The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1866-10-23
rrn1Ls PAST AID PRnsEsT.

PERrLs PAST AID RR1sEHT.
President JOHNSON has been accustomed 70
profess great Difference TO the will of the
people. In his speech Of the cad Of Fsbrua-
~, and in many of his -nnmerous hArangnes
since, he professed to believe that Congress
was not representing the sentiments Of their
constituents, and he appsaled from Congress
to the.pecple. n swissins rosnd shs Grcis
in that remarkable mission Of his to lay the
cornerstone Of the Douglas Monument, he
made his appeal 10 the people against Con-
gress on all occasions, and left the flag
with thirty~six stars, and the Constitution Of
the United States with every crowd that he
addressed. Doubtless the people understood
the significance of the flag, and studied the
Constitution so kindly bestowed upon them
by their Chief Magistrate. The people took
the whole case under consideration. weighed
the matter carefully, and at the proper time
rendered their verdict Their decision il
the matter is unequivocal and irreversible,
and the November elections will but add
volume and emphasis to the expression ofths
will Of the people SO clearly declared in the
October elections.
Will President JOHNSON seek to conform
his action in obedience TO the popular will,
thus constitutionally expressed by the ballots
box, as servant Of the people?-or WIN he
trea, the will of the people with contempt,
persist in his attempt to substitute his ewa
will as supreme, in spite of Congress and
the people? Will he conduct himself hence
forth as the President of the United States
with due Difference to the law-making power
of the Government, under the Constitution,
and in obedience to the will of the people;
or will he set up his own will, and seek 10
exercise Dictatorial Power? Shall we have
Representative Republican Government in
letter and in spirit, as our Fathers formed it,
or shall the one man power exalt itself and
absorb all the powers of Government Shall
JOHNSON be President in accordance with the
Constitution of the United States, or shall he
be King in spite of the Constitution and in
defiance of the Representatives of the people
and in contempt of the people themselves.
The people give constitutional expression
to their sentiments and their will at the ballot
box; and the Representatives of the people
record their will as the law>makine power OF
the Government, by acts Of Congress All
that is left ior The Executive, under the Con-
stituton, is to execute the laws thus made,
If he refuses to do this; if he seeks to set the
authority of Congress at naught, and to null
lily the laws of the land, because they do not
suit him, then be violates the Constitution,
and sets himself in direct opposition to the
spirit and policy Of Republican institutions.
A King, an Emperor, or Car, who pro
less to hold power in their own right and to
exercise it for their own benefit: whose will il
law, and who have no Constitution to restrict
them, may rightfully have "a policy oftheir
own, and procure the passage of laws and
issue DEGREES to carry that policy into effect.
But in Republic where the President is not
the law making power, the assumption on his
part OF an irreverSible policy Of his own il.
an insult TO the people, and scandal and an
outrage upon their form Of Government. He
assumes the Autocrat, and proposes a norcv
OF his own, which he seeks to carry into eff
feet by the exercise of Executive power. in
defiance of Congress. Could the Car 81
Russia do more2
If the Executive may rightfully claim the
entire and exclusive disposition of all the i'm
portant and manifold interests involved in
the question of Reconstruction, what limit
can be fixed TO his power? If a war of such
tremendous magnitude, waged for four wears
By number of the States against the Gov.
eminent, leaves nothing at its close for Con-
gress, as the law making power, to do in ref
erence to the restoration of peace and the
restoration of the rebellious States and their
reasonable inhabitants to the rights and
privileges OF members of the Union and cit;.
xens of the United States, when will any.
thing occur upon which Congress should ac,s
IL the President is sufficient Of binself f,r
such crisis, and has the exclusive right Of
Reconstruction, including all its ineide-
then what use have We for Con- -nts
Surely, if the President .ress al all.
right and power, of las the exclusive
vide for An mis- own motion. to nro.
- me great and wide spread inter
-4.s involved in the restoration of the Rebe
States TO the Union, We may safely commits
TO his exclusive charge the smaller matter.
OF Revenue, Tariff and the like, and dispense
altogether with such an unwieldy and expen.
sive body as the Congress OF the United
States.
And we fear that such is really the conclu.
sion TO which the President and many of hi,
supporters are coming. The President play
ed the demagogue, in appealing from Cpngres.
TO the people before the election, and there
seems to be great danger that he will pla,
the despot after the election and seek an APP
pealfrom the verdict of the people to III,
bayonets OF the military force under his con
troll. At all events, in view OF the shameless
record of A. johnson, both public and privat,
the people have no assurance for the peace O
the country or the security of their own right
aud Liberties and the permanence of our Re
publican institutions in his hands. There il
no safety in him, for he is a hcentious, drum
ken. passionate egotist and there is no safe
ty in his counsellors for he listens only t.
those who fatter his vanity, pamper hisprid.
and glorify his policy, whatever that ma,
prove to be.
Let our readers remember how little credi
was gwen to those who prophesied war ST,
years ago, ard then recall what the countr,
has passed through since, and they will no
neediessy and hastily reject the warnings o
the present hour. The contest headed b,
the aristocracy Of the South which opene,
with notification thirty odd years ago. an,
eliminated il war five years ago, is not de
cided for good and all. The Geld is chan ed
the mode Of conflict is changed, and the lead
er Is changed. but the Gght is still going on
lsurpatlon OF itower and the overthrow O
congress ey n''t.Rfy despotism on the par
o' tne present Of the aristocracy of th
sos'n wound ~" - more strange and astoun
oing, than the XIX on Sumter and m. a.
'aohsnment OF 1ttnern Confederacv nm,
Sne WAT on the 4, u, was \ few