The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1866-03-13
Mr.. Fsssendsn,s Position before the Nation


o. From an Occasional COsrespomdeat.ds ,anei3
o2e f'aai19tah WASHINGTON, March s, 1866.
d The position of our distinguished Senator
in the struggle betwixt the Executive and the
Legislature is not appreciated, 1 fear at home.
The fact is Mr.. Summer as a Legislator, makes
himself ridiculous by the weakness and ra,o-
ness of what he offers to the Senate as drafts
Of laws and of constitutional amendments;
and tits no more than just that Mr.. Fessenden
should have the fair advantage ofhis superior
ity in that respect. le1A. .'l'' ,'''-ii '@'''
: Fessenden's qualities have come out in
clearer perspective since he first spoke on the
great question. Now that we find ourselves
in great fight, in a mortal conflict between
the legislative ard executive branches Of our
government, we find him the leader on the
right side, and Sumner of little. account in the
actual hand-to-hand conflict Because we
have to fight not on Neutrality-suspicious. ofmor-
atty, but for or against methods of action that
the nation accepts and adopts How can we
resist this infatuated purpose of restoring I'M
mediately the rebeliious states to their old
places in the Union this policy, which con-
tents itself with Union restored in mere form
which throws away an opportunity not likely
to occur again, to give the Southern States
their due share of those social and political in
stitutions, built upon justice and the reccgni-
ton of equal rights, from which we have de-
rived our productive industry, our material
prosperity. our better culture and greater pow
err; and which leaves the country involved
through the lifetime of the present generation
in civil war "opea or understood" How can
we defeat this American, superficial, empirical
system of patching and tsnker;ng, without
amending, political structure faulty only in
that it does not conform to a scientific model
1t must be done by leaders and champions
standing firmly and squarely upon const;t,-
tional basis. I'VE need the plainest and SIM
plest statement of the ground upon which
Congress stands, and of the no ground, the
wretched, ricketty cob soork, upon which the
President is trying to stand. 9ai 30 st1Y
If you had listened for a year, not to New
England men educated in sound political prin-
ciples based upon the New Testament, but to
Western and Middle States men, with less
clear perception Of fundamental truths, you
would understand better than you do now
what was needed in speech that should fifty
answer the assumptions of the late veto mes
sage Mr.. Fessenden opened the debate by an
assertion Of the power in Congress to deter
mine for itself whether an Organization, call
ing itself a State, is or is not a State, within
the meaning of that word as used in the Con-
stitution. 10 sDlaae-s 7ss".s -2 nHeA
Here we are upon the point of being COM
PEELED by an arbitrary President usurping
powers subversive of the Constitution, to 60
to war in behalf of the constitutional pre-
negatives of the representatives of the people.
In the crisis we must look to the Constitution
al lawyers of Congress to advocate the rights
which we exercise through our representatives.
And in the Senate our foremost men are How
ard, Trumbull and Fessenden. OF these, Fes-
sender is the ablest, best known, and most in.
fuential with the country, and he has thus
far fully met the demands of the great occa-
sion. His closing speech did not hear, but
hear of it as exceedingly sharp and damaging
to the Presidents friends, who attempted to
interrupt him. This, however, is really but the
opening The debate is to run on; and our
hope is mainly with the men who can think
the clearest and speak the coolest on their feet.
Orations are now of little use. sIsloY 10
Maine ought to appreciate her own position
in comparison with Massachusetts,, in Re-
-
publican Congress. She has maintained her
moral convictions as truly as Massachusetts,,
and that without losing her general power and
influence in the nation. Nay, she has gained
in weight and authority, and stands higher to-
day than ever before in the national councils.
Is not this a fact worth having understood
among our own peoples 4'. I1' x.