The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-04-02
LibeIs Upon the President.

From The Times.
The fertility of invention and recklessness OF
assertion of those whose political stock-in-trade
consists of enmity to the President are tempting
them to play on the intelligence of the American
people at the same time that they attempt to in
flame their passions. Their modes of warfare
are as disgraceful as some of those practised by
the late Rebels. They have exhausted the pos
sibilites of personal SANDER and vituperation,
and finding that this is already losing its power
1--WE warned them 1t would soon become power
less when they began it), they are concocting
charges against President johnson of entertain
ing the most violent revolutionary purposes, and
OF an intention to commit the most fearful pollti
cal crimes.
To cool-headed people, possessed of fair
degree OF reason and digestion, it will seem all
but incredible that there are before us at this
moment some halfa-dozen journals 1--WE suppose
we could by looking further find twice as many
which, in leading type, accuse the President of
composing the overthrow of the Government
by a coup d'etGt, and OF usurping supreme power
by military force, This, too, not in sarcasm, as
sane people might suppose, nor as an exercise
with intellectual sky-rockets, but with that sort
Of hydrophobc earnestness which is so often a
characteristic OF those who are swayed by other
forces than reason, led by other guides than
conscience, and have other aims than the tr-
unph Of Justice. We take the first of these art
cles at hand and quote from it as follows:-
owe do not mean to say that the President at the
present moment thinks Of carrying his point by
force. But he is surrounded by desperate men, and
the most dangerous advice is poured into his in
cessantly by individuals and pnblic papers. The
COppeThead and Rebel press, North ana South, has
under its influence, with the idea of coup detGt.
The President may not yet countenance the idea,
drew johnson to know that the violence of his tenn
per, heated by agencies the effects of which are
beyond calculation, may at any moment override
what there is lett IN him Of sober judgment"
An imploring appeal is then made to General
Grant that he will not leave the country for q
European tour at such ''critcal juncture," as
il is known she will never permit himself to be
made tool OF in an unlawful and sinister enter
pTlse" and the President will thus find it "diff
cult to find an instrument for revolutionary
act among the other chiefs OF the army" The
President is thus to attempt to use the army, in
some way or other, as an aid in his projected
coup detdt; and General Grant, as the active
head of the army, Is Conjured to employ the
influence of his position to thWart this desperate
scheme. That such tantsronade should b.
written, and repeated and reiterated, may seen
as absurd as it is criminal; but 1t Is evidentl!
believed that even such charges will ind al
abundance of credulous listeners, else the intel
lgence of the country would not be insulted b,
their being put forth in journals of the mos
extensive circulation and al points widel
apart.
If those who make these charges were TO il
dulge in the needless trouble of giving any AZ
pearance of basis to them, they would doub
less find it in such utteYances of the President
his annual message delivered to the present Coz
gress, in which he defended In so masterly
manner the principles of the Constitution The
would find it in his first Veto Message, in whiC
he urged the limitation of the Executive pow
in all feasible ways They would ind it in Il
second Veto Message, In which he argued for Il
rights of the States as reserved by the Oonstit
ton, and exercised his legitimate power to pI
vent encroachment upon them.
They would find it in his efforts to extend Il
scope OF Congress and make its membersh
conterminous with the Union. They would fiji
it In his rapid reduction of the army. Tn
would find it in the antecedents of his pub
life, in the opinions he has uniformly expresse
in his supreme regard for the popular WILL
the character OF the Cabinet he retains and
the preparations he has made for the awi
deed he is to do. And If they failed TO find
basis for such base and foolish charges IN eth
or all of these things, then they could do agS
as they have already done, and fall back for
basis upon their own malignant fances.