Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1865-1869, 1866-04-14
How VIII the Differences Between the
President and Congress Culminate2

A newspaper, hitherto devoted to the turf
field sports, the army, and the stage" has
lately become a SelEconstituted political
leader. It quits hounds, horses, hares and
patridgeS, and addresses to its readers elabO-
rate articles on politics. II not only knows
what has happened, but what is going to hap
pen. Its editor is not only a statesman and
historian, but prophet. He sees at a glance
the whole field Of American politics, points out
all the mistakes that have been made, and
knows much better than ANDREW JOHNSON what
ANDREW JOHNSON ought and ought not to do.
This new aspirant to political leadership is
" Wakes Spirit Of the Times" In its issue Of
the It'll April, it predicted the issuance of the
Peace Proclamation by the President, and
added " He will then formally summon the
- Representatives and Senators Of all the States
"to meet at Washington in EXTRA SESSION.
This was upon the SuppOSition that Congress
would have adjourned before the issue Of the
Peace PrOclamatiOn.) The present majority
" of the two Houses, which will then be in
" minority, will, of course, dispute the right
of the Representatives and Senators Of the
" eleven unadmitted States to meet with them
" in council; whereupon it is expected that the
President will recognize the new majority
as the true Congress of the United States,
" and assign to them the official chambers Of
the Capitol. The then minority deprived of
q President, deprived, too, Of their statutory
" forums, and even of Presidential recognition,
" will, per force, be driven to convene apart
81 theless, still to be the true and only Con-
gress, and as such, to have majority enough
within itself to be Independent Of the PreSi-
dental veto or approval, it will go on with
{" its legislation, and endeayOr to establish its
" authority under the auspices of the Supreme
Court. Here will be too separate, distinct
" and rival Governments in operation, not di-
vided between the sections, as was projected
by the overthrown rebellion, but angrily con-
fronting one another. That Such a state OF
things must necessarily result in war, no
reasonable man can doubt, and that such q
" war would discharge Cts fury solely within
" the North, is obvious from the materials OF
which the opposing sides would be composed d.
The South would be q unit for Northern
march to sustain the programme which pro
poses to resign the country to its hands ;
while the North, casting of all business and
personal concerns, would address itself e.,
Z" HdSSe to arms"
After thus expressing itself, the journal from
which we quote proceeds to appeal to the
President, in view of all the dreadful conse-
quences it Portrays, "tO find some way to as
" simulate his policy with that of the present
" majority of Congress; some way by which
" the rights of the South may be amply ouar-
d" anteed, and the wishes of the moderate North
e conceded to-" Failing to do this the Pres,-
dent is warned " that the muskets which now
q hang in hOnored ease in every household
g North of the Potomac may soon be hurriedly
" unslung."
The same journal, in q subsequent issue
points with something of exultatiOn to the We
ri6cation of one of its predictions by the actua
issue of the peace proclamation, quotes frOr
the National htslligsResr of the 4th instant t
nroye. as expressed by FoRNEY, of the ChrOn
iole that an armed attack upon the Ameri
can Congress is deliberately threatened ant
Droeeeds to offer the following admonitory re
marks
"Wehope, therefore, that some means will b,
4. devised, now that the great struggle on the bill
a. of civil rights is over, to bring about recon
=, -,,;..;on between the President and Congress
"a that the South, regarding the necessi
49, Of the situation, solely under the inHu
., .ncs Of common sense, will revise its recen
:. ALLEGATIONS, and send men to Washington il
d" their places whose very names 40 no. a,Ou :
=. recruitment and alarm. This is the way :, :
u" reconstruct the country. But II Is nO' '"'