The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-06-24
COLUMBIA. :.
Sunday Morning, June "a, 1855.
The President on the Amendment.

once more. It has been their plan
to represent to the people of the
States and their Legislatures that the
President was in favor Of the abomi-
nable amendment, and they were
positively gleeful that he would have
no opportunity to officially contradict
stfaefalse statement. 1T is stated that
they had even determined not to vote
for the ienabiing bills which were to
give effect to the amendment, lest he
{ might have an opportunity to veto
them; and express his views on the
amendment itself.
But the President and Mr., Seward
has proved too smart for them after
all. The radicals sent the amend
: ment, without the Presidents appro-
val, to the Secretary of State, who,
as the President says, in a message
accompanying Mr.. Stewards report to
him, had sent the joint resolution
proposing the amendment to the
Governors of the several States, not
i'll an official capacity, bnt as
purely ministerial act, 'sand in no
sense whatever committing the Ex-
ecutive to all approval or recommen-
sda5ion."
The President clearly intimates
that he is opposed to the amendment
SO long as eleven States are not rep
resented, and also asserts what the
Phonin alluded to the other day, that
the sovereign people of the nation
have not had an opportunity of ex-
pressing their views upon the sub
ject. It will thus he seen that the
President has taken the highest
ground, and fully justifies himself in
his opposition to the destructive
schemes of the radicals.
One or two expressions in this
brief message is worthy of note at
this time. The President does not
adopt. the view of Stevens and his
followers, who think that tinkering
with the Constitution is q perfectly
Legitimate mode to advance their am
bilious projects, and retain them in
power. He says, with all the force
and dignity of the statesman and
patriot, that ''even in ordinary times
any question of amending the Con
stitutlon must be Justly regarded as
OF paramount importance. What a
rebuke to these blatant politicians,
who ruthlessly lay their hands on
this sacred instrument merely to
serve their own ends and purposes.
Again, it will be noted that he saws.
that, of the Mirty-sece,, States achich
constitute the Uaion, eleven are ex-
cluded from representation" thus
noDly declaring that he regards all
Tie States in the Union. OF the eleven
States which attempted to secede from
the Union, all, with the exception of
Texas, he once more proclaims-de-
spite all the tantrums of the radi-
cais-"have been entirely restored TO
all their Functions as States, in con-
formity with the organic law of the
land" This language is strong and
emphatic, and particularly emphatic
in its condemnation of the wild and
reckless legislation of the dominant
party in Congress We honor An
drew Johnson for embracing this op
portunity to reiterate his sound and
patriotic views, at this critical junc
tnre, and to announce to the people
OF America that the savage warfare
waged npon him for months past has
not moved him one inch from the
policy he avowed at the beginning of
his administration. We admire his
tact and ability in frustrating, by
this official declaration, the lying in
ventions of his enemies, to deceive
the people of the United States as to
his present views on the all absorbing
question now before the country.
The telegraph did not bring us even