Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1867-07-26
The Veto Message.

1uC CtU uAOnDceS3Ot
President johnson has now had his
third opportunity to record his inef-
fectual protest against the reconstruc-
ton policy Of Congress which has
been necessitated by his own course. |
Aided by his. two fiaw-picking adopts, |
Messrs. Stanbery and Black, he has
succeed IN raising as many objections
to the last act as he did to those of
which this is declaratory. And doubt
less, should any chance arise after
Congress adjourns, he will get his as
sistants to overthrow their own reas-
oning just as remorselessly as he did
when he declared, first, that one of
the previous acts gave despotic power
to the district commanders and then,
secondly, that it made them subordin-
ate to the local officers. There is
nothing so easy as finding fault, es-
pecially where no regard to consist
ency is kept up. When the President,
therefore, in this message, condemns
the present law because it annihilates
the rebel States, and then to proceed
to condemn it because its provisions
are incompatible with the existing
State authorities, he merely proves
that he is bent upon captious criticism,
without the least regard to fairness,
the interests Of truth or the welfare
Of the country.
Such document affords the most
striking proof of the necessity Of the
law against which it is aimed. 1t
shows that we have a Chief Magis-
trate who, having recklessly gone be-
yond the limits of his authority in
foi5ting his own decress upon the conn
try. turns about in his anger at being
checked by the peoples representa-
tives and leaves no stone unturned to
defeat the popular will and imperil
+ the restoration of the Union. For
every severe exercise of sovereign
power on the part of Congress at
the South he is nearly responsible,
/ and so he will appear on the pages
: Of history At this moment, he is try
+ ing to do more to excite diSatfectiOn
and disorder at the South than all the
men that filled the rebel Cabinet or
: led the rebel army. 1t is an act of
! fOrbearance that he is allowed to hole
S his place, which is justified only 10y
1 the fact that his power has come mere
ly to be a power of words and not oil
deeds so long as his chief energ,
is spent in railing at Congress, respec
J for his office and considerations OF
h quiet and eXpediency will warran
f its members in the course OF wis
d, federation from which, we are glad t.
see, they have resolved not to depart
The only CLEAN of good sense il
Il the Presidents veto message IS where
l. near the close, he refers this contro
is versy to the people Of the Union. II
e the people let it go. They would i'll
initely have preferred that the want
- Of reconstruction should have bee
\ met by the ordinary methods Of leg
n islation. They deprecate the pro
t. tracted exercise of military authority
] But they have had no choice. If the
could not-and how could they ?
allow the rebel cause, which with thei
best blood they overthrow in the iieI(
N to come with flying banners into COZ
troll of the Government, then the
Is had to lay out their contruiiing az
q thority Just in proportion to the oil
, stacIes interposed by the EXecutiy
Il and all others They have done n
IL more than this--they ought not /
as have done less. As a matter of fac
I'd the charge OF their despotic dispos
r. ton is as visionary IS q maniac
dream. The South is well governe
- There is more order, security of pr
eS perry end respect for the rights of a
he than has been known there since Sc
ad to say the least. If the present sy
an TEN is irksOmc in any respect, the
y. are TWO considerations which will Y
- appear to all, viz the system is mai
eli Iy due to Andrew Johnson, and it W
by be withdrawn the moment the Sout
ly ern people, turning a deaf ear to /
We instigations, shall fully return to the
:. allegiance 20 the Union.
" Boston JournC