Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1866-09-21
A Remarkable Article from a Semi official
Paper-The Troubles III Pr0speet-G ener-
al Grant may be made Dictator.

A Remarkable Article from Semi-o official
paper-The Troubles III pr0speet-Gener
al Grant may be. made Dictator.
The New York Times of Wednesday has
the following remarks upon the troubles
threatening the country, the course the
President would likely pursue, and the pos
sibility that General Grant will become su-
preme Ruler;
BY lay, Congress consists of 241 mcm-
bers, and by law, ALSO a majority Of the
whole number, or 121 members, constitute
quorum. Suppose that members elected
from the Southern States should meet in De-
cember, 1867, and be enough, added to
Northern members who believein their right
to representation, and who would meet with
them to constitute a quorum and suppose
the Northern members who do not believe
the South entitled to representation, and who
would not meet with them, should meet by
themselves, constituting less than a quorum
Of the whole number. The Pittsburg Chron-
iclc begins to see the possibility of such an
occurrence and it also sees that the Presi-
dent will be under the necessity Of rccog-
nizing one or the other of these bodies as the
valid constitutional House of Representa-
tiyes. He must send his message to the one
or the other. He must sign bills passed by
the one or the other He must treat one or
the other as branch Of Congress- and the
other as having no such authority. And
under the circumstances assumed, there can
be very little doubt, in view of his known
opinions on the subject, that President john
son will recognize the numerical quorum
the body which contains majority of all the
menlbers-as the only body authorized by
the Constitution to make laws for the United
States. He will probably send his message
to that body he will sign the bills they pass,
if concurred in by the Senate, and he will
not recognize the acts Of the other as valid
in any respect. The Senate, on the contra
ry, will recognize a majority from all the
States 6utten, even if they are minority of
the whole, as the real Congress, and as
clothed with all the powers Of Legislation.
Here, certainly, is danger of a collision Of
authority. We have foreseen it, and have
warned the country Of it. The Radicals
have foreseen it, and have been preparing
for it. They have not concealed their pur-
pose, in such an event, to appeal to force,
and rouse the country to another conflict Of
arms.
i x * x 4 4
General Grant maintained, and still main
tains, lis personal independence. He is re-
served, by those singular and unmatched
personal qualities which hold him aloof
from all factious and seditious schemes, for
the supreme hour Of trial which may await
our beloved Republic. And stranger things
have happened in human history than
wotld be the salvation of the7nation from
the perils of a new civil war, by a sponta-
neous comnlittal of its destinies to his con
troll
APEAYER FOR PARDON As the President
was passing to the stairs Of Wizards Hotel
after speaking, during his recent visit to Lou
isville, thirty mine little naidens scattered
flowers under his feet as he passed, and when
he arrived at the end Of their line, having
stopped occasionally to kiss one Of their sweet
innocent faces, one Of them handed him the
following beautiful petition praying for the
release from prison of Mr. Davis, which the
President very kindly received. promising to
read it at bis first leisure moment and give
it his consideration:
70 his Eaccz7ency ANDREW johnson, P,esi-
dent Of the United States Of 44naerica:
Honored Sir-Ihe undersigned, little 81 rls
of the city of Louisville and of the State OF
Kentucky, taught by our mothers to venerate
you as the nations head and the peoples
friend, moved by sympathy for one who once
stood your peer in the councils Of the nation,
do most respectfully present this prayer in
his behalf, and in behalf Of an angushed
mother and grief-stricken little ones
That you release from prison, on parole or
otherwise, as may seem best to you, Jefferson
Davis, late President Of the 'so-called Confed-
crate States Of America" If our Chief Mag
istrate shall find it consistent with his sense
Of duty to the nation to grant our prayer,
millions Of little ones shall rise up and call
him blessed
LOUISVILLE, September II, 1866.