Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1867-09-20
The Possible Danger.

There are those who .pOoh pooh the idea |
tina. Mr.. President johnson will attempt 10
settle his controversy with Congress uy loIoe
n arms. and there are those who expect
nothing less. Mr.. Geo. William Curtis the
editor of Harper's Weekly, Is by no means
an alarmist and when be says as ne uocs
in the last number of that paper that 1t Il
both possible and probable that Nh johnson
will undertake to maintain his POSITION IN
,be last resort, by force, it Will not be de-
MED that there is some ground tor appre-
bension. The National IHtelhgenoeT, winch
ia understood to be inspired directly from
tho White House. declares significantly that
.,be President is the Judge of those public
events and combinations which threaten the
overthrow of the Constitution, and 1t urges
him to employ all his authority to preserve
the Constitution and put down what II calls
ga widespread conspiracy to overthrow the
Constitution in the enforcement OF the ne
construction act"
What is it that is thus threatened
What can Mr.. johnson do? He can refuse
TO execute the recent laws, pronouncin4
,h.,n unconstitutional. lie can refuse 10
answer a. summons of impeachment, OF 10
obey an enactment suspending him. during
his ,,,al before the Senate. lie can under
take to break up Congress, as Cromwell did
the British parliament, by marching in a hl'
of soldiers and clearing the Halls al ih'
point of the bayonet.
of course when such things are proposed
or thought of, the first question Is as TO VIVA
armed force Mr.. johnson can rely on ant
when we consider this point, the fear Oh
c.up detat must lessen considerably uian
is true as steel, and with HIM as acting Se
cre,erv of War and General-in-chief OF tn
armv, there is no possibility OF danger
Even If he were suspended from those posi-
tions. and tools of the President Put
his place, the army could not be reiied On D
Mr. Johnson 10 sustain him IN any aTbltTar
and illegal effort. 1t is not a supPosaDl
case that the great mass of the officers oil a.
grades, will not side with Grant and Shefi
dan. and Sickles, and Thomas, and Schoheld
and sustain in any event the government
for which they have fought, and the Oon
gress of the People, against any wOuld-b
usurper, be he who he may.
With tools of the President IN the che
places of command. of course the L. ;. iorc1
could be so scattered as not to be availabl
for the protection Of Congress, and in th'
case we suppose some Maryland or bord'
State militia might be secured for his pur
pose by Mr.. johnson; but even IN that cas-
the difficulties Of his attempt would be ire
mendous. Reckless and besotted as And
johnson is, we do not believe he dares fac
the uprising of the people, the tumult an
the peril to himself, that would follow an
such action on his part.
On the whole the most that we expect
that be will undertake to overawe Congre'
BY threats, and We do not believe that muc
can be accomplished by him in that way
1t is possible, however, that he may under
take to feel his way cautiously towards som
arbitrary scheme, under color Of protoc'io
for the Constitution. The first indication
that would be likely to be seen in the sur
pension OF Gen. Grant from ms control
the army, ard till that takes place, We ma
dismiss the apprehension Of a coup d'eiat
fresh collisions of arms between the traitor
and the loyal men of the republic.