The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1866-04-13
THE UNION &c JOURNAL,
WESTERN FEELING TOWARDS JOHN
COM

publican" is ~ rdrd dris there as IN the state
of Maine, and let this be said to the credit oil
the Pine Tree State. We take long article
from tho Chicago Tribune of March Slst,
which will bear careful pHrusal:
The Constitution. Art. IT,, Sec. w., declares
that "the President Vice President, AMI NIL civil
officers of the United States. shall be removed
from oiice on impeachment FOR, AMI conviction
of, treason, bribery. ani other h'sh crimes nni
nislCmcauorS." Treason against the United
States il defined rs consisting in levying war
against them. or in altering to their enemies,
giving them all aul comfort. Andrew johnson
has not vet leyie,l war on the Untel States,
though his lerling organs, tue Constitntional
Union. National lntelgcnccr. New York World:
Herald, News, AMI Chicago Times, have all urged
him To do so 10y Crumwcllan attempt IT, dis.
perse Congress. But has he not alherc,l to the
enemies Of the United States, giving them aid anl
comfort, and this not only morally, hut legally
This question divides Itself into two others, viz
First, Whether the United States has at present
any 'enemcs," or whether the late rebels still &C
cupy toward the Government the legal relation of
enemies which they PROFESSIONALLY did occupy
for several years. Secondly, Whether, IL 50, the
President has adhered To them in their capacity rs
enemies ot the country, doing that which tenIei
Ia give them mid AMI comfort and maintain their
enmity. The mere surrender OF the Confederate
armies does not of itself make peace. Otherwise,
our Government should have issued q procama.
ton Of peace Immediately ON the surrender OF
Johnson, Taylor, AMI Kirby Smith. But every
war does something more than subdue armed
forces. II settles disputed questions antl deter.
mines the rights Of the parties. AMI until those
settlements are embodied into law, there Is not yet
state of peace, though oil hostites nave ccasci'
Where the war is between two bclligerents, both
of whom continue to exist after the war is ended,
the laws into which the questions settled by the
war are embodied, arc called treaties. But where,
ne i'm our own case of civil war or rebellion, the
contest was between the United States and por-
ton of its citizens there can be no treaty. because
the organization known as the Confederate States
of America" has ceased to exist, and there Is no
organized hostile government LEFT with which to
make n treaty. Whatever questions have been
settled by the war, therefore, must be embodied
into the claws Of the United States" and for
greater permancncy anil security should he en-
bodied into the Constitution of the United States
whenever the Government of the United States
shall 81 desire. Until this is done, peace is not
established, but there is mere cessation Of hos
tilitcs The legal status Of the country Is still
that of war; The legal status Of the late rebels Is
still that of enemies subducd enemies - but not
citizens in any other sense than they were through
out the rebellion. The administration, in all its
departments. has publicly and officially recognized
the fact that. though hostilitcs are suspended,
the state Of the country " still q state of war.
The President has recognized the estate of war"
rs still existing, by maintaining martial law aud
a suspension of the bdbcIs corpus throughout the
Southern States. As no cannot, by the C0nstitu.
ton, suspend the haJeds corpus, except when in
cases of rebellion anil invasion the public safety
may require II his continuance OF the martial law
and the suspension of the hdbedS corpus is an OIL.
cal recognition of the fact that state at rebel.
lion, AMI therefore of war, exists. Tie still main-
,lins in the service about 10000 troops, all Of
whom enlisted only for the war, AMI who, il the
| state ~ war hal ended, would have the right Ia
lispersr without Orders AMI 90 home. lie in
inrlus General Howard relative H. the present act
establishing the Frcclnen's Bureau, which 10y lis
terms IL continue one year after the war, that
slil year has not yet commenced Ia run, AMI that
The war has not set cnlcl and will not until the
| Issuance al q proclamation al peace Soldiers
are Iunrcred on Southern property without the
consent of It's owners, an act which the Consiiu-
ton fnrbils Ia be done in time Of peace. The
| President exercises his military powers rs CONF
mandcr- iu-Chief of the army IN appointing AMI
removing State and city officers, over whose sta
tus in time of peace he would have NO power. lie
dictates to Southern conventions and legislatures
what laws they shall anil shall not pass, AMI II
they pass laws not acceptable 10 him, he. through
his Generals. furhids all courts Ia execute them
acts which IN state of peace would bc intOlcrable
usurpatiuns. Nay, if IL he true that the country
IL not now in state Of war, then the President Is
these violations Of what the Constitution would
require Of him in state Of peace. We think II ~
plain, therefore, that Notwithstanding the sus-
pension of hOstilities, the present state of the
country Il held by the Administration itself, AMI
is in fact one OF rebellion.
The Administration has further informed MS
when this state of war will emil, viz: when the
States shall lie fully restored to the Union by the
action ot Congress. Such are the wOrls of Sec.
rotary Seward i'm his letters of last Summer to
Sharkcy. Marvin. and other Provisional Cover.
nors. But II in the meantime the legal status Of
rebellion AMI war exists, though with n suspen-
sion of hostilites. IL follows that we must be at
war with somebody. and that those with whom We
are ut war. though fighting has ceased, are still
rebels anl enemies There can be no war without
an enemy. and the mere fact that the enemy has
ceased Ia fight works only cessation ut hOstili
ties, not an end to the state Of war; Ii we are
then in u state Of war, ~ the Government assumes
who are our enemies Not the organization
known rs the Confederate States Of America, for
that has ceased to exist. Not the organized arm
les lately commanded by Ice, johnson. aud Kirby
Smith. for they, a. organizations, have ceased
to exist. Not the State Governments of the yari-
Gus States which formed the Confederate States
of America for they have ceased to exist.
Those who occupy towards us the legal status Of
enemies are therefore all that portion of the South
ern people who engaged in the rebellion or gave
il ai1 and comfort. Ii the state ~ war does not
the States have been restored to the Union with
the consent of Congress, then the legal status Of
the portion Of the Southern people who were rob
els during the tendency Of past hostities contin-
ues to be that of rebels and enemies until peace
is thus restored. But President Johnson, while
he recognizes these people rs rebels and enemies
in law, so tar rs is necessary to clothe him with
despotic powers, yet demands for them all the
rights Of American States rs against any action Of
legislation by Congress. lie demands, in fact,
that during war, communities with which VIC arc
az war shall send representatives into our Senate
and House OF Representatives, and that Congress
has no right TO make laws for them until their
representatives have seats on the floor. lie dc
mands that rebels shall participate in the national
councils in making those laws which are To con.
stitu,e our treaty OF peace with the rebellion.
This IL in principle treason, for IL u giving aid
and comfort to the enemies of the United States,
II is saying to them that Congress has no power
to legisate for you until il admits you to vote in
Congress. II is encouraging them to resist the
attempt ny Congress 10 impose such terms ~ Con-
gress may deem proper rs the guarantee of future
peace. IL IL giving the power of the highest Off
Ger Of the Government To the public enemy dur
ing n state of war, and is rs much worse than the
treason of Benedict Arnold as the office of Pres-
dent is higher than that Of Major General.
We believe, therefore, that the President should
he impeachel for high treason for his attempts,
10y his message, his yetoes and other official acts,
to secure the admission OF representatives in Con.
gress from States and communities with which he
comedies that tho Government Is still Mt war. "A
second ground of impeachment, namel in the
Constitution. is bribery. IL is not essential to
bribery that the bride shall be paid to the officer
himself. bribery is seldom conducted in that
way. II IS sufficient il with his knowledge aud
approval II Is paid to some subordinate. or con-
fdent, or intimate friend. for whom the officer
entertains such personal regard as will induce
him, for whatever reason, To grant the favor for
which the bride was given. Asnearly rs the pub
lie have been permitted to know, this state OF
facts have prevailed at the White House. and con.
stitutes the whole business of pardon. brokerage.