During a time when it takes courage to stand for moral principles,
it’s wise to remember stories of men and women who take a strong stand, putting
everything on the line for what they believe.
These will not be perfect people; in fact, just the opposite. Yet at a critical moment when the fate of the
nation weighs in the balance, they will not waiver or compromise. In 1956, John F. Kennedy co-authored a
Pulitzer Prize winning book, Profiles in Courage about nine such men. Chapter 6 is dedicated to a little-known man,
Edmund Gibson Ross, a U.S. Senator from Kansas who took such a stand.
In 1868,
America’s new system of government faced one of its most critical
challenges. Andrew Johnson had been
sworn in as President shortly after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and
had continued Lincoln’s unpopular plan to rebuild the South. He had spent Union resources in Southern
States to rebuild their railroads, ports, and bridges which had been destroyed
during the war.
Congress was controlled by a group called the Radical
Republicans who opposed everything President Johnson had done to reconstruct
the South. This group had become so
large and powerful that they controlled two-thirds of Congress. Instead of rebuilding, they wanted to punish
Southern States and force them to repay the Union’s war expenses. They devised a political trap to ensnare,
impeach, and remove the President.
The Republicans pushed through Congress the Tenure of Office
Act, preventing a president from dismissing his own cabinet members without
Senate approval. They knew Johnson was
constantly at odds with Secretary of War Edwin Stanton. Stanton had become an important tool for the
Radicals who wanted to establish a military dictatorship in the South. Johnson believed the new law was an
unconstitutional infringement on the power of the executive office, and vetoed
the act. Congress overrode his veto and
their political trap was set.
In August of 1867, after a heated (and perhaps staged)
cabinet meeting, Johnson fired Stanton, but Stanton refused to leave and even
barricaded himself inside his office.
When Congress reconvened the next January, they immediately began
impeachment proceedings against Johnson.
By February, the House of Representatives had voted on a straight party
line of 126 to 47 to impeach the President on grounds of “high crimes and
misdemeanors”.
On March 5th, the trial in the Senate began, but it became
immediately evident that the Republicans had no intention of giving President
Johnson a fair trial. Rather, their emphasis was on strong-arming enough
Senators to find Johnson guilty.
Throughout the trial, straw polls were taken, each time indicating both
parties needed Ross’s vote to win.
Senator Ross was the final Radical Republican who would not commit his
vote. Although Ross disliked President
Johnson immensely, he believed every man, especially the President of the
United States should receive a fair trial and he would not announce his
decision until all the evidence had been presented. He also believed in a separate balance of
powers between the three branches of government.
As the trial progressed, many threats were made to Senator
Ross concerning his life, his family’s wellbeing, and his political
future. At the conclusion of the trial
the question was finally asked, "Senator Edmund Ross, how say you? Is Andrew Johnson, President of the United
States, guilty or not guilty?" Ross
stood and quietly, yet courageously announced, "Not Guilty"
effectively ending the impeachment trial.
Two more ballots produced the same 35-19 result. By a single vote,
President Johnson retained his office.
Ross’s action unleashed relentless national criticism. He and his family suffered ostracism and
poverty upon their return to Kansas in 1871. The Tenure of Office Act was
eventually repealed in 1887. In 1907,
newspapers reported Senator Ross had died a broken and discouraged man. In 1926, Ross was finally vindicated when the
Supreme Court acknowledged the Act was an unconstitutional power grab by
Congress.
John F. Kennedy concluded his chapter on Ross, “His one
heroic deed has been all but forgotten. …A man with an excellent command of
words, an excellent background for politics and an excellent future in the
Senate, might well have outstripped his colleagues in prestige and power
throughout a long Senate career.
Instead, he chose to throw all of this away for one act of conscience.”
Our Founding Fathers pledged their lives, fortunes, and
sacred honor to establish and defend our liberties. Many of them died penniless
with their reputations slandered and destroyed; Edmund G. Ross joins their
ranks. For us, there may come a time
when we as Americans will be asked to surrender all that we hold dear to defend
our liberties and precious freedoms. God
grant us the courage of Senator Ross.
Learn more at www.TheGloriousCauseOfAmerica.org
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