The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1866-05-12
The Difference Between Congress
and the President and his Cabinet.

The Difference Between Congress
and the President and his Cabinet.
When we reflect that the same great
| political party which elected Andrew
| Johnson Vice President of the United
States, also chose the present majority
/ to Congress, and that in the fall OF 1864
a common sentiment animated the
/ candidates and the supporters of the
| Baltimore platform, no one in the ranks
of the Union hosts doubling for mo-
ment the unadulterated patriotism Of
/ President johnson, we may well eX
| press surprise at the strange animosity
which has sprung up in the National
Legislature against The PRESIDENT, and
it - worth our while to obtain, If pos
sible, the motive or secret of it. ! is
not because the President has departed
from any principle enuncisted at the
| Baltimore convention, for he has per
sistently adhered to every project, pur-
pose, and idea then and there advanced.
| 1t il not that he has abandoned the
policy of Mr.. Lincoln, which that great
BODY OF loyal men came together to
vindicate, and which the people 80
conspicuously ratified, for he took that
policy just where our martyred Presi-
dent left it, and has with religious de-
yotion carried 1t forward to almost
complete success. 1t is not for any
derelction in the contamination OF
emancipation, for the special feature
of President Johnson course has been
to make the liberty of the slave real,
substantial, and universal
Neither Is it because of his position
on the suffrage question. On that
kquestion the President stands clear and
unequivocaL He advocates qualified
suffrage without distinction of race or
color as the policy of the community !;
as the voluntary act of the people of
the State, who by law anu custom
have ever controlled this matter
and opposes any imposition of
suffrage by the unconstitutional exer-
else of pow er on the part of Congress
| AS the committee on reconstruction
have reported a constitutional amend
ment, which abandons any attempt by
Congress to enforce suffrage by central
legislation, leaving the whole question
| to the several States, thus most unmis-
takably endorsing his position, we can
not find the reason of Congressional
antagonism to him in this direction.
Neither is it to be found in the diff
| ferences which exist as to restoration
Congress admits, with the President
that for the common good of all, the
work of restoration should be imme-
date The President thinks that the
/ - 81 tot
the States within the American Union,
and that loyal delegates should come
in at once. Congress wants them to
first ratiiy some unimpOrtant amend
merits before such admission. The
greatest point of difference that mani
tests itself between the Executive and
legislative departments of the Govern
ment is contained in the fact that the
Administration believes that sound
policy and the present condition of the
country demand that the people of the
South should participate, as Americans,
in the Government which thew are now
pledged to uphold and defend, aud
Congress opposes such participation
until after the next presidential cleo
ton. This would hardly seem 10 be
sufficient ground for hurting at Presi-
! dent johnson the most unsparing in
vective, or charging him with the most
| malignant treachery and the most stu
! pendOus crimes
The trouble arises from the diversity
of sentiment on the present situation
of silaus The President and his Cab
met view the matter in the light of
| peace; Congress IN the light OF war.
! fhe one regards the rebellion as crush
ed; the other seems to consider It as vet
IN full operation. Congress reflects the
prejudIces. the passions, the vehemence
of the martial period in which they
were elected. Then war ragged, and
there we're vast rebel armies in the
field, and rebel coTsairs on the sea. and
many States in the attitude of revolt
The air was filed with the roar Of hos
tile cannon; victory was far from GER
tain, and the heroes of the nation were
daily being added TO the sainted roll of
honor IL was IN the cheat and tenn
per Of such times that the Thirty
Ninth Congress was chosen, and it
seems 20 retain ali the rage and rancor
of that season of blood This is why
we near ia me con EfeNsl9lAl nAlls 50
much said of the public enemy, when
none exists Of "red-handei foes,
when no foe lifts his impious hand
throughout our boundaries; of "Dlack-
hearted traitors" when treason has
lowered its crest in every State of the
Republic.
The President and his counsellors.
guided by wiser and more Christian
impulse, have buried with the war its
savage and inhuman spirit They furl
ed with the victorious banners Of the
nation the rage Of conflict, and when |
peace came they accepted its issues and |
used its language. The Administra-
ton, in distinction from Congress, re-
presented the emotions Of gratitude for
the rescue Of the land, instead of the
memories of hatred for those who i'm
periled it Il weighs, judges, and di-
reefs events as they now exist not as