　and　his　conviction　and　expulsion　from　office　demanded　in　the　name　of　all　the　people。　No　event　in　the　civil　history　of　the　country　had　ever　before　occurred　to　so　arouse　public　antipathies　and　public　indignation　against　any　man…and　these　conditions　found　special　vent　in　the　City　of　Washington；　as　the　Capitol　of　the　Nation；　as　it　had　become　during　the　trial　the　focal　point　of　the　politically　dissatisfied　element　of　the　entire　country。　Its　streets　and　all　its　places　of　gathering　had　swarmed　for　many　weeks　with　representatives　of　every　State　of　the　Union；　demanding　in　a　practically　united　voice　the　deposition　of　the　President。

On　numbers　of　occasions　during　the　previous　history　of　the　Government　there　had　been　heated　controversies　between　the　Congress　and　the　Executive；　but　never　before　characterized　by　the　intensity；　not　infrequently　malevolence；　that　had　come　to　mark　this　and　never　before　had　a　division　between　the　Executive　and　the　Congress　reached　a　point　at　which　a　suggestion　of　his　constitutional　ostracism　from　office　had　been　seriously　entertained；　much　less　attempted。

But　it　had　now　come。　The　active；　intense　interest　of　the　country　was　aroused；　and　everywhere　the　division　among　the　people　was　sharply　defined　and　keen；　though　the　numerical　preponderance；　it　cannot　be　denied；　was　largely　against　the　President　and　insistent　upon　his　removal。

The　dominant　party　of　the　country　was　aroused　and　active　for　the　deposition　of　the　President。　Public　meetings　were　held　throughout　the　North　and　resolutions　adopted　and　forwarded　to　Senators　demanding　that　Mr。　Johnson　be　promptly　expelled　from　office　by　the　Senateand　it　had　become　apparent；　long　before　the　taking　of　the　vote；　that　absolute；　swift；　and　ignominious　expulsion　from　office　awaited　every　Republican　Senator　who　should　dare　to　disregard　that　demand。

Under　these　conditions　it　was　but　natural　that　during　the　trial；　and　especially　as　the　close　approached；　the　streets　of　Washington　and　the　lobbies　of　the　Capitol　were　thronged　from　day　to　day　with　interested　spectators　from　every　section　of　the　Union；　or　that　Senators　were　beleaguered　day　and　night；　by　interested　constituents；　for　some　word　of　encouragement　that　a　change　was　about　to　come　of　that　day's　proceeding；　and　with　threats　of　popular　vengeance　upon　the　failure　of　any　Republican　Senator　to　second　that　demand。

In　view　of　this　intensity　of　public　interest　it　was　as　a　matter　of　course　that　the　coming　of　the　day　when　the　great　controversy　was　expected　to　be　brought　to　a　close　by　the　deposition　of　Mr。　Johnson　and　the　seating　of　a　new　incumbent　in　the　Presidential　chair；　brought　to　the　Capitol　an　additional　throng　which　long　before　the　hour　for　the　assembling　of　the　Senate　filled　all　the　available　space　in　the　vast　building；　to　witness　the　culmination　of　the　great　political　trial　of　the　age。

Upon　the　closing　of　the　hearingeven　prior　thereto；　and　again　during　the　few　days　of　recess　that　followed；　the　Senate　had　been　carefully　polled；　and　the　prospective　vote　of　every　member　from　whom　it　was　possible　to　procure　a　committal；　ascertained　and　registered　in　many　a　private　memoranda。　There　were　fifty…four　membersall　present。　According　to　these　memoranda；　the　vote　would　stand　eighteen　for　acquittal；　thirty…five　for　convictionone　less　than　the　number　required　by　the　Constitution　to　convict。　What　that　one　vote　would　be；　and　could　it　be　had；　were　anxious　queries；　of　one　to　another；　especially　among　those　who　had　set　on　foot　the　impeachment　enterprise　and　staked　their　future　control　of　the　government　upon　its　success。　Given　for　conviction　and　upon　sufficient　proofs；　the　Pre