The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-05-24
President Johnson's Policy-What,s
to he Done!

Cali is quiet on the Potomac"
Washington is fast relapsing into its
usual summer dullness A stranger
within its gates would hardly suspect
that the White House is under q
siege, save by the oflce-seekers. Nor
can we exactly determine the present
\ posture of affairs between Congress-
and the Administration. We know
that while the two houses thus far
have pursued the aggressive system
OF warfare, the President has main
tanned q defensive attitude; and that
while the radicals are gradually ad-
vancing their lines of approach, he
remains patiently within his citadel.
We know that while his enemies are
resolute and active, his supporters in
Congress and in the Cabinet are
timid, vacillating and unreliable. Mr..
johnson, in short, is in the position
Of chieftain without an army, a
President without n party; and this,
too, when the prevailing public SEN
tlment of the country is clearly with
him and his simple and acceptable
policy of Southern restoration.
This is a singular state of things;
but there is something still more Gu
nous and remarkable in the fact that,
against an actual majority in the
House opposed to the reconstruction
scheme of Stevens and his commit
tee, they have carried it by vote of
two-thlrds upon the record. The
section of universal disfranchisement
till July, 1870. of the late rebelIious
Southern people, is the distinguish
f,,,>n of ol> o..
Without this section his plan is but a
rehash OF the Presidents policy,
clumsily put together. Upon this
third section, as upon the district
negro suffrage bill, a test vote indi-
Gated All actual majority against the
radicals; but, between Juggling cop
perheads and slippery conservatives.
Stevens first reversed this majority
and then carried his point by the re-
quired two-thirds vote.
Thus it has been demonstrated that
of the three political factions of
which this Congress is made up, the
only one possessing anything of
moral courage, consistency and stead
mess OF purpose is the radical fac
ton. The conservative republican
faction, as engineered by the trading
firm Of Seward, Weed and RAYMOND,
Is but faction of lobby jobbers and
professional riders Of two or three
horses at q time. Mr.. Raymond in
his course in Congress, in speaking
on one side and voting on both, and
all IN the same afternoon, is fair
sample of this conservative faction.
The copperhead faction, still infiamed
with the poisonous dregs of the Chi
cago Convention, still under their old
deluslon that the war was a failure.
are still intent upon discord and revo-
luton, fire, sword, confusion, anar-
chy, anything for new shuttle of
their old democratic cards. They
glorlfy johnson, they exalt him to
the seventh heaven; but they vote
for Stevens. II they can recover the
spolls and plumber of the Govern
ment by knocking the heads of John
son and Stevens together, and bv
tearing the Union war party to pieces,
what care they though the national
credit, the Union and the States are
consumed in the flames of another
civil war? The first was a failure to
them, the second may be Il success.
What other chance have they?
Now. without 4 party in Congress,
with less than the faithful corporal 5
guard Of John Tyler in either branch,
what can President johnson do?
There is an anti-radical majority in
the House, but it is made up of de
structive copperhcads and trading
conservatives. Both sets, as occasion
may serve, are at the service of Ste
vens. Thus situated, what can Pre-
sldcnt Johnson do? Do? He can
, do as Scipio did to get Hannibal out
) OF Italy. He can carry the war into
Africa. What can he DO? He can
. do what Jackson did when the in
triSues Of Calhoun threatened the
: policy OF the Administration. He can
dismiss his Cabinet, from first to last.
and appoint Il new one. He can play
the role of Jackson, or drift into the
wake of Tyler and Fillmore. The
people are with him; but like Her
cules, they require him first to put
his own shoulder to the wheel. The
people are confused with the discord
ant elements Of the existing Cabinet
AS the embodiment of the Presidents s
policy, it means anything that is most
convenient for easy sailing with Con-
gress. 1t begs tho question. Mr..
Seward belongs to an age that is
past; MIR. Stanton #as good war