The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1866-04-25
THE PRESIDENT AND CONGRESS-

The Albany Evening Journal, one of the
most influential Of the Union organs in the
State Of New York, in carefully written ar
The President and Congress, and makes it
to be as follows, viz: Congress requires sui.
ficiently satisfactory evidence that The dis.
tyfd trhich elects a representative as loyal
that he is chosen by men ,0ho are qualified 10
cote. The President would be willing to take
the delegate upon has oton record, irrespec-
tiUe of all other considerations; if that was
loyal and right granting him admission with
out further question" This, it assumes, is
the matter in nutshell" This is not the
issue between THE president and Congress,
and it does not reach the point at all and no
greater injustice can be done to The PREsI-
nrST than to have an intelligent paper like
the Albany Evening Journal, which, in the
main, has been friendly to him, and has not
been classed as a radical sheet put for
ward such statements as embodying the
difference which exist between the En-
ecutive and legislative departments.
The position of THE PRESIDENT is precisely
this: That the rebellion which undertook to
take the States out of the Union having
failed, il left the States in the Union; or to
put it in another way, war having been
waged on the part of the United States Gov.
eminent to prevent a observance of the
Union, and that war having been successful,
the object accomplished was the mainte.
nance of the Union unbroken, which consists
of thirty-six States. There are just SO many
States in this Federal Union, or else the war
has been in vain and this Government is q
failure. But only twenty-five States are
represented in Congress. The fault of Their
misrepresentation rests somewhere. 1t does
not lie with TIE PRESIDENT for he has re,
peatedly urged the admission of such dele,
gates as are legally qualified. 1t does not
lie with the people of the rejected States, for
they have done what they could by election
to have themselves represented. The diff.
Guilty lies at the door of Congress, in refus
ing, after the Proclamation Of Peace
TO call the roll Of the States legally and con.
additionally an hiS Union, made States IN
HtS cOHtpuCt Oy "e VTeCeISOt uctS y CON
greSs heretofore, and kept in their place
by the inVincible armies Of The United States
Congress has perfect right, when Il STATE
is called to inquire into the loyalty of tn,
member sent, and the loyalty of the vote by
which he was elected. That is not only III
constitutional prerogative, but its constitu
tional duty; and with that TnE PREsrDENI
has never, by word or deed nterposcd al
objection; he has rather urged by all his Off
cial acts this simple and plain constitutions
proceeding. Bit Congress has not tn,
slightest right to deny representation to I
State as a State. 1t has done SO to eleven
and that is what The President opposes.
still keeps one third of this Union out o
Congress, when our mighty armies victori
ously fought to keep them in. That is VIII!
The president raises an issue against il
When Congress stops fighting States, AM
returns to its legitimate duty of looking afte
rebels it will have no frmer ally than Presi
dent JOHNSON Until it does 30, he will b,
its most vigorous opponent.