The mountain Democrat., 1863-11-28
Who is President

The question was put to us yesterday.
Who is President of the United States ?
Under one aspect, the question presents
no difficulty of solution; under another,
it becomes subject of complicated per-
plexity. Who is President If the
querist wished to learn who is now Pres
ident, elected by majority of the peO-
pie, and in consonance with the require
ment of the Constitution and his oath,
we should answer unhesitatingly, then
we have no President. When Cincinna-
tus was called from his plough to assume
the dictatorship, he was vested for time
with unlimited powers. But the author
ity conferred on the Chief Magistrate Of
these United States is very limited, and
limited with an unmiStakablc precision
by written Constitution. Mr.. Lincoln,
by singular perversity Of construction
of that one instrument, has been content
ed to assume but one power, that oil Com
mander-in- Chief of the army and navy /;
but under cover Of that single prcrogativc,
he has usurped every constitutional pow
er, legislative and judicial, as well as cx-
tended his executive authority fully as
far as the autocrat of Russia would dare
extend his over the serls Of Lithunia or
the exicS Of Siberia.
Without the form Of trial, members
of Legislature, on their way to the per-
formancc of their official duties, have
been seized under hiS lettrcs de- cachct
and baSlied. Harmless citizens have
been dragged from their homes and oc-
cupations and confined in prison, with
out hearing, aud denied even the chance
of trial. Freedom of speech. even in
the privacy of social intercourse, has
been gagged, the press has lost its free
dom, the post Office has been put under
espionage, the telegraph is Subjected 10 a
censorship, and the polls are governed ny
the bayonet! We might protract the
enumeration of wrongs inflicted by the
President to the length Of the Dccara-
ton of independence; but we need not
put salt on wounds so recent that all feel
them. We can say, we think We have
no President no President as regulated
and ruled by the Constitution.
Who is President Mr.. Lincoln is so
nominally-nominalIy, because he is a
choice of the minority, and nominaliy be-
cause, according to his own confession.
yielding to outside pressure, he abandons
the wheel and permits others to handle
the Spokes even under the heaviest sea
way. Who these volunteer Quatcrmas-
terS are, we have rcfraned to inquire
We never peep into mans market bqS.
ket or walk into bis kitchen to ascertain
what he is going to have for Ginner, and
we have as little inclination to form any
acquaintance with political sculions.--
We leave the President in full spirit of
federation, to enjoy his own peculiarly of
tastes. By the outside pressure we can
not understand him to mean the members
Of his Cabinet. Mr.. Seward, absorbed in
military predictions, circulars to our en-
voyS, and eruditc correspondence with
foreign powers; Mr.. Stanton, vaciilating
in the choice Of commadcrS for the Army
Of the Potomac Mr. We,lcs. busy in
managing contracts, and Mr.. Chase, con-
stantly employed in experimenting the
engraving and printing Of his money,
have no time to interfere with the Presi,
dents correspondence with General
Grant or his literary ef9rts in the pro-
duction Of proclamationS.
We have told our ficnd who is not
President we cannot, he must be convin-
ced, really crafty his curiosity by inform.
ing him who aShington Uni n.