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Page 6 — 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- M) 0 O 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 41 j FIRST UNITED | ! METHODIST CHURCH i o Rev. Dumas Shelnutt I Minister i i j Morning Service 11:00 A.M. j j SERMON BY PASTOR j j "INVESTING | j IN TOMORROW” j o EVENING WORSHIP SERVICE | Seven thirty O'clock " A GREAT DAY OF UNITED METHODIST SINGING " A Theme: The Historic Jesus Who Calls Us To Contemporay Service A f Presented by f ® The Congregation of First United Methodist Church and Choirs ° Tom R. Roberts, Conducting A ® o HARVEST DAYS REVIVAL SECOND BAPTIST CHURCH 501 W. Broad q o Evangelist-Pastor 80,18 Leader Billy Southerland Dillard Wilbanks November 4-11 7:30 P.M. 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. REVIVAL SERVICES EAST GRIFFIN CONGREGATIONAL HOLINESS CHURCH East Church St. East Grffin Services Begin Nov. 5-7:30 Nightly With Rev. Tye Sorrow, Younger Son Os The Late Rev. Watson Sorrow Os Atlanta, Ga. Pastor - Rev. Alvin S. Crews Sunday School 9:45 A.M. Morning Worship 11:00 A.M. Sun. Evening Service 7 O'clock Everyone Welcome | 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. ! I j First Baptist Church ! | Griffin, Ga. Rev. Bruce Morgan, Pastor I I Sunday School j j Morning Worship 11:00 A.M. ! i "THE INHERITANCE j I "The Abundant God” mcm, cm j I I 1 Church Training 6:30 P M j 2 Evening Worship 7:30 PM ! I "INADEQUATE OPINIONS ABOUT JESUS" j The Pastor j j His Sheep Am I” Youlh I ■ • • I I j Accept our imitation to join with us Sunday. _ _ 0 0 0 0 0 0 HOLY GHOST REVIVAL WEST SUNNYSIDE HDLINESS CHURCH Begins Nov. 4, Sunday Evangelist - The Christians Evangelistic Team from Toccoa, Ga. Services begin 7:30 P.M. SPECIAL SINGINC . Pastor-Rev. Bill Anderson OQOQOQOOOCOOOOOOOOOOOOOQGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO4 j FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH I j Tenth & Poplar Sts. Griffin, Ga. I ! —INVITES YOU— ! j TO SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICES i o I | Sunday School 9:45 A.M. ' A Morning Worship 11:00 A.M. | ! Open Door Prayer Service 6:00 P.M. | | Youth Groups 6:00 P.M. I ' I j ORVILLE L. WRIGHT, Minister | 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. ”