The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-05-03

Iicampaigns In by-gone-years, we are
| Obliged to conclude that such an expe.
riment will result in trouble, without
any corresponding benefits to the party
and country. We fervently hope tha
such a contingency may be avoided.
The Louisville Journal, treating o
the same subject says: "The terrible
question which looms up grimly before
us, if our difficulties areinot settled be,
fore the next Presidential election, is
What and which may then be the Gov
ernmsnt to which our allegiance will be
dueH OF the two parties, two Presi'
dents elect, SO to speak, which will bt
the legitimate. one who viii have right
to be sworn in and to administer the
Government" 1t then tndulges in the
following hypothesis and conclusions:
Let MS suppose that things drift on
without any definite settlement until
| 1S6S-tliat isn't far of, and will be upon
us, possibly, before we are ready for II
and the. Republican Party nominates
General Sherman for the Presidency,
and the Conservative or the Democratic
Party nominates General Banks for the
same office. General Grant and his
party, let us suppose, run electors IN
every State according to the Constitu-
tion and obtain a clear majority o1
votes inthe Electoral College. Wouldn't
they take, it as amatter OF course that
he would in that case be- entitled to be
sworn into the office of President, and
to enter upon the discharge Of his du-
ties as such? Suppose again that
General Sherman and his party should
have electoral tickets in only Il part OF
the States, say in twenty-five OF them
only-and should receive only ma.
jority of all the votes in the ElectoraI
College, but a majority OF the electoral
votes Of the twentyet live States in which
their tickets are voted for-what them
At the first blush, we would naturally
say that General Sherman failed OF an
election, having received only a minor
ity OF all the votes in the Electoral Col
lege. But would the "Republtcans
submit to that2 Wouldn't they revolt
and become rebels, and declare that
their candidate, though he didn't re-
ceive majority of all the electoral
votes cast, was nevertheless, elected, ],
and ought and must be sworn into of
flee and administer the Government!
Wouldn't each candidate contend that
he had been legitfmbtely elected ana
pronounce opposition to his Inaugural
tion treason to the "Government?"
In that both candidates would doubt
less 20 10 washington, backed by tens
of thousands of their armed followers,
the supporters of each aYowtng that
their candidate should be sworn In,
peaceably if he could be, forcibly If he
Furthermore, let it be supposed that
both of these candidates should be
sworn in by Judges of the supreme
Court, each surrounded by his praeto-
rian guard, ut different places In the
Districtrof Columbia or even outside OF
it, and that each should proceed to ap-
n. 1. NT0H
ernment," !" claiming legitimacy, and de-
nouncing all opponents as traitors:
Suppose q part of the representatives OF
the people from the different States
should meet and recognize Gen. Grant
and his Cabinet as the .GoHernment,
and part of the representatives should
meet in another place and recognize
General Sherman and his Cabinet as
the Government" What then! we
ngain ask. Which would be the tGov-
ernmentP" What, then, should we
have, what could we have, but the be
ginning of such civil war as no man
living has ever seen or heard orr Who
could arbitrate whose authority would
be recognized and respected?
Itm9y be said thai the present Ad-
ministration being in power up to the
4th of March, 1869, would decide be.
tween the candidates, and that the one
thus recognized would be received by
the people asleEitimate. But wouldn't
the candidate decided against, which
ever he might be, and his supporters
denouncing such proceeding as un-
constitutional, sheer usurpation, and
not obligatory in law or right1 They
would be almost certain to do so.
Ii might be hoped that General Sher-
man and General Grant would them
selves, in the heextraordinary emergency
contemplated, in order to save the land
F1fn
which such state of things would
nnnQe it. arrange a compromise, and
That ono of them would give up his
claims to the Presidency in the inter
ests of peace. Such q spectacle would
indeed be sublime, and fill the whole
civi ilized world with, rapture and aston
ishment; but we have used these dis
tinguished names simply to represent
possibilities and to illustrate our mean :
| ing. Neither of them might be candi-
dates, butsinstead, twoiiuncompromis-
ing ,sectionalists, or two persons VINO
would not hesitate to overwhelm the
country with the fnameless agonies OF
Iinternecine revolution to gratify the
ihsatiate lust for power.
The Journal then appeals to all par
ties to see to it that the. question is set
tied before the next Presidential cleo
tion. .ari sllssl s '.ant - s55
The Recommendation Reporl--What Is
Z. said About It at washington-Will
1t be Ratified by Three-Fourths OF
the states ~ Mi 49,. i -
1oms Baltimore sun.
>.E3e7'5 J. 'aszis WAsHINeToN, May 1.
The new; project of reconstruction
from the committee of fifteen is the
subject ofimuch remark. 1t was de-
sirable to many to know what the Pres
ident thought Of it. The Presidentand
at least some of his friends are more
opposed to it than they were to the first
tniafi of the committee. -
The Democrats, in and out of Con-
Cress, are all hostile to IL, because 1t e8-
cludes their party from power for the
next seven years at least. Some OF
them say that il will not go through
both Houses of Congress by the reqni-
site two-thirds vote! But that Is to be
seen before long. The Republican
| party in Congress is aunt upon 1t, and
| they command both Houses. got
The next question is whether the joint
resolution proposing the amendment
wfll be ratified by three e-foprths OF tue
States. There will be opposition to u
| from those Northern States which Will
| lose some representation by 1t, but, as
| the Legislatures are Republican, 1t may
receive the assent of all of them-mak'
ing twenty-five, exclusive Of Colorado
| Tennessee may accept it, making
| twenty-six; but if Colorado be admit,
| ted. IL will REQUIRE the ratification OF
thirty States. sEs'f u ~
The republicans express surprise thai
any opposition should be made to the
4 scheme. except by the Sumner radicals
for 1t takes the negro suffrage question
las they say, out of politics.