gallant fight. The result, however, was a crushing defeat for him and a
national repudiation of his plan of reconstruction.

Notwithstanding this defeat the President refused to yield, continuing
the fight with Congress which finally resulted in his impeachment by the
House of Representatives for high Crimes and Misdemeanors in office and
in his trial by the Senate sitting as a High Court for that purpose.
When the vote of the court was taken the President was saved from
conviction and from removal from office by the narrow margin of one
vote,--a sufficient number of Republican Senators having voted with the
Democrats to prevent conviction. It was believed by many at the time
that some of the Republican Senators that voted for acquittal did so
chiefly on account of their antipathy to the man who would succeed to
the Presidency in the event of the conviction of the President. This man
was Senator Benjamin Wade, of Ohio,--President _pro tem._ of the
Senate,--who, as the law then stood, would have succeeded to the
Presidency in the event of a vacancy in that office from any cause.

Senator Wade was an able man, but there were others who were much more
brilliant. He was a strong party man. He had no patience with those who
claimed to be Republicans and yet refused to abide by the decision of
the majority of the party organization unless that decision should be
what they wanted. In short, he was an organization Republican,--what has
since been characterized by some as a machine man,--the sort of active
and aggressive man that would be likely to make for himself enemies of
men in his own organization who were afraid of his great power and
influence, and jealous of him as a political rival. That some of his
senatorial Republican associates should feel that the best service they
could render their country would be to do all in their power to prevent
such a man from being elevated to the Presidency was, perhaps, perfectly