Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1866-05-03

Deen convened before inc uale VI the
proclamation through which the Pres
idert undertook TO organize proyis-
ioial government for North Carolina"
y But the test oath was established
by law, and no officer had any more
tight TO dispense with it than he had TO
dispense with any other law. The Con-
stltudon says the President ''shall take |
care taat the laws be faithfully ex- !
ecuted," aud neither he nor any other |
officer oIthe government has the right |
TO dispense With any law. All officers |
should know thai the dispensing power |
does not exist in tbs government and |
that its exercise is dangerous and will |
not be tolerated,
1t is the duty ui public otiirorG to
obey and execute the laws, NO ooA'
cation IS palmer than this, and none
should be more rigidly observed. The
legislative department of the govern
ment is intrusted with the law-making
power, and when that power is once eX-
ercised all officers must yield obedience
to it. If the act Of July ,, 1862, stood
in the way ola proper execution OF
other laws to the extent indicated by
the Secretary, the duty of the Presi-
dent was very plain, 1t was not to
dispense with the law, but to assemble
Congress and ask for 4 removal Of the
obstruction Had this been done in the
spring Of 1863 the complication now
existing in the affairs 0r the nation
would, in all probability have been
avoided for with the views then en-
tertained by the President relative to
the power Of Congress over the subject
Of reconstruction, the legislative and
executive departments could have work
cd together with little o: no friction.
Instead, howeva, of calling Congress
! together, the executive department OF
the government elected to dispense
with the law of July 2, 1862, and the
! Secretary of the Treasury presents the
| House with the following exhibit of
officers appointed under this dispen-
sation.
Here follows list Of fifty-hvc Off
GERS, mostly collectors, assessors, and
assistant assessors of internal revenue,
in the States of Virginia, South Caro-
lima, Georgia, &c
But it was claimed by the Secretary
Of the Treasury that nearly every man
at the South. of sufficient intelligence to
act as q revenue officer, had been engag-
ed in the rebellion or held office under
rebel authority. 1t became necessary,
therefore, to dispense with the oath in
some cases in order to find persons to
appoint. But the committee are Of the
opinion that loyal men who could quail
ify under the provisions of the act OF
July 2, 1862, might have been found in
numbers more than sufficient to I'LL all
the Offices in the rebel States, if proper
eXertions had been made to that end. 1t
must be remembered, say they, that the
rebel States furnished many thousands
OF white troops to the Union army-as
appears from the following table:
Virginia, IS Mississippi, IS
North Carolina, 1875 Louisiana, 5,35
Georgia, l42 Texas, la
Alabama, 2,dI Arkansas, soy
Florida, 1856 Tennessee, 1853
Here is a total of 42605. In addition
|
lrome those States were enlisted in or
carnations not embraced in the forego
ing table making total of $3.50:
white loyalists who stood by the gov
eminent. And even this statement does
not include several thousand whose &C
tual presence swelled the ranks of thu
army of the republic, but whose red
) numbers cannot be known without ;
: labOred investigation of the records o
the War Department.
} And the committee believe that an Ell
} fort to carry out the Congressional ant
Presidential policy of preterring in ap
| pointments to Office disabled soldier
| and sailorswould have discovered anon
the many thousands Of men in tn
Southern States who enlisted in the arm
1 to sustain the authority of the govern
/. ment number sufficient to ill all tn
Federal Offices in those States.
The Secretary of the Treasury says
. 1t is true that there are still som
applicants for Office in the Souther
: States who present what they call
| ClGdl ISCOlu III lOydlIy, DuIi Will IdL
exceptions, they are persons who woul
e have been able to present an equally fai
= record for place under the Confederat
government if the rebellion had been
success, or persons lacking the qualif
= cations which are needed in revenue DO
L sitiOnS.
And the committee
a 1.-THE persons here referred to al
\ doubtless those who refused to aid j
the rebellion, and could not aid the gov
q eminent of the United States during tn
U war, because of the merciless rebel de-
: potism which restrained them. And a
y the credit which they receive for the
o taithfulness to the republic is wha
A seems not unlike sneer on the part {
+ the Secretary at their clear record fC
f. loyalty "A clear record for loyalty
= deserves higher reward than this, an
o those who can present it are entitled
!, quite as much consideration at the hand
o of the government as the men of "chal
# acter and intelligence who are holdin
4 office in violation of law"
) Bat the Post Master General speaks {
e Other difficulties. He says in his con