Weekly New Oregon plain dealer. (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1866-1867, 1866-11-16
The President, GGn"rc
and the People.


the laws. The constitution is,
itself the supreme law ct the
land. Where it preseriGr> al act
or defines duty dcNolNIhg upon
those chosen by the people to ad-
minister any branch Of the govern
mcnt, their only duty is to folio"
its letter and spirit. This constl-
tuition prescribes that "Thc house
&; representatives shall be compoS-
ed Of members chosen every second
year BY the rEorLE of the several
states" and that The Senate Of
the United States shall be compos-
cd of TWO senators from EACH
state that THE constitution
shall be the supreme law of the
land" and that the president
shall take care that the Laws -he
faithfully executed. y
A fair construc tion of the constl-
tuition demands fthe president that
upon the constitutional ssembling
OF congress he enforce the right Of
the members of each and every
state to admission upon the floor Of
each house of congress. 1t is the
constitutional right of every state
to be fully represented in both
branches of the federal con-
gress; it is the duty of the President
to enforce this right. Those having
certificates of election to either
branch of congress must be admit
ted to seats, after which leach
house becomes judge Of the elec-
tions, returns, and qualifications Of
its own members and may for
proper cause expcl any member, but
may not reject any member, much
less the representatives of al entire
section, without 4 trial before the
house to which the member belongs.
If the Congress shall attempt to
exclude one third of the states from
their clearly expressed constitution
al rights it is the manifest duty Of
the president to prevent it, peaea-
bly, if he can; forcibly if he must.
No fraction Of Congress is priv
legged to violate the constitution,
under the pretended authority Of q
congress; and no such pretended
authority should screen that body
from imm ediate INCARCERATION within
unless a violation ofthe constitution
can be prevented without a resort
to soharsh and rigorous measures.
Within a fraction Of one half the
people of the northern states as
shown by the recent elections, may
be relied upon by the president,
while the entire sonth will uphold
him in maintaining their rights un-
der the constitution. \ change Of
%, 600 votes in the north would have
given the next congress in support
Of the restoration Of the Union.
These are facts, to which the radi-
calls Of congress may as we'll turn
their attention; they may as well
know, too, that if conflict arises
out Of the attitude of hostility
they assume to the restoration Of
the Union, that the president and
his supporters, will 60 into the
fray with the federal flag high over
them, with not stripe erased or
a star dimmed. Before embroiling
the people in strife that can only
end in the effusion Of blood and its
own humiliation, let that body
pause and consider that the tide Of
public opinion has set against them
in nearly every state il the Union,
thatsswith all the public patronage
of the country in the hands Of their
friends, and with the most wastcful
and lavish expenditures Of money
flched from tho publ treasury OF
fraudulently wrung from the people,
they have barely succeeded by
vastly reduced majorities, in nearly
every state.
The president, too. should know,
that the people sympathise
with his efforts to restore the I'm
ion, without losing or impairing
the rights Of u single state. He
should know too tina. the federal
Office holders constitute an army
nearly 100, 600 strong; that with
here and there solitary exception
their entire influence has been cx-
,rted to defeat him and his policy,
and to sustain congress.
It is mo- only expected, but demand
Cd of the nresident. that he make