 Remember a Hallmark card when you carry enough to send the very best. The cards bring you a true story from the life of President Andrew Johnson, starring Mr. Edward Arnold on the Hallmark Hall of Fame. Here is our distinguished host, Mr. Arnold. Hallmark Hall of Fame. Tonight the true and shocking story transcribed for one of the greatest trials in our nation's history. The central figure, Tennessee Taylor, who became the most maligned and quite possibly the most courageous of all our presidents. It will be my pleasure to portray the man who walked in Lincoln's footsteps, Andrew Johnson of Tennessee. And now, here is Frank Goss. Here's a timely reminder. Are any of your friends or relatives celebrating the anniversary this week? If there are, a thoughtful and gracious way to express your good wishes is to send the Hallmark card. At the fine stores that feature Hallmark cards, you will find a wonderful collection of anniversary cards. You'll find just the card for a special anniversary and just the card that says what you want to say to a special couple. And your card will have that added distinction, the Hallmark and Crown on the back, the symbol that you look for when you carry enough to send the very best. And now Edward Arnold stars as President Andrew Johnson on the Hallmark Hall of Fame. Presidents, charging high to the person of Andrew Johnson, President of the United States. Salmon P. Chase, Chief Justice of the United States, presiding. As directed by vote of the Senate, the clerk will call the roll on the 11th article. Senator Anthony of the State of Rhode Island. Mr. Senator Anthony, how say you? Is the respondent Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, guilty or not guilty of high misdemeanors as charged in this article? Begun voting. And? I don't know, sir. I just don't know. The radicals have a clear majority, but to gain two thirds for such a monstrous parse, I don't know. It hangs on a half a dozen votes. President Van Winkle, Ross. President Andy, I just came to say that I can't predict the verdict of the Senate no man can for certain. But if the votes to convict, I do know the verdict of history and know it's certain. The others, Charles Sumner, Benjamin Butler, Thaddeus Stevens and the rest of them will be marked guilty of the rape of the South, the murder of the Constitution. And Andrew Johnson will stand acquitted and vindicated. And in what ink will my acquittal be written? In the blood of a prostrate and defenseless people across the generation of bayonet and carpet bag, a century of bitterness? Oh, Mr. Secretary of the Navy, do you think I set my good name at so high a price? I'd sooner be remembered as what they'd call me, murder, attire and drunk a traitor. Vindication and sorrow and in hate, you'll forgive me I have work to do. It seems I'm yet the chief executive. Yes, sir. I'll come back when there's news. Oh, Wells. Yes, sir. You served with Lincoln from the first. You knew him well in every plan, every policy, reconstruction, pardon, peace. I've tried to do as he would to remake the union as he dreamed. And you have? And yet they, all of them, even some, speak of Lincoln as a saint. Mr. President, Lincoln's dead. With the Constitution. And yet every path has led to this ending. There must have been a way, some way, some road I didn't try. Or is malice always with us and charity a word for speeches? Do the haters and the demagogues and the would-be tyrants always win in the end? Well, the end is no saint, I know that. But by heaven I've been right if Lincoln was. And yet perhaps if, if on one certain day I turned another way. Yes. Which day? Where? When? In Tennessee? During the war? Or perhaps that night at the Kirkwood House hotel? There's been an attack on the Secretary of State. It's not the assassins will try to kill you, General Grant, Mr. Stanton. Oh, I don't believe it. I was sent ahead to post guards. The sending troops from Fort Myers. Mr. Stanton says you're to stay in your room under guard. The President was shot? Yes, sir. At Ford's Theater. It was a man named Booth. They say an actor. Tell me, he's wounded. Is it serious? They say, sir, it's mortal. It can't be. It can't be. I must go to him far well at once. But, sir, the Secretary of War says that you're in danger. Don't you see, sir, you're the... Secretary Wells, tell me, is it true, is he... I have just come from there. The doctors say it'll be over before morning. God have mercy on his soul and on the Union. Do solemnly swear. Do solemnly swear. That I will faithfully execute. That I will faithfully execute. The office of President of the United States. The office of President of the United States. And will to the best of my ability. And will to the best of my ability. Preserve, protect, and defend. Preserve, protect, and defend. The Constitution of the United States. The Constitution of the United States. So help me God. See, General Butler, managed to trade a rail splitter for a tailor. You call that improvement, Senator? Most certainly. Those of our plans link and split asunder, Johnson may now stitch up. You know, before we hang this fellow booth, Congress might well consider voting him a medal. There'll be a strong peace then. The South will be a conquered province, suitable for occupation. And exploitation. If Johnson goes along. He's from Tennessee, after all. Exactly. A Southerner who fought the South. The rebels would have hanged him as a traitor. You think they'll forgive that now? Or he forget it? Don't worry. Andrew Johnson will go along. Suppose he doesn't. Well then, General, in Boston, should a tailor present a coat that does not fit. It's our custom to find another garment. And another tailor. This providing for the reconstruction of the South. As introduced by Mr. Thaddeus Stevens of Pennsylvania, it proposes to abolish the presently reconstituted state governments and replace them with military rule under martial law. I shall not sign this bill. Well, gentlemen, does my cabinet agree? Mr. President. Mr. Secretary of War? Of course I realize the act is a drastic one, but when we come through a long and bloody war, the people want the South to pay for its crimes. The people, Stanton, are your radical friends in Congress. We did win the war, Mr. President. The South is conquered territory after all. Then why did we fight it, Mr. Stanton, if not to save the Union, if not in the belief that that Union is one and indivisible, that a state could not secede, that men may betray us but never states? If the South is declared a conquered country, we fought for nothing. Even so, Mr. President, will there be any point in a veto? The radicals command enough votes in both houses to override. Mr. Stanton, this act of made-into-law will deprive every American living south of the Mason-Dixon line of the protection of the Constitution, of Habeas Corpus, of safety from unlawful search and seizure. Trial by jury. Reconstruction. Better toast for Andy Johnson, eh? Will it be properly enforced, I wonder? That places the responsibility in the War Department. I think we may rely on Stanton. We can trust him, Stanton. But does Johnson, as Red Riding Hood, the wolf, suppose in time he sees the fangs? We'll find another way, I fancy. What would you say to a tenure of office act, providing that the President may not remove the point of officials saved by consent of the Senate? Excellent, but is it constitutional? Will that matter so long as it's law? And what precisely that is, does that mean? To test a law, it must be broken. And a President who breaks a law... Ah! ... risks impeachment. Precisely. Stanton stays or Johnson goes. Heads or tails, we win. 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While others in this group of slender eye-catching cards are sure to bring admiring exclamations for their artistic beauty. There's one, for instance, that's covered with spring flowers and pastel-colored butterflies with touches of glitter on their wings. It certainly brings a breath of spring into a wintry day. There are new Hallmark Slim Gems, too, for anniversaries. Others that say, hope you're feeling better. Whichever Slim Jim you send, it will be enjoyed for its distinctive look, its artistry, and for what it says. The receiver will also appreciate the hallmark and crown on the back, the symbol that you look for when you carry enough to send the very best. And now with Edward Arnold as our star, we bring you the second act of our true story from the life of President Andrew Johnson. It's like they won't ever be done with burying Lincoln. First they buried his body at Springfield. Then his words in the history books, his dreams. Now they're burying them in the Senate. All that's left is the hate. Sometimes it seems to lay over the Potomac-like river smell, filling the air till I can't even hear the people for the shouting and the committees and the telegrams and the editorials of the voices. Filled with hate. And always three louder than the rest. Sunda puffed with it. Andrew Johnson has become the successor of Jefferson Davis, in the spirit by which he has governed and in their mischief he is inflicting upon this country. He has degraded this nation as it was never degraded before. He is awakening it. Sadio Stevens withered with hating. He calls himself President of the United States. Has been giving pardons to traitors so fast the bottom seems to have dropped out of the market. Now he's even let Jeff Davis out of jail. Jefferson Davis, the arch-criminal of the centuries. How many pieces of silver did they offer Andy Johnson for that, I wonder, may not really be guilty of treason. He may just have been drunk at the time. Ben Butler bloated with ambition. My possession, certain documents which when made public will John Wilkes Booth did but pressed the trigger that sped a bullet into the heart of our beloved. The foul assassination were those of Titsin Lincoln's chair. This is shrieking hate, shouting in silence, smiling in my most secret counsels. Edward Stanton, I could see their hating in his eyes but his voice was honey and I couldn't be sure. So I moved slow but time and hate moved fast. In here, Mr. Secretary. What's the matter, Mr. Secretary? Afraid to be seen in public with the man of my reputation? The matter is this, Mr. President. Sworn affidavits from John Surd and Sanford Conevitt, the surviving members of the Booth conspiracy, each was approached by certain persons and offered pardon in return for implicating you in Lincoln's assassination. I see. Which certain persons? Ben Butler for one and agents of the Secret Service acting under direct orders from the Secretary of War. Stanton, I might have known. I've hinted implied even asked his resignation. Well, I'll order his removal and chance the consequences. What if he refuses to go? Appeals to the Senate under the Tenure of Office Act. The power to remove a point of officials is mine under the Constitution. If I permit the Senate to erode that authority soon there'll be no power left in the presidency, nor in the courts, nor in the people. We'll have dictatorship by vote of Congress. Suppose the House votes impeachment? On what charge? Removing stamp. No, I know it's far-fetched. But Butler's Judiciary Committee's been months trying to find some legal grounds. Yes, yes. It passes my understanding, Wells. If I'm a drunkard, a murderer, a traitor to say nothing of my having sold pardons and taken bribes, why is it so all fired hard for them to find something to charge me with? Well, if firing Stanton's the best high crime and misdemeanor they can come up with, they're welcome to it. Let them make the most of it. And the House of Representatives, you have the vote. They voted 126-4 impeachment, 47 peeped against it. Prosecuting attorney, you will no doubt find the case rewarding, General. If you win it... I've tried such cases before, Senator. And won them. Have you indeed? That's right. Horse cases. Find a man and another man's horse. The jury doesn't want to hear the law. They want to get to the hanging and get on home. Ah, and you see no difference then between the trial of the President of the United States and that of a horse thief. One difference, Senator, that's all. And that? We don't get to hang... I understand this, Mr. Black. As one of the counsel for my defense, you suggest that it would be to my advantage to send a warship to the island of Altavela to serve the interests of one of your clients? Even at the risk of war? With the Dominican Republic, hardly a very considerable risk, Mr. President. I have here a memorandum requesting you to take such action. It's signed by four of the seven managers for the House of Representatives independent impeachment. Among them, General Benjamin Butler and Mr. Thaddeus Stevens. I don't believe it! One gunboat, Mr. President, to end the Altavela question and the question of impeachment. You were engaged to win my acquittal, Mr. Black, not to buy it. Yeah, but, sir, the subject is closed. Mr. President, I have pointed your way to acquittal. Advised you to pursue it. You declined to do so. You will be convicted and removed from office. I prefer not to have you convicted on my hands. Therefore, I desire to resign as one of your counsel from the impeachment case. You tried to force me to do a dishonorable act, contrary to law, as I see it, and against my conscience. Rather than do your bidding, sir, I'll suffer my right arm torn from its socket. Mr. Black, just one more word. Distinguished among the President's own counsel, Jeremiah Black, an illustrious member of the opposition party, a former attorney general of the United States, has abandoned this cause as hopeless. What sure are proof of Andrew Johnson's guilt than this? Well, the Senate of the United States sits in judgment upon articles of impeachment, exhibited by the House of Representatives, charging high crimes and misdemeanors to the person of Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, Salmon Peaches, Chief Justice of the United States, presiding. As directed by vote of the Senate, the clerk will call the roll on the 11th article. Senator... Mr. Senator Anthony House A.U. is the respondent Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, guilty or not guilty of high misdemeanors as charged in this article. It's all over, sir. You've been acquitted. They lacked the required two-thirds by a single voter. You've won, Andy Johnson. The Constitution's won. Yes. Yes, I've won. Are you pleased, sir? I... I'm not sure, Wells. I'm just not sure. The country is still divided. Hatred still walks the roads unchecked. If I'd lost it, it would have been over for me anyway. But now, what cause shall I take? What cause can I take? Tell me. What would he do now, Wells? Mr. Lincoln, sir. Yes. Said it once, Mr. President. Let us have faith that right makes. Let us to the end dare to do our duty as we understand it. Did not seek a second term in the White House. He received the vindication he most valued. When in 1876 the people of his beloved Tennessee returned him to his old seat in the Senate, his final words to that body were, may God bless this people and may God save the Constitution. A few weeks later he was laid to rest near Greenville in Tennessee. His winding sheet was the stars and stripes. And in the coffin beneath his head was placed his worn, well-thumbed copy of the Constitution of the United States. There's a popular new book that can keep you from forgetting an appointment or date or even an address or phone number. And you can have one as a gift from the fine stores that feature hallmark cards. It's the new hallmark date book for 1955. And it's a social calendar, phone and address book, and guide to thoughtfulness all at the same time. This handy little date book is designed to fit easily in your purse or pocket. It has a day-by-day calendar where you can jot down meetings, club dates, luncheon engagements, or shopping reminders. In front there are pages for the names, addresses, and phone numbers of friends or relatives with spaces too to list their birth or anniversary dates. Just think how convenient it is to have these addresses and dates right with you when you're out shopping for presents or cards. There's lots of other helpful information packed into this compact memory reminder, so pick up your hallmark date book soon. Remember it's yours as a gift from the fine stores that feature hallmark cards. The cards with the hallmark and crown on the back. The symbol that you look for when you carry now to send the very best. Now here's Edward Arnold. You know it's been said, Frank, that thoughtfulness is the distinguishing characteristic of the true gentleman, so I'm sure everyone listening will want one of those hallmark date books you described so accurately as a guide to thoughtfulness. Now next week our hallmark hall of fame will honor a man whose whole life was devoted to the principle of thoughtfulness and regard for his fellow man. George Washington Carver was his name. Until next week, this is Edward Arnold saying good night. That have been carefully selected to give you expert and friendly service. Remember a hallmark card when you carry now to send the very best. The hallmark hall of fame is produced and directed by William Pru. Tonight's transcribe script by Robert Yale-Libbert. Heard in tonight's cast were Paulie Baer, Joe Kearns, Larry Dubkin, William Moyles, Will Wright, Frank Nelson, Ted DeCorsia, and Victor Rodman. Next week the hallmark hall of fame on television will present a little-known incident about Benjamin Franklin as a 16-year-old crusading newspaper publisher. This is Frank Goss saying good night to you until next week at the same time when you'll hear a true story from the life of George Washington Carver and the following week a true story from the life of Charles the Great starring Mr. Cornell Wilde This is the CBS Radio Network.