Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1864-08-11
NATIONAL INTELLIG EN- GER.
THE PROTEST OF MEssRs. WADE AND DAVIS,

1T rs known to our readers that the Congress, "
the eve of the adjournment of Its last session
paased bill to guarantee to certain States whose
Governments have been usurped or oVer'hroWh
republican form of government"
The Pre,idept of the United States refused tC
sign this bill, and on the Sth of July, few days
after Congress had risen, published proclamation
in which he assigned the reasons why he had with
held his signature from the measure. These rea
sons were, it will be remembered that the Pres
dent was unwilling to disappoint and discourage
that portion of the loyal people of Louisiana and
Arkansas who had proceeded under the terms o.
his amnesty proclamation of December last, to re
construct State Governments con the one-teRtt
principle" and that he was unwilling to recognise
constitutional competency in Congress to abolish
slavery-both of which consequences he thought
would ensue if the bill of Congress was permitted
to become a law.
But, while signalling these objections to the bill
of Congress as furnishing the ground on which he
had acted in refusing to give 1t the validity OF law
the President proceeded in his proclamation to de-
clare that he wa. nevertheless fully satisfied with
the system for restoration contained in the bill,
one very proper plan for the loyal people of any
State choosing to adopt it, and that he is, and at
all times shall be, prepared to give the Executive
aid and assistance to any such people, as soon as
the military resistance to the United States shall
have been suppressed in any such State, and the
people thereof shall have sufficiently returned to
their obedience to the Constitution and the laws of
the United States, in which cases Military Gov
ernors will be appointed, with directions to pro-
coed according to the bill"
That is, the President, while denying to Con-
gress the right to prescribe CLAWS" for his govern
ance in this matter, avowed his willingness to take
the "bill" of Congress as expressing the sense of
that body in terms sufficiently authoritative to
serve as rule for his conduct so far forth as it
should derive validity from his proclamation In
a word the President excluded the legislative au-
thorty and power of Congress in the premises, and
assumed to himself The prerogative of determining
how far and in what respeats he would, out of de-
ference to the will of the Nationsl Legislature i'm,
pose on himself, at his own discretion, the rules
which that body had sought to make imperative
upon him by giving them the shape and sanction
of law.
In our paper of the 2lst ultimo we intimated
our objections to this most anomalous proceeding
on the part of the Executive. If the President
had vetoed the act of Congress he would have sim
ply exercised right vested in him by the Consti-
tuition, and would have been answerable to Con-
gress and the country only for the soundness of the
reasons by which he might have justified his veto
If the President had simply withheld his signature
from the bill and had thus suffered it to fall to thu
ground, he would have still acted within the legti
,,ate prerogatives of bis Office. But to attempt by
,,roc,oms,s:nn to make this bill selfmposed rule
Car hi, Guidance IN some things, aud to give rea
sons, not to Congress, bu: to the country, why he
would not take it for his guidance IN other things
seemed to W solecism in politics, as nue. WITH
out defence in theory as it was without precedent
in history.
We expressed our views, however, to this effect,
with the federation and reserve which we habitu,
ally prescribe to ourselves in animadverting ON the
conduct Of civil functonaries placed in positions Of
high responsibility and dificulty-never withhold
ing censure when we think it due, but always
avoiding, as far as possible, that elimination o.
motives which assumes the presence not only o
error but of wilful delinquency.
1t seems that certain of the Presidents politica
friends are not restrained by such consideration,
of respect for either his personal or his official cha
racter, and deem it just and proper to mipgle
large share of injurious imputstion with their dis
sent from the rghtfulness of the Presidents actor
In this matter. We allude particularly to publ
arraignment of the President by Mr. Senate
WADE, of Ohio, and by the Hon. HENRY WTNTEI
DAVIS, of Maryland, who, we may add, wer
charged by the Republican majority in the respec
tive branches of the National Legislature of whic
they are members with the conduct of the bill
which has received this extraordinary treatment a
the hands of the President. And it is doubles
for this reason, the representatives OF the domi
nant majority in both Houses, and as the organ
of the will of Congress in this matter, ths
Messrs. Wade and Davis have assumed the RICH
to make this appeal from the President "to tht
supporters Of the Government" And it is in de
ference to their official position that we to-day
give place in our columns to their manifesto.
1t will be seen that the paper is couched II
terms Of great severity in its animadversions, tn,
writers not hesitating to denouncc the proceeding
of the President as an "encroachment of thu