The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-09-18
Aitl,mond 1ispatth.
WEDNESDAY,. ..sEPTEMBER IS, 1867,
President Johnson's Views ON the
State OF tho Countrywide Amnesty
proclaim alton.

WashinS;on dispatches to the Boston Post.
The Presidents late proclamations hay
inc given rise to much speculation as to
,hcir purpose and practical bearing upon
the country, it may be interesting to know
what the author himself thinks and says
BOARDING them. In social conversation
today ! vcnturcd to inquire Of his Excel
,cncv lis views Of the proclamation de-
claring the supremacy Of the Constitution,
and his special object in publishing the
same. admitted that the purpose was
r,fcnt on the face of the document, but
ina, many persons proieSscd not to be able
70 comprehend its practical bearing. lie
-cpTcd that there were two parties in the
limits. the other openly processing to act
outside Of the Constitution. His purpose
WAS TO call the attention Of each and every
o2;ccr and cmployc a: the Govern
mint to this fact, that he might clearly
understand his duty, and, under
standing, perform it. Our Constitution,
w. said, was the citadel OF our freedom,
the wall which cnyironS and protects
rs all. But another purpose which he had
in view was TO assure the country that the
authority Of the Federal Judiciary would
he unhinchngly maintained in all the
States. | called the Presidents attention
10 the correspondence published to-day
between General Ord and Colonel Gilbert,
in which the latter claims that General
ord and his Subordinates were not the SER
wants. hut rather the masters Of the peo-
ME. He replied that it was but one Of
the legitimate fruits Of the Radical teach
iurs Of the day that public officers were
moi bound by their oaths, but might act
"ogtsdc Of the Constitution; this very
case, he said, illustrated the necessity for
his proclamation. Colonel Gilbert seems
to have lost sight Of the fact that ours was
a constitutional government, and that he
wa, bound to respect the law. When
military officer could thus forget that the
people were the sovereign, and could as
sume that he was one Of their mas
tiers, the President said he thought
i, was high time that attention should
be specially called to the requirements Of
the Constitution and the true principles of
our Government. He spoke in fattering
terms Of General Ord, and heartily APP
proved the noble rebuke which the Gene
raj administered 10 Colonel Gilbert. / in
CURED what he thought would be the
practical effect Of the amnesty procla-
nation. He promptly replied "to restore
The parties to all their rights-to place
them precisely where they were before
the war. The suffrage question was one
10 be determined by the courts, and not by
the executive branch Of the Government"
Including TO the future, he said he had no
ica what Congress would do, but he be-
lieycd the people would take care that
their Government was not subverted and
destroyed. So far as he was concerned, he
should exercise every constitutional power
IN its defence, but that the great con-
;golling power was in the hands of the
people themselves, and his firm conviction
was that they would use it wisely and eff
GENTLY. The late elections in California
and Maine served only to fix lis confidence
in the "sobcr second thought of the peo-
VI, :