AMERICA

Westport Times, Volume II, Issue 312, 31 July 1868, Page 2

AMERICA

As is already been known President Johnson has been acquitted, we extract the following from the Panama Star and Herald ; — New York, May 20, 18G8. The United kStat; s may congratulate itself on the result of the vote taken on the 16th May in the impeachment question, by which the impeachment cause has been virtually killed. Tie vote was taken on the 11th charge, the one on which the radicals had founded their strongest hopes of conviction. The following is te article upon which the decisive vote was given, on the 16th May. It was prepared bv Mr Stevens, and was considered by him

the " strongest" of the series, that is, theone upon which conviction couldmost surely be obtained. This also was the general opinion of the friends of impeachment, and, for that reason, it was taken up out of its proper order and put to vote. That act was, of course, a clear confession of the weakness of the antecedent articles; and from the fate of the Eleventh, the public may infer what disposition will be made of Article One to Ten imclusive, if they are even heard of again : Article Xl.—That said Andrew Johnson, President of the United States unmindful of the high duties of his office and of hi 9 oath of office, and in disregard of the Constitution and laws of the United States, did heretofore, to wit: on the 18th day of August,

18GG, at the City of Washington, anc the District of Columbia, by public speech, declare aud affirm in substance, that theXXXIXth Congress of the United States was not a Congress of the United States authorized by the Constitution to exercise legislative power under the same ; but, on the contrary, was a Congress of only part of the States, thereby denying and intending to deny that the legislation of said Congress was valid or obligatory upon him, the said Andrew Johnson, except in so far as he saw it fit to approve the same, and also thereby denyingand intending to deny the power of the XXXIXth Congress to propose amendments to the constitution of the United States: and in pursuance of said declaration, the said Andrew Johuson, President of the United States, afterward, to wit on the 21st day of February, 1868, at the City of "Washington in the District of Columbia, did unlawfully, and in disregard of the requirements of the Constitution that he should take care that the laws be faithfully executed, attempt to prevent the execution of an act entitled "An act regulating the tenure of certain civil offices" passed March 2, 1867, by unlawfully devising and contriving, and attempting to devise and contrive means by which he should prevent Edwin M. Stanton from forthwith resuming the functions of the office of Secretary for the Department of War, notwithstanding the refusal of the Senate to concur in the suspension therefore made by said Andrew Johnson, of said Edwin M. Stanton from Faid office of Secretary for the Department of War, and also by further unlawful devising and contriving, and attempting to devise and contrive means then and there to prevent the execution of an act entitled " An act to provide for the more efficient government of the rebel States," passed March 2, 1867; whereby the said Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, did then, to wit: on the 21st day of Feb., 1867, at the city of Washington, commit and was guilty of a high misdemeanor in office.