The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-10-01

in the government of the country. The States
OF the North and West will receive South Caro-.
lima and the other Rebel States as equals in
political power and rights, whenever those
States are controlled by loyal men; but they
are enemies to justice to equality, and to the
peace of the country who demand the reeogni'
tion of the Rebel States upon the unequal basis
of the existing Constitution.
OF these enemies to justice, equality, and the
peace OF the country, the President IS the leader
and the chief; and rs such leader he is no longer
entitled to support, confidence or even personal
respect. He has seized upon all the immense
patronage of this Government, and avowed his
purpose to 1t for the restoration of the Rebel
States to authority, regardless OF the rights of
the people of the loyal States. He has thus be-
come the ally of the Rebels, and the open enemy
of the loyal white men Of the country. The
President, and those associated with hlm in this
unholy project cannot but know that the recos-
milton of the ten disoyal States renders futile
every attempt to equalize representation in Con
gTess. The assent of three-fOurths OF the States
is necessary to the ratification OF an amendment
to the Constitution. The fifteen old slave States
are largely interested In the present system and
they will not consent voluntarily to change.
The question between the President and
Congress Is then this:-Snall the ten States
be at once accommodating securing
to the old slave States thirty Represen-
tatlves and thirty electoral votes to which
they have no title-or shall they be required
to accept as condition precedent, an
amendment to the Constitution which provides
an equal system of representation for the whole
country 1t is not enough, in the estimation of
the President, that the loyal people should
receive these enemies of the Union and mur-
dereTs of their sons and brothers as equals, bat
he demands q recognition of their superiority
and permanent rule in the Government by q
voluntary tender of an eighth of the entire
representative force of the republic. When
before were such terms ever eXacted of the con-
queror in behalf of the conquered? If the vic
torious North had demanded of the vanuushed
South surrender OF part of its representative
power In the Government as penalty for its
treason, that demand would have been sustained
upon the principles of justice, although the
proceeding would have been unWlse as mea-
sure of public policy. As it is, the vic torious
North only demands equality for ITSELF while it
offers equality to the vanquished South. Was
| there ever policy more just, wise, reasonable,
| and magnanimous!
Yet the President rejects this policy, deserts
! the loyal men of the North by whom he was
elected, conspires with the traitors in the loyal
States and the Rebels of the disloyal States for
the humiliation, the degradation, the political
enslavement of the loyal people of the country
| And this is the second great conspiracy against
liberty, against equality, against the peace OF
| the country, against the permanence Of the
American Union; and of this conspiracy the
| President is the leader and the chief. Nor can
! he defend himself by saying that he desires to
preserve the Constitution as 1t was, for he him
| self has been instrumental in securing an i'm
| pOrtant alteration. THE Constitution as 1t
was" has passed away, and by the aid Of Mr..
| johnson.
| NOT call ne say JudJ uG Is OppUSCU 10 eAdCtlnG
| conditions precedent; for he made the ratidca
| ton OF the anti.slavery amendment condition
| precedent to his own recognition of their exist
| ence as States clothed with authority. Thus is
| he wholly without proper excuse for his CON
| duct. Nor can he assert that the Rebel States
are, aud ever have been, States of the Union,
| and always and ever entitled to representation
and without conditions; for then is he guilty of
| impeachable offenses in demanding of them the
ratification of the Constitutional amendment in
| debating policy to the Southern States, in or.
! ganiZing provisional governments, In inaugu-
| rating constitutional conventions in depriving
officers elected or appointed by authority of
those States of their offices, and, in fine, in
assuming to himself supreme authority over
that whole region of country for q long period
of time. Thus his only defense of his present
| policy contains an admission that he has
| usurped power, that he has violated the Consti.
tuition, that he is guilty of ofenses for which
| he ought to be impeached. Thus do the slg
gestions which the President tenders as his
| defense furnish conclusive evidence that his
conduct is wholly indefeusible.
While then the President cannot defend his
conduct, it is possible for others to explain it,
Its explanation may be found in some one or
| in several of the following prOpositions:-
l. That the Rebel leaders have acquired a
| control over the President through the power OF
some circumstance not known to the public
which enables them to dictate policy to him.
q That he fears impeachment, and conse-
uuently directs all his efforts to secure more
than third of the Senate, so as TO render con
viction impossible.
8. That he seeks reelection, and purposes
to make the South unit in his favor, as the
nucleus around which the Democratic party O
the North must gather in 1868.
4. That he desires to reinstate the South a.
the controlling force in the government of the
country.
In reference TO the first proposition, we are
restricted to the single remark. that it is no
easy to magine the Rebels capable of making
any demand upon the Executive which, in his
present state of mind, he would not be prepared
to grant. He has pardoned many of the leaders
and principal men OF the Rebellion, and som,
sisted every attempt on the part of Congress Il
furnish protection to the loyal men of th'
South; and he has witnessed and discussed tn
bloody horrors of Memphis and New 0rlean
with cold-blooded indifference. Early in hi
term of Office he offered an immense re ward fo
the person of jefferson Davis; and now that tn
accused has been in the official custody of th
President, as the head OF the army, for NOR
his innocence and set him at liberty, no
, subjected him to trial according to tn
l laws of the land. Davis is guilty of tn
crime of treason. OF this there can be N
2 | district. The President holds the prisoner b,
: ] military authority; and the accused cannot b
f; | arraigncd before the civil tribunals. Davis wa
: 4 charged by the President with completely in tn
2 assassination of Mr.. Lincoln. There is muc
/ evidence tending to sustain the charge; but til
s / accused is neither subjected to trial by mill
: | tary commission, nor turned over to the civ
| tribunals of the, country. These acts ar
+ offenses against justice; they are ofenses agains
the natural and legal rights of the accused
e however guilty he may be; they are oftense
a against the honor of the American people; the
are acts in violation of the Constitution, Ii th
e elections OF 1866 are favorable to the Presiden
+ they will be followed by the release of Davi
0 and the country will see the end of this part {
t the plot.
# Upon any view of the Presidents case, it
q | evident that he has thrnWn him elf th