The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-08-22
The President Invoked TO Interfere in q
Sfnte EIectiOn.

SI0te EleCttOns
THE regal doctrine of Executive supremacy, go
strongly urged by our conservatives, leads to
logical results which they seem anxious to avail
themselves of at the earliest moment possible
Having endorsed the complete overthrow OF
State rights in the late Rebel States by the Pres-
dents reconstruction policy, they are now
camoring that he shall exercise q like power
for their partisan ends in States that were never
in rebellion. Thus we find that a State delegl-
ton OF these fellow from Missouri waited upon
the President 0ay before yesterday to procure
military interference in their favor in that State,
SO as to enable the conservative, or reconstructed
Rebel party TO carry the election there this fall.
The first speaker was one BRoDHEAD. who in
formed the President that Missouri had not
republican form of government, and that the
time might come when they should be obliged
to fall back upon the guarantee of the general
Government.
He was followed by Ex-Governor AUSTIN A.
KING, one of the bitterest pro-slavery Rebel
sympathlzers that even the Stale of Missouri
can boast, He was a violent, unscrupuloUs
opponent of the General Government durinc
the whole war; and toul-mouthed slanderer of
President LINCOLN during that good mans life.
The burden oil this creatures remarks were that
the Federal "ofiCes' in Missouri were in bad
bands, and that the military commanders were
not sufficiently susceptible to ''conseryativen
influences. General SHERMAN, it seems,
could not be trusted. The late proclamation
of the Governor that the Constitution
and laws should be enforced had also operated
20 intlmidate the conservatives. Three-fourths
OF the "loyal men," this veracious old Copper
to1 I;rT,,, Il i'll
unless the general Government could do some
thing for them, he had no guarantee that
single man would step forward to support the
Presidents administration. The gist OF the mat
ter finally came out in modest request tor the
appointment OF one of "the BldirS" TO an office
If FRANK BLAIR could only be given military CON-
mand OF Missouri, conservative triumph would
be sure.
The Presidents reply was hardly what was
anticipated. The overthrow of State Govern
ment like that of Missouri is a tolerably large
job for peace times. The President simply told
them that he was disposed to do all that he
could for them; that General HANCOCK would
be On the ground, and would give them every
possible assistance a0ttbin The sphere of MS
d'd5eS," which is a very important reservation,
as the sphere OF his duties is simply TO assist
in the enforcement of the law and the mainte-
nance of the civil authorities.
We look upon this interview as a concession
in advance of the triumph OF the Union party
IN Missouri The only hope of the Copperheads
has been in forcibly overriding and trampling
unoer foot the Constitution and laws of the
State. But the gallant Governor, Colonel
FLETCHER, who has fought the Rebel hordes of
Missouri from the start, has given them TO un-
derstand that their programme OF laTlessness
and revolution will not work. The Constitu-
ton and the laws will be maintained, and if the
civil power is not sufficient the military power
will be promptly and unsparingly used. This
fearless stand of the Governor, and the active,
vigilant attitude of the Union party throughout
the State have struck terror into the ranks of the
Copperheads, and as a last resort, we find this
desperate but unavailing effort to secure Presi-
dental interference through the military power
to control the election.
But although this effort, for the time at least
appears to be unsuccessful, ii is full ofdangerous
signifcance,a ,as showing to what lengths these So
called conservatives would go. Blatant as they
are in an assumed advocacy of State rights, they
have the hardihood to ask the President OF the
United States to interfere and exercise usurped
authority over State whose relations with the
Union have never been disturbed! The mere
idea that the President could by any possibility
be induced to take such an imperial step is
startling, and shows with alarming distnctness
in " hat direction we are drifting.