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— Griffin Daily News Saturday, Novembers, 1973
Impeachment: 1868 and 1973?
By Don Oakley
The constitutional crisis
engendered by the Watergate
tapes controversy has
focused the curiosity of
Americans on the only other
time in their history that a
president has stood in peril of
being removed from office by
virtue of Article 11, Section 6
of the Constitution - the im
peachment clause.
On Feb. 24, 1868, a bill of
impeachment embracing 11
charges was brought by the
House of Representatives
against Andrew Johnson,
17th president of the United
States. On March 13, his trial
began in the Senate, and in
voting on May 16 and 26, he
was acquitted, the Senate
each time falling just one
vote short of the two-thirds
needed to convict.
Are there any similarities
or parallels between those
momentous events and the
impeachment fever gripping
many Americans and an un-
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Nursery Provided
Andrew Johnson
Richard M. Nixon
certain number of congress
men today? Are there any
lessons that can be applied to
our own time?
Aside from the sheer me
chanics of the impeachment
process itself — assuming
that the current crisis
reaches that point — the
answer is no. The two periods
and the circumstances of the
two embattled presidents can
scarcely be compared.
For at least a year preced
ing those fateful days in the
spring of 1868, Andrew
Johnson, attempting to carry
out the conciliatory policy of
the fallen Abraham Lincoln
toward the post-Civil War
South, had been locked in
combat with a Congress
dominated by “Radical
Republicans” bent on treat
ing the South as a conquered
province.
Two years after Appomat
tox, in a series of Reconstruc
tion Acts, Congress in effect
renewed the war and de
clared the former Con
federacy to be “rebel states.”
Postwar state governments
were abolished and the South
was divided into districts and
placed under military oc
cupation.
What brought the confron
tation between president and
Congress to a head was the
passage in 1867 of the Tenure
of Office Act, forbidding the
president to remove any
officer of the government
without the consent of the
Senate.
It was Johnson’s defiance
of this act by attempting to
replace Secretary of War Ed
win Stanton, a notorious
source of administration
“leaks” to the radicals, that
was the immediate cause of
his impeachment.
Rather than similarities
between 1868 and 1973, there
are contrasts:
— Congress routinely
passed laws over the veto of
President Johnson. Today,
even in the midst of the Wat
ergate scandal, Congress has
consistently failed to over
ride the vetos of President
Nixon.
—Congress usurped the
role of commander-in-chief
from Andrew Johnson, going
so far as to deprive him of
control of the Army. Today, it
will be considered a signifi
cant victory if Congress suc
ceeds in limiting the Presi
dent’s war-making initiative
to a 60-day period over his
expected veto.
—As noted, Congress
denied to Andrew Johnson
the right to remove civil
officials, including members
of his own cabinet. Today, we
wonder who will be next to
join the long line of aides,
secretaries and others exit
ing the executive branch,
either resigning under a
cloud of suspicion or being
ousted by Richard Nixon.
—Even Andrew Johnson’s
opponents doubted the con
stitutionality of the Tenure of
Office Act (it was, in fact,
eventually nullified by the
Supreme Court). Today, even
supporters of Richard Nixon
fear that he is attempting to
place himself above the law.
Not least of the contrasts,
there was no breath of scan
dal surrounding the Johnson
administration, no question
<1
of honesty or morality, no
maze of Watergate deception
and coverup under investiga
tion, no waffling or defiance
in the face of court orders to
produce evidence.
In sum, the case of Andrew
Johnson was that of a power
less president-by-accident
versus an overweening and
vindictive Congress that of
Richard Nixon, a strong
president, overwhelmingly
re-elected, versus a mallea
ble Congress accused of
defaulting on its constitu
tional rights and duties.
Yet because only once
before has there been a
serious movement to invoke
the impeachment provision
of the Constitution against a
president (Thomas Jefferson
called it a “mere scarecrow”)
we inevitably seek guidance
from history.
If guidance is to be found
anywhere, it is, perhaps, to be
found in the consciences of
that handful of senators who
risked — and received —
political retaliation for
standing against the will of
the majority.
To those men of the 40th
Congress, the continued exis
tence of a government of
balanced powers was too im
portant, too precious, to per
mit of the destruction even of
an impotent Andrew
Johnson.
The question the members
of the 93rd Congress may be
asked to decide in their
hearts is whether the in
tegrity of that same govern
ment now demands the curb
ing of one of the most strong
willed and independent chief
executives ever to sit in the
White House, Richard M. Nix
on.
(NEWSPAPER ENTERPRISE ASSN >
What it’s like
Reporter volunteers
for acupuncture use
Editors: UPI staff
correspondent Charles S.
Taylor underwent acupuncture
treatment this past week during
a seminar at Emory University.
Here is his personal report on
what he felt and experienced.
Adv for ams sun nov. 4... .
By CHALRES S. TAYLOR
ATLANTA (UPI) - When I
left home, I had no idea that
a few hours later I would be
reclining in a dental chair under
going the ancient Chinese tech
nique of acupuncture.
Somehow, I’m not exactly
sure how, I became a volunteer
at a symposium on the latest
techniques of acupuncture in
medical and dental practice.
One of the dentists, I believe,
volunteered my services, and I
found myself saying. Okay I’ll
try it.
As some 30 dentists from
across the country looked on,
Harrah divorced
RENO, Nev. (UPI) — Casino
magnate William Harrah, 62,
was granted a divorce Friday
from former model Roxana
Darlene Carlson, 33.
He filed for divorce last
April. They were married Oct.
15, 1972, at Lake Tahoe. It was
his fourth marriage and her
second.
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| What they ’re saying
I about the President
ALAMEDA, Calif. (UPI) -
Rep. Fortney “Pete” Stark, El-
Calif., says an attempt to
overthrow the nation’s govern
ment by the President and the
military is “not inconceivable.”
“Considering the President’s
irrational behavior and the
existence of an aristocratic
military elite in this country, it
is not inconceivable that a
military takeover could be
attempted,” he said Friday.
“The President could easily
manufacture an ‘extreme na
tional emergency, tell his
generals to take command and
send the Congress and Supreme
Court packing.”
Stark told a group of civilian
aircraft repair supervisors at
Alameda Naval Air Station,
however, that such an effort
would fail because too many
officers “would rebel against
the Commander-in-Chief and
keep the republic from falling
into military hands.”
BOSTON (UPI) - Columnist
Jack Anderson says the nation
cannot endure three more years
of President Nixon, and called
for Nixon to resign for the good
of the country.
“The nation has been da
maged by his presidency and
the nation cannot endure three
more years of Richard Nixon,”
Anderson said in an interview
Truck driver freed
ATLANTA (UPl)—Police say
a Richmond, Va., truck driver
was released unharmed Friday
morning after being held at
gunpoint for 24 hours by thieves
who hijacked his cargo.
William Doggett, 45, told po
lice he was seized by a man
with a shotgun Thursday morn
ing as he left a truck stop.
The RC Motor Lines truck,
loaded with lighting fixtures,
Dr. Elliot Green, professor of
dentistry at UCLA inserted two
acupuncture needles about one
inch deep into the area between
my thumb and forefinger of
both hands.
I felt nothing as one needie
penetrated but the other hurt
slightly. Then, two electrodes
were attached to the needles
and taped to my wrists. The
electrodes were connected to a
box - like affair with pointers
and dials. The current was
turned on and I felt a small
charge of electricity in my
hands and arms.
I lay there for about 10 min
utes to allow time for the
analgesic effects of the
acupuncture treetment to take
effect.
Then Green took the custom
ary dental tools in hand, includ
ing a sharp, needle-like probe
and stuck it in my gums about
five or six times. Only once did
I feel any pain and it was
minimal.
Another dentist from the aud
ience came up and probed
around, sticking my gums
about six more times. Again, I
felt pain only once.
Aside from the feeling of pain
twice, the only sensation was
that of pressure as the dentists
applied the probe.
After the experiment was
over, I answered questions
from the audience.
Friday. “The honorable, patri
otic and decent thing for
President Nixon to do is
resign.”
LOS ANGELES (UPI) -
Columnist Joseph Alsop says
President Nixon has given
serious thought to the possibili
ty of resigning and suggested
that he do just that.
“The time has come for
President Nixon to offer his
resignation, conditional upon
prompt congressional confirma
tion of his chosen vice
president,” Alsop wrote in his
syndicated column. “The condi
tion is needed simply because it
would be a gross constitutional
impropreity to use the current
mess to reverse the voters’
verdict of less than 12 months
ago.
“The great engine of the
U.S. government, the presiden
cy, has temporarily broken
down,” Alsop said.
WICHITA, Kan. (UPI) -
Rep. Paul McCloskey, R-Calif.,
who has called for President
Nixon’s impeachment, released
copies of a letter Friday in
which the dairy industry
pledged $2 million to Nixon’s
campaign and asked for import
quota reductions on their
products.
Nixon signed a proclamation
was then driven to at least
three locations where the cargo
was unloaded, while Doggett
was taken to an apartment, po
lice said.
"He said his captors fed him
a bologna sandwich during his
imprisonment at an unknown
apartment building and then
gave him two dimes to make
telephone calls before releasing
him,” a police spokesman said.
Would you be willing to un
dergo drilling or tooth extrac
tion using only acupuncture, no
drugs to deaden the pain?
No, I wouldn’t. While I’m
sure acupuncture prevents or
alleviates pain, I like the con
fidence that novacain gives you.
With that, you don’t feel pres
sure or anything else.
Did the needles in my hands
hurt? Virtually no pain at all.
How did I feel after it was
all over? Any physical reac
tions? None at all. I felt great.
There was one interesting
side effect for which acupunc
ture was not intended. After
the experiment, for the first
time that day, my sinuses were
clear.
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15 days after the postmark date
on the letter drastically reduc
ing some import quotas on
cheese, chocolate products con
taining butterfat, ice cream and
animal feeds containing milk.
The letter was addressed to
Nixon and dated Dec. 16, 1970.
McCloskey refused to say how
he got it.
CHICAGO (UPI) - The
president of die Illinois Bar
Association says President
Nixon should be given the
benefit of the doubt that he will
allow new Watergate prosecu
tor Leon Jaworski complete
independence.
“So many things have hap
pened so fast,” William Sutter
said Friday, “that I would be
prepared to give him the
benefit of the doubt.”
However, James Kissell,
president of the Chicago Bar
Associaion, who held a joint
news confernnce with Sutter,
expressed doubts about the
future of the Wategate investi
gation.
“I don’t think an appointment
stemming from the President
will result in independence,”
Kissell said. “I think some
where there will be a tie on his
ability to go forth unfettered. ”