Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1861-09-27
Letter from senator Grimes.
. BURLINGTON. Sent. 10th. 1861

| LEAN Clh-IOuA lCIVSA VI ILO IctAA Aio1.,
in which you say: "Ever since Breckenridge
made his reasonable speeches in the United
States Senate, it is being constantly reiterated
that President Lincoln has violated the Con-
sttution, and, as evidence of the fact, it is as
serted that the Senate refused to ratify his
acts''; and in which you ask me ''to state
whether the CHARGE that Congress did refuse
| to susta., . he President, is true or
not" has >,...~ >.uly to hand.
By referring to the "Acts and Resolutions
passed at the Is; Session of the 37th Congress,
page SO, Sec Sd of Act No. 5S, copy Of
which send you, you will observe that it is
enacted: ''that all the acts, proclamations, and
orders of the President of the United States,
after the fourth of March, Eighteen Hundred
and sixty-one, respecting the army and navy
of the United States, and calling out or regu-
lating the militia or volunteers from the States,
are hereby approved, and in all respects legal
lied and made valid, to the same intent and
with the same effect as if they had been is
sued and done under the previous express au-
thority and direction of the Congress Of the
United States"
This section ratifies and confirms, to the
fullest possible extent, all the acts of the Pres
ident that needed or that were susceptible of
ratification, and was adopted by the vote Of
every Republican and loyal Democratic men,
Der of the Senate present. So far as am in
formed and believe, it was all the cOnfirma-
ton of the acts of the President that he either
expected or desired
know it is urged by some, but mostly, if
not entirely, by those who are opposed to the
vigorous prosecution Of the present war, that
it was also necessary to confirm the acts of
the President suspending, in some cases, the
writ of habeas coipuS. 1t must be apparent,
I think, to every one who will reflect upon
the subject, that to have attempted such con-
tirmation would be to inferentially admit that,
as Commander r-in-C Chief of the army and navy
of the United States, the President had no
power to suspend the operation of that writ
without Congressional authority. Very few,
if any, loyal members of Congress were will |
ing to admit that. They did not doubt but
that he had complete power i'll the premises,
and they choose to leave him exercise his au-
thority under the Constitution according to
his own judgement and as the exigencies of
the country might require. They did not be-
lieve that his acts in this regard needed con-
firmation, and therefore confined their ratif- !
cation and approval to such acts as required |
legal enactments for their bases, and in the |
initiation of which they had been anticipated |
by him.
There may be some who honestly believe |
that the Senate refused to support the Presi- |
dent because of the failure to pass certain res
olutions presented by Mr.. lson, of Mass
The facts in regard to those resolutions were
these. They were introduced at an early day |
in the session, and were put aside from day |
to day to make room for what was considered |
more important business, until the close of
the session, when they had reached that stage |
in parliamentary proceedings when it was i'm
possible to amend them without unanimous
consent, and that could not be obtained. The |
objection urged by some gentleman against |
hem as they stood without amendment, was |
hat they were improperly drawn, inasmuch
Is the phrazeology was in the past tense, and
declared that the acts of the President eere
egal and valid, whereas, as they insisted,
hey ought to have declared that those acts
hould de legal and valid as though done un-
ler the sanction of law. 1t was question of
grammatical construction. This, if my mem
,ry serves me correctly, was the position of
Mr.. Sherman of Ohio, whose action has been
much criticised in this State as we'll as else
where He declared his willingness, nay his
anxiety, to justify and approve the acts of the
but he was unwilling to say that
those acts were legal at the time they were
Although not agreeing with him
in his construction Of phraseology of the reso-
lutions, it is due to him to say that no man in |
America was more anxious than he to give to |
the Administration an honest, hearty and pa
triotic support, and when the legalization of |
its proceedings was put in what he believed |
to be in proper language, he cordially sustain
ed it.
1t was simply on the account of this objec- |
ton in the minds of few Senators that the
resolutions which it was impossible to amend,
were dropped, and the substance of them in
corporated into law.
Be assured my dear sir, that all these
charges of refusal to support the Admins
traton by Republican and loyal Democratic
Senators are devices of the enemy, and should
only serve to make the path of duty more
plain before US. That duty, it seems to me,
is obvious We should enthusiastically rally
to the support of the noble and true men who
were nominated by the Convention held at
Des Moines on the 31st day Of July last
They are the representatives of the govern
ment in this crisis. A vote for them will be
a vote in support of the Administration, in
favor of the integrity of the government, and
peace through victory. Let us give to Gov
Kirkwood, who in the last six months, has
done more hard work, incurred greater respon-
sibilities, and been more causelessly abused
than all the Governors that Iowa ever had,
that cheering, sweeping majority that his
patriotism, his integrity of purpose, and his
devotion to the true interests of the State so
justly merit. am very truly,
Your ob't servant,
JAMES w GRIMES.
A. G. BARNES, ESQ.,,
ALBA, Monroe County, Iowa.
| An Order for Drafting.
ADJ'T GEMS OFFICE OF STATE OF Iowa,
Davennort Sent 10 1861.