The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1867-07-03

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT sICKLB AND
fsE iDlp1iBIxl1ltz.
: General Sickles forces the fighting in his /
letter asking to BE- relieved Of his command.
He puts before the nstion, stripped of all
disguises. in bold, distinct reality, the actual
point at issue-tlse point that the people
must see and understand before they can
satisfactorily determine who is right-the
poit in relation to which the President
would confuse popular vision that he
would cover up and overlap with all the fine
phrases of legal paiaver. It is Mr. Johnson's
desire and purpose to man0envre-tO ad-
vance and retreat-to watch the popular hu-
NOR and his own occasion-to keep this OBJ
ject secret from the people, and all the time
practically defeat the law by delay, and
thus between worry and disgust, weary the
nation outof It's now positive will. He counts
upon solid obstinacy in refusing to obey the
law, and upon jnstifying himself before the I
people by crying in and out OF season that
he refused obedience in the interest Of free
dom-that the law was tyrTanical. and de
molished by the one crisp sentence IN which
Sickles says the Attorney Generals declare
ton prevents the execution of the Recon-
struction acts, disarms me of means t0prOtect
life, properly or the rights Of citizens, and me-
naces all interests in these States with min"
Here is testimony as to what the President
is doing for reconstruction. He who testiies ID
soldier and lawyer-a man nobly known
for his good record in the wM-a man of
acute intellect and high sense of his hon
orable responsibility. He has had practical
experience of the operation of the Recon-
struction act during two months, and he
testifes that on the foundation laid in that
statute the social fabric of the Southern
States was going up well-that the abroga-
ton of the law menaces all interests in
those States with ruin,n and that the Presi-
dents Interpretation abrogates and nullifes
it. In these words full light is thrown on
the Presidents course, and the issue between
the President and Congress is put before the
people.
This same outspoken soldier once before
held high command in dangerous hour
when the hot July sun was blazing down
ON the little town of Gettysburg and the
open country near. Then the army had COM
mander appointed to his high place only
three days before, and this commander had
Just hastily concetrated several corps in
the presence of an enemy flushed with the
recent triumphs. He would have been a
more than commonly bold man if the
thought of maneuvring somewhat in the
presence of the enemy had not crept INTO his
mind. Yet the word maneuvre uttered then
would have sickened the heart of the army
and paralyzed the country. Lee had gone
round our right wing in Virginia as if our
army had a toy general-had swept across
Maryland and into Pennsylvania, and talk
ed of Harrisburg and Philadelphia. Pllila-
delphians were getting their valunbles ready
for the New York train. But the army of
the Potomac was coming on,singing its John
Brown chorus all the way, and on the LIST
OF July it was so hard on the heels of Lee
that he had to turn and face it. It had
caught him in the broad Pennsylvania fields
in fagrante delicto, and had him out of his
swamps and woods, on solid Northern
ground, face to face. What would manGu-
vre have been then-man&uvre with more or
less of possible retreat what but shame and
disgrace2 The cards were drawn for an
open, straightforward, stand up fight. The
army and the county saw this yet the omi-
nous word maneuvre was certainly whis-
pered in high places, and the long second
day was going by without battle Maneu-
vre was getting the best of the discussion,
perhaps. But while the discussion was 60
ing on, suddenly the, roar of battle was
| heard on the left. What could it mean r.
The commander did not know. But it was
soon explained. One of our corps was in mo
ton; its general saw the enemy on his
front; thought the enemy was coming at
him, and so went at the enemy. The ques
ton of manGvuring and rctreating was set
tled-tbe country was saved by great vic
tory, and Lee driven to the Potomac. The
general who went at the enemy was Sickles,
and the country owes him its gratitude for
| forcing the fighting then, and not less def
| Unite debt for the same sort of action now !;
for an equivocal course would be as danger
GUS as it might have been then. -
Let the nation contrast Gen. Sickles' opin-
| ion of the Reconstruction law with the Off
cial administration view concocted between
the President and his Attorney General. It
is not SO long, and is immensely clearer
Without the power given by the law he can
| not protect life, property or the rights of cit
liens, and in view Of its abrogation ruin
"menaces every Interest," Yet this is the
law upon which the President has exercised
a veto power by Interpretation. The law
says mo legal State governments exist in
the rebel States" and this is interpreted
to be giving Of power to the governments
it endeavors to deprive of power. What is
this T" Interpretation" but veto and defiance
contempt of the legislative power Of the peo-i
ple2 Some time ago the Washington organ
Of the administration urged that an inter
| probation of the law should be put before
| the several commanders /" in such shape that
no military officer would dare to treat it with
contempt Or indifference It is now for Con-
gress in its July session to put the national
will before the President in just that way-so
that hewill not dare to disobey il, to defy tito
treat it with contempt and trample upon it,
q he has done on the law already made. It
is difficult to see how q law can be made
stronger than the military BILL, The prob
lem Of the hour is not how to make the law
stronger, but how to force its enforcement
upon logged and hostile Executive. This
is the point for the deliberations of the July
session.-N, r Herald. ssasasg
DAMAGE DOVE 10 CRors BY THE RECENT
| RAINs.-The effect Of the recent rains upon
the crops in all the Eastern portion of the
State has been most disastrous The damage
sustained by planters in Brunswick, Bladen,
New Hanover, Onslow, Duplin, Sampson,
a \ ~ Z - Z =