Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-03-20
FROM A UNION OFFICER.
me contest Between the Executive
and Congress.
IL a. Editor Of the Lsqder :

In your paper OF the 18TH lnstT Is an ed
itsrial pointing out the dictatorial course Of
the President and showing howimpossible
anything like a compromise is with one
who reiterates his determination to con
tinue a course Numerically opposed to
that of the representatives of the nation
in Congress.
You state clearly the distinct Issue, and
I fancy there are few of your readers or
few reflective minds throughout the coun-
try hat do not see clearly how matters
stand, and view with concern the state Of
affairs.
A grievous disappointment hlls the
hearts of the loyal people and is daily
finding expression either through the pub
lie press or some of their political bodies.
1t is consoling to lovers'of republican in
situations to find such unanimity in sup
port of the great principles of u Consti-
tuition as is announced through these chan
nels. Still it is a matter OF great regret that
a certain portion of the Republican press,
and some few Representatives of that
party in Congestion motives of con
viction it is to be hoped-have deemed it
necessary to detach themselves from their
party, and side with the Hxecutive-let
US hope only temporarily-in his avowed
opposition to any legislation prior to the
return of the Southern members. 1t must
be that these gentlemen are deceived by
the President, for surely, when it is well
understood that he is determined to veto
any bill proposed with a view of securing
not only the freedmen but the loyal
whites their civil rights as American citi-
zens, and protect them from the malig-
nants that still rule with so high a hand
in many of the southern states; surely, /
say, these gentlemen will turn from giving
him that support to which his earlier eff
forts in behslf of freedom and the stability
of our government once entitled him.
Can it be their intention to follow
the President in his reckless course
of appropriating to himself all the
unctions of our well balanced Constitu-
ton? Are they so charmed with the idea
of a "one man government that they
are willing TO sacrifice cur cherished rep
resentative system2 Ifso, are Americans
ready to support suchan attack upon their
Constitution? Are they ready to accept
such rotten fruits for their glorious and
terrible struggle? Aye, ever worse than
that, arethey ready to puttbat Constitution
in the hands of its sworn enemies, in the
hands of those who nave made such
mighty efforts to destroy it and are still
avowed haters of a Federal Government ?
Happily the memory Of the mistaken
faith and patriotism of our people in the
hour Of gloom and adversely is too fresh
in our minds to permit US to fear, that
now, when the fruits of our peril are al
most secured, almost past danger, they
will allow them to be snatched away and
ashes and grit given them to solace them
selves with.
Such is our faith, if the issue is kept
plainly before the people; but great efforts
are being made by ~demagougish appeals
TO the worst prejudices of men base SLAM
ders are circulated, and baser charges are
made against the Representatives of the
North.
Assassination (the resort of oligarch-
ies-never of free and civilized people,
is charged against those who have been
only the victims of assassination aud ev-
cry brutal and cruel device possible to the
malignant hearts of patricides. In short
treachery and all imaginable means are
resorted to in order to deceive the loyal
masses, and deprive them of the fruits of
hard struggle. Their Representa-
in Congress are belied, and the silly
made by a reckless Executive that
are destroying rhe Government-and
hat he alone, whom we have so much
to d~istrust, is the sole arbiter of law
and our Constitution God help US, if our
zoalri4u aa-ina
Many are yet alive who remember the
excited by a similar assumption Of
the functions of the separate branches of
our Government by him whom our
present Executive strives to initiate. 1
to Andrew Jackson-whose un-
scrupulous course drew from Daniel Web
;ter, the ''great~ Expounder," the following
eloquentappeals against executive control,
and in favor of the law-making branch of
our Government:
THE contest, for ages, hiss been to res
. cue liberty from the grasp of executive
a power. Whoever has engaged in her
: sacred cause, from the days of the down
8 fall of those great Aristecrseies, which
had stood between the king and the
{ people, to the time of our own indepen-
{ dence, has struggled for the accomplish
{ ment of that single object. On the long
list of the champions of human freedom, |
there is not n name dimmed BY the
reproach Of advocating the extension of
executive authority; on the contrary the
uniform and steady purpose of all such
champions has been TO limit and re-
strain it.
ITO this end popular and representative
right has kept up its warfare against
prerOgative with various success: some
times writing the history Of a whole age
in blood, sometimes witnessing the mar
tyrdom of Sidneys and Russeils; often
bafied and repulsed, but still gaining on
the whole" He asks, "Who is he that
bellies the blood, and libels the fame of
his own ancestors, bYdeclaring that they,
with solemnily of form, and force of
manner, have invoked the Executive
power to come to the protection of lib
erty2 Who is he that thus charges then
with the insanity or the recklessness of
the lamb beneath the lions paw2
Our security is in our watehfulness of
Executive power"
In contrast he thus speaks of the repre-
ntative: awe have been taught to re-
gard a representative of the people as q
sentinel on the watch-tower of liberty.
Is he to be blind though visible danger
approaches? Is he to be deafthoueh sound
If peril FL the air? Is he to be dumb, while
thousand duties impel him to raise the
ny of alarm2 Is he net rather to catch
he lowest whisper which breathes the in
ention or purpose of encroachment on
he public liberties, and to give his voice, I
and uttersnce at the first appear $
nee of danger Is not his eve to trav- '
rse the whole horizon with the keen and
ager vision of an unhooded hawk, de- :
through all DISCUSSES every enc !
~ advancing. in any form, toward the 7
itadel which he guards? A represen- I
alive body which gives up these rights '
nd duties, gives itself up. It has bro c
en- the tie between itself and its constit- e
ents, and henceforth is fit only to be re- p
arded as an inert ~self-sacrifced mass. Is
which all appropriate principle of '
tally has departed forever" o
viii we not do well 10 heed these elo- Il
mt admonitiona, bearing in mind that u
lgers come in the guise of pretended Il
ends too often? We know not to what
ent the recklessness which prompted IL
22nd of February speech, may not IL
~ u Executive. We have but to re-
mber that his most ardent supporters Of
49, -. le