Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-06-26
UNION STATE TICKET
rhs; Presidenf,s Messare.

JOHN BARRRRE.
Thel Presidents Message. ILL
The Presidents message TO Congress
on the 22d inst. is a simple announcement
that he is at wal with the Congressional
policy, opposed to the Reconstruction
Amendment and deRAntly and ebstreper-
ously hostile to the Union party. As this
amendment has become the platform of
the Union party, blythe: unanimous action
of Union Congressmen in supporting it
and by the endorsement which it receives
from Union men, Union journals and
Union conventions all over the land, and
as it therefore will be made the issue in
the approaching campaign, the message of
the President is nothing more or less than
an official declaration of war upon the
Union nominees in the Congressional and
State elections. 1t shows that, whatever
may be the course of johnson men, John
son himself is determined 20 persist in his
treachery. a.
This declaration Of the President
sgsinst the Union party and platform is
the more criminal because it was utterly
needless, No necessity lay upon him TO
declare his views at all His message was
not only dacalIed for but was an absDlate
usurpation. A constitutional amend
ment, having passed both branches of
Congress Fy a two-thirds vote needs no
Executive action whatever TO make it
valid. This Mr.. johnson himself admits.
But that incontinenoe Of tongue and pen
which has killedhim politically still affects
him. Here was another opportunity for
him 30 reiterAte amy policy and he
seized It, The document is an apt Illus
tration of the unhappy facility with
which Andrew johnson says everything
which be should not say Its reference
to the fact that the Amendment was not
sent to the President for his signature is
rendered fatnous by the Presidents tscit
admission that such action was altogether
unnecessary NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
ton at present by the state legislatures is
Improper because thepeople have not ex-
pressed theif yisxsRon it betrays
his besetting delusion that tho masses
are ready to sustain. him aud bis policy
delusion of which the. fall elections will
cure him if he be not utterly ineurable.
The strenuous maintenance of his old
position. thatthe Southern States should
Immediately, and without the exaction of
further conditions, be restoredto power, is
a ludicrous begging of the entire recon-
structionquestion.a The amendment and
enabling act provide conditions for the
restoration to power of the rebellious
states; Mr.. johnson objects to It's adop-
ton until after those states have been re-
stored. In other words, he desires to ad-
NIT the criminals on trial to the Judges
bench. His position is even more absurd
than that indicated in the proEerb about
locking the stable door after the horse is
stolen. Congress wants TO lock the door
now, while the horse is safe, but Mr. john
son objects mol mol Wait till the
horse is gone-then you may lock it as
securely as you please. And yet this
absurd reasoning is the foundation and
superstructure of my policy"
1t seems evident, then that we are to
Eight the coming campaign not only with
out Mr.. Johnson's active aid, but in the
face of his active opposition. We regret
this more on Mr.. Johnson's account than
our own. The developments of the past
month have proven that The johnson !
as eli II
party has -no-existence I'm Ohio save !
among 8 feB spperYAtive andfesa psI1tt
who cannot control 4 county f
State. It Is so~throughout the country. !
There ara rS paAnsoa men: amsnk gh6 !
Unionists bold enough to follow Their
in opposition to the Constitutional
amendment. The result of thsfap elecS1 a
ions will demonstrate This fact and con- d
'inue the supremacy Of the Union party. l
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