The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-09-18

Xhe n0wnfn8 OF q New Cavil War.
In reply to an article in the Pittsbure
Chfo'saese, asking ''Do you hold the present
congress TO be constitutional, and what
the President at Detroit, that it is uncon-
sntuuo1ai? Do You understand the Presi-
sGentto have resolved, should the RennbI;-
Ssn PTerSzersi=Ss be PeTpetuated i'm
Congress, to disregard that as the trne
congress- and recognize, the Southern
as the true one? And if he has formed such
q purpose, what do you think of it?" the
New York Times, of Wednesday, answers
in long editorial, from which we make
the following extract:
by law, Congress thus consists OF 24l
members, and by law, also, a majority of
the whole number, or 121 members, consti-
tutc quorum. Suppose that members
elected from tho Southern States should
meet in 1867, and be enough, added to
Northern members who believe in their
right to representation, and who would
meet with them to constitute n quorum:
and suppose the Northern members who
do not believe the South entitled to repre-
sentation, and who would not meet with
them, should meet by themselves, consti-
number: The Pittsburg Chronicle begins
TO see the possibility of such an occur
renee; and it also sees that the President
will be under the necessity Of recognizing
one or the other Of these bodies as the
valid constitutional House of Representa-
tives. He must send his message to the
one or the other He mnst sign bills pass
cd by the one or the other. He must treat
one or the other as a branch of Congress-,
clothed with the power of making laws.
and the other RS having no such authority
And under the circumstances assumed,
there can be very little doubt, in view of
his known opinions on the subject, that
President Johnson will recognize the nu-
merical quorum-the body which contains
majority of nil the membcrs-as the
only body authorized by the Constitution
to make laws for the United States. He
will probably send his message to that
body; he will sign the bills they pass, if
concurred in by the Senate, and he will
not recognize the acts Of the other as valid
IN any respect. The Senate, on the con-
bcrs from all the States but ten; even if
they are minority of the whole, as the
real Congress, and as clothed with all the
powers OF legislation.
Here, certainly, is danger of collision
of authority. We have torcscen it. and
have warned the country Of it. The radi-
Gals have seen it, and have been preparing
for it. They have uot concealed their pur-
pose, IN such an event, to appeal to force
and rouse tho country to another conflict
OF arms. 1t is with direct reference to
such a contingency that Gen. Il. +. Butler
was, last winter, made ecommandcr-in-cilie ief
OF the militia OF Massachusetts. 1t was
for tho purpose of preparing for this, that
a bill was brought into Congress, last win
ter, calling on all the Northern States to
re-orGanize, discipline and arm their mill
tia, and proposing to take from the Prcs-
dent control of arms and munitions of war
belonging to the United States, and to
distribute them among the Governors OF
the Northern States. Radical members
said openly on the door OF Congress that
they intended to be ready for such Il con-
tlct of authority when it should arise; that
the negroes OF the South should be pre-
pared and armed for it, also, and that
the President and his Cabinet, and every
body in Congress who stood by him,
shonll be driven hcadlong into the Poto-
mae.
In noticing Che Times article, the 7ri-
b'Me SAYS:
Let the country mark this plot, as set
forth i'll the Administration journal and
take good care to squelch ii. We have
10 Republican Unionists in the pres ent
House. If we can elect l2l to the ueXt,
the game Of rebellion is effectually blocked
We have begun well in Oregon, Vermont
and Maine, and have only to so right on
to render the getting up of bagus Con-
gress,. or even q bogus House, impossible.
Now. let the question be put to every can
dldatc. and mark we'll his answer, eff an
."to Congress. in defiance Of existing laws,
ana so t" create double Cons.".;s, will
YOU favor or oppose it? Will you take
your seat il the loyal or pro-rebel House.:
Let us have Mr.. II. J. Raymond's answer
for beginning.
: VILLAIN.--Were we called upon to