history of the impeachment of andrew johnson-第13节

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oses；　and　to　the　detriment　of　the　peace　of　the　country。

Mr。　Johnson　may　have　been　opinionated　and　headstrong；　a　characteristic　of　a　great　many　people　of　strong　convictions　of　duty　and　purpose；　while　the　overwhelming　numerical　strength　of　the　dominant　party　in　and　out　of　Congress　made　it　seemingly　indifferent；　reckless　and　inconsiderate　of　the　convictions；　as　of　the　rights　and　prerogatives　of　the　Chief　Executive　treating　him　more　as　a　clerk　whose　sole　duty　it　was　to　register　without　suggestion　the　decrees　of　Congress。

That　Mr。　Lincoln；　had　he　lived；　would　have　pursued　much　the　same　policy　of　reconstruction；　is　clearly　indicated　by　the　established　fact　that　he　had　determined　to　adopt　precisely　the　initial　measures　thereto　which　Mr。　Johnson　did　inaugurate　and　attempt　to　carry　out。　But　Mr。　Lincoln's　superior　ability　in　statecraft；　his　rare　tact　and　knowledge　of　men；　and　his　capacity　for　moulding　and　directing　public　opinion；　seeming　to　follow　where　he　actually　led；　would　doubtless　have　secured　a　more　favorable　result。　And　more　than　all　else；　it　can　scarcely　be　doubted；　that　the　unbounded　confidence　of　the　people　in　his　patriotism　and　capacity　to　direct　public　affairs；　would　have　enabled　him　to　dictate　terms　of　reconstruction　strictly　on　the　lines　he　had　marked　out；　and　would　have　commanded　the　general　support　of　the　country；　regardless　of　partisan　divisions；　notwithstanding　the　well　known　fact　that　at　the　time　of　his　death　there　were　unmistakable　indications　of　alienation　from　him　of　the　extreme　element　of　his　party　because　of　his　conservative　views　as　to　the　proper　methods　of　reconstruction。

Meantime；　in　the　effort　to　hamper　the　President；　as　far　as　it　was　possible　for　Congress　to　do；　the　Tenure…of…Office　Act　was　passed；　early　in　1867。　The　ostensible　purpose　of　that　Act　was　to　restrict　the　authority　of　the　President　in　the　selection　of　his　Cabinet　advisers；　and　his　power　over　appointments　generally。　Its　specific　purpose；　at　least　so　far　as　the　House　of　Representatives　was　concerned；　and　measurably　so　in　the　Senate；　was　to　prevent　his　removal　of　the　Secretary　of　War；　Mr。　Stanton；　with　the　manifest　if　not　avowed　intent；　as　the　sequel　shows；　to　make　that　Secretary　not　only　independent　of　his　chief；　but　also　to　make　him　the　immediate　instrument　of　Congress　in　whatever　disposition　of　the　Army；　or　of　military　affairs　generally　relating　to　the　government　of　the　Southern　States；　the　majority　of　Congress　might　dictate。　In　a　word；　the　Congress；　in　that　Act；　virtually　assumed；　or　attempted　to　assume；　that　control　of　the　Army　which　the　Constitution　vests　on　the　President。

The　first　effort　to　impeach　the　President；　in　1867；　was　based　upon　a　general　accusation　of　high　crimes　and　misdemeanors　without　literal　specification。　The　second；　in　1868；　was　based　upon　his　alleged　violation　of　the　Tenure…of…Office　Act；　in　the　removal　of　Mr。　Stanton。

While　it　is　undoubted；　as　already　shown；　that　Mr。　Lincoln　and　Mr。　Johnson　were　in　accord　as　to　the　methods　to　be　adopted　for　the　restoration　of　the　revolted　States；　it　was　Mr。　Johnson's　misfortune　that　he　had　not　Mr。　Lincoln's　capacity　for　so　great　and　so　peculiar　a　task；　though　a　gentleman　of　proven　patriotism；　ability；　of　a　kindly；　genial　nature；　and　with　record　of　valuable　public　service。　Hampered　by　his　lack　of　political　finesse　and　intricate　knowledge　of　state…craft；　and　in　view　of　the　conditions　of　that　time；　and　the　people　with　whom　he　had　to　deal；　it　was　obvious　from　the　outset　that　the　result　of　the　controversy　could　hardly　be　otherwise　than　disastrous　to　him。　Mr。　Lincoln　would　undoubtedly　have　been　met　by　the　same　character　of　opposition；　and　from　the　same　source。　But　there　would　have　been　the　appearance　at　least　of　mutual　concession；　and　while　the　APPEARANCE　of　concession　would　have　been　on　Mr。　Lincoln's　side；　the　actual　concession；　so　far　as　essentials　were　involved；　would　have　been　on　the　other。

Mr。　Johnson　was　a　Democrat　of　pronounced　type　and　profound　convictions；　and　in　no　sense　did　he　depart　from　his　faith。　He　belonged　to　the　school　of　Jackson　and　Jefferson。　He　had　not　the　electric　intuitions　and　impetuous　will　of　the　former；　nor　the　culture　and　genius　of　the　latter。　He　adhered　more　religiously　to　the　letter　of　the　Constitution　than　either。　To　him　it　was　the　one　law　of　supreme　obligation；　that　never　ceased　its　guarantees。　As　fittingly　expressed　by　one　of　his　Counsel；　Mr。　Groesbeck；　in　the　trial：　〃He　was　not　learned　and　scholarlynot　a　man　of　many　ideas　or　of　much　speculationbut　the　Constitution　had　been　the　study　of　his　life；　and　by　a　law　of　the　mind　he　was　only　the　truer　to　that　which　he　did　know。〃

As　had　Mr。　Lincoln；　Mr。　Johnson　keenly　appreciated　the　importance　of　the　people　of　the　South　returning　at　once　to　the　Union；　free　and　independent　American　citizens；　clothed　with　all　the　rights；　privileges　and　obligations　common　to　such。　In　his　Cabinet　Councils；　and　to　a　degree　supreme　in　that　board　sat　William　H。　Seward；　as　he　had　throughout　Mr。　Lincoln's　administration；　than　whom　the　Republic　has　produced　no　wiser；　more　sagacious；　or　patriotic　statesman。　He　gave　the　subject　his　intense　devotion　in　the　maturity　of　his　great　powers。

There　too；　sat　Secretary　Welles；　another　of　Mr。　Lincoln's　advisers；　and　a　devoted　friend　of　the　Constitution　and　the　sanctity　of　the　Union。　Each　of　these　men；　thoroughly　patriotic；　and　efficient；　and　untiring　in　the　administration　of　their　respective　Departments；　had　commenced　with　the　deluge　of　blood；　and　they　now　hoped　to　crown　their　official　careers　by　a　triumphant　peace　that　would　Honor　their　lives　and　glorify　the　Nation。　These　men　had　a　salutary　influence　over　Mr。　Johnson；　and　greatly　modified　the　asperities　of　his　disposition。

Mr。　Johnson　believed；　as　did　Mr。　Lincoln；　that　the　revolted　States　were　still　States　of　the　Unionthat　all　the　pretended　acts　of　secession　were　null　and　void；　and　that　the　loyal　people　therein　had　the　right　to　reconstruct　their　State　Governments　on　the　basis　proposed　to　them　first　by　Mr。　Lincoln；　and　after　him　by　Mr。　Johnson；　and　thus　the　right　to　representation　in　the　General　Government。

It　was　upon　this　question　that　parties　divided　during　the　reconstruction　period。　Mr。　Lincoln；　foreseeing　danger　in　such　a　division；　was　anxious　to　bring　those　States　into　such　relation　that　the　people　generally　would　consider　them　as　virtually　in　the　Union；　without　reference　to　the　abstract　question。　It　was　with　this　view；　undoubtedly；　that　he　advocated　the　admission　of　Members　and　Senators　whenever　one…tenth　of　the　voting　population　of　1860　should　organize　State　Governments　and　ask　for　readmission。　He　would　not　only　not　countenance；　but　repelled　the　doctrine　of　〃State　Suicide；〃　as　it　was　called；　and　which　came　to　characterize　the　methods　of　reconstruction　subsequently　adopted。

It　is　true；　that　on　many　occasions　Mr。　Johnson　charged　that　the　Congress　was　only　a　Congress　of　part　of　the　States；　and　that　its　acts　were　therefore　without　validity。　Yet　he　continued　to　execute　those　laws；　and　what　to　him　was　a　very　unpleasant　duty；　the　law　which　set　aside　the　State　Governments　organized　under　his　own　direction；　so　that　notwithstanding　his　violent　denunciations　of　the　acts　of　Congress；　and　his　personal　opinions；　he　did　not　presume　to　act　upon　them。　Angry　and　undignified　language　was　uttered　on　both　sides。　Many　of　his　speeches　were　violent　and　in　bad　taste　and　temper。　So　were　a　great　many　speeches　uttered　by　senators　and　members　of　the　House；　and　those　bodies　too　often　acted　upon　them。

It　is　therefore　but　repeating　recorded　history　to　say　that　Mr。　Johnson　was　earnestly　seeking　to　carry　out　Mr。　Lincoln's　plan　of　reconstruction；　which　was　upon　consultation　with　his　entire　Cabinet；　more　especially　with　Mr。　Stanton；　adopted　by　him　as　the　basis　for　the　restoration　of　the　revolted　States。

Yet；　with　these　facts　of　record；　that　action　was　afterwards　assailed　by　the　Republican　leaders　in　and　out　of　Congress；　who　assumed　to　have　become　Mr。　Lincoln's　executors　in　the　work　of　reconstruction；　as　not　only　an　abandonment　of　the　plan　instituted　by　him；　but　a　surrender　of　the　issues　fought　out　and　the　results　accomplished　by　the　war　just　closed　notwithstanding　very　many　of　these　critics　of　Mr。　Johnson　had　but　a　few　months　before　criticised　Mr。　Lincoln　with　quite　equal　severity　for　his　suggestion　of　this　same　method　of　restoration。

Nor　will　it　suffice　to　say　that；　though　professing　submission　and　loyalty；　the　people　of　the　South　were　still　hostile　to　the　Union；　and　that　there　was　no　safety　there　for　Union　men。　It　is　true　that　there　came　to　be　violence　and　disorder　there　upon　the　rejection　by　Congress　of　Mr。　Johnson's　plan　of　restoration。

These　were　the　inevitable　results　of　the　conditions。　There　would　also　have　been　disorder　and　violence　in　the　North　and　to　a　far　greater　degree；　had　the　results　of　the　war　been　reversedan　arbitrary　and　tyrannical　system　of　restoration　insisted　uponthe　established　order　of　things　destroyed　homes　broken　up　the　people　impoverished；　and　hordes　of　unscrupulous　adventurers　swarmed　up　from　the　South　and　overrun　the　country　in　pursuit　of　schemes　of　political　chicanery　and　personal　ambition；　peculation　and　plunder；　as　was　the　South　after　the　close　of　the　war。

But　when　the　fight　was　on；　an　overwhelmingly　partisan　House；　as　a　last