Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-04-07
FOREIGN VIEWS OF AMERICAN
POLITICS.
From the Paris Debats March l0.l
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From the Paris Debats March l0.l
PRESIDENT JoHNsoNs POLICY.
Whatever may have been the mobility of
Mr. Johnson's policy either before his eie-
walton to the presidency or since, it is GER
tain that at this moment he is defending
with far more intelligence than his adver-
saries the true interests of the Union. The
war was undertaken by the North against
the South, not only in the name of liberty
against slavery, but for the security Of the
American Union. Can those who contested
then so energeticslly aud legihmately the
right Of the Confederates to secede from the
Union now without fragrant contradiction
deny them the right to re-enter it? After
the frightful war which has so profoundly
injured the country the United States can
have no more pressing duty than that OF re-
constructing that Union, which is the foun-
dation and strength OF their unity, power
and influence. To oppose the plans for that
purpose pursued by the executive power
to exclude by special laws the representa-
tives of the South-is it not, in reality, to
prolong the state of war, and to perpetuate
dissentions and hostilities which every effort
should be made to efface? Without doubt
this work is difficult, and the lately rebel
lious States ought to re-enter the Union only
under efiicacious guarantees against new
rupture; but it is not by a system of abso-
solute exclusion and perpetual suspicion
that they are to be obtained
From the London Pail Mall Gazette. March lol
PITT AND JoHNsoN--A COMPARISON.
The position of President johnson at the
present moment, though unprecedented in
the in the history of the United States, is
not without a parallel, if not an exact pre-
cedent, in the history of English parlia-
mentary struggles. When Pitt took Office
at the Kings desire in 1888, in the teeth of
large House of Commons majority against
him, he was very much in the condition Of
President johnson. The support of the
King guaranteed him continuance in of
fee, Just as the President is now firmly seat
ed for more than three years longer by the
letter OF the Constitution of the States. At
the same time, the British nation was I'M
questionably not represented by the major
ity in the Commons, but was strenuous in
its support of the principles Of Pitt himself;
just as the strength of public opinion in the
States is said to be in favor of Mr.. Johnson's
views. Moreover, the English parliament
tary majority was not so much insured by
any compactness of political partnership,
based on uniformity of political theories, as
i;y the temporary union Of prominent party
leaders. So it is now in America.
While an intensity of personal antagonism
is arrayed against the President, he rests on
basis of political view which is not only
sound and selfconsistent, but has the i'm
mense advantage of being capable Of expo
sition in the simplest and most pointed
terms. There is no escape from the logical
dilemma in which his adversaries find them
selves. His tactics, too, are evidently those
of Pitt. He has simply to hold on, while
his ndversaries damage themselves by infu-
rated efforts to crush him and his policy.
Every week that passes is SO much gain to
him and so much loss to them. He cannot
indeed initiate the action of Pitt by first of
all reducing the parliamentary majority
against him from fifty or sixty to one and
then dissolving, to the dismay of the 100
members who failed to be reelected and
were laughedat as "Fox's Martyrs" But
the practical result must be thesamc so far as
the real working power of the actual Con-
gress is concerned; and it is only by such
struggles, when the forms of a constitution
are observed by all sides, that its real
strength is thoroughly tested.