The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-03-08
ANDREW JOHNSON.

It is not often that power has to be thrust upon
men. Far more numerous are the instances Wnere
ambitious men have "waded through slaugnter
to throne, and shut the gates of mercy on man
kind This grand, noble, and very exceptional ct
titude has been occupied by the President: al
most ever since his elevation to his present high
position. The Freedman's Bureau Bill, We believe,
was the first Legislative act Of the ssth Congress-
vetoed by the President; and yet this same Dill
proposed to confer great power and very extensive
natronaee upon the Executive. This self-abnega"
tion and entire disinterestedness was exempifed
in still more remarkable manner in the history
of the recent Reconstruction Act. On the one
hand, Mr.. JOHNSON saw power, absolute ana 1re-
sponsible, conferred upon him, such as no mon
arch in England has possessed in i've hundred
vears on The other, in case he refused to afx hls
signature to the bill, be knew perfectly well that it
would become a law, s'his objections to the con-
trary Notwithstanding" and moreover, mad the
impeachment hdnging in terrorem over him.
Had he loved power, regardless OF the means oy
which it is attained, he would have signed the BILL
Had he merely consulted his ease, he would have
Welded to the demands Of Congress. To such
course it is said, he was solicited also by many OF
his friends. But no neither the cry Of faction,
the slander and abuse Of selfish and unprincipled
politicians, nor yet the threats and even dangers
threatening persistence in his policy, could mako
him swerve one iota from the course he had de-
Iberately adopted the course Of right and JUS
tice the course indicated by the Constitution OF
his country.
Congress-, by it's recent action, offered the Presi-
dent noysr in the Southf States, falling short IN
nothing of that welded ~ dEAeH4s KHAN, the
Sultan of Turkey, the Czsr Of Russia, or any other
absolute monarch, of whom history gives record
Yet this offer of illimitable power he magnanl-
mously declines. It was not thus with CROMWELL,
or RoBrsp1ERRE and bis fellowleaders in the
French Revolution. It was not thus that either
the arst or the second NAPOLEON acted, upon less
temptation than was here presented to Mr. JOHN
SON.
History can show no precedent for ssuch noble
act. The strife between legislatures and execu-
tiyes has always bsen of contrary character. The
King, Emperor, President, Governor. or by what
ever other title he may hold the chief executive
Office Of the State has ever been disposed to tres
pass upon the liberties of his subjects, or the peo-
pe and one of the principal functions OF leglsla-
tive assemblies certainly their chief endeavor-
has always been to repress such infringement.
But in this instance Congress bestowed upon the
President of the United States the powers OF q
Gar and he declines to WELD such sway over nine
millions Of defenceless people.
When this refusal of Mr.. JOHNSON is considered
in connection with the threats about his inpeach-
ment and removal from Office, and the initlatory
steps already taken TO institute such prosecution
then his position becomes one OF sublimlty. A
contemporary draws the following parallel ''The
conspirators who near the foot of PoMPEY's statue
thrust their daggers to the heart Of tho ambitious
CESAR, thus punished him for too ready an &C.
ceptance of the purple Of royalty. But Congress
proposes to immediate the President because he
will not become, with his five brigadier subordi-
mates, despot over the ten Southern States"
The message of the President, accompanying
his veto Of the Reconstruction Bill, is the most
searching and thorough in it's exposition Of the
heinous cruelty contemplated by Congress against
the Southern States. It holds up the frames Of
this law to the execration of all mankind for he
shows clearly and incontestabiy that the entire
measure is neither more nor less than the wanton
exercise of reckless power on the part Of an un-
generous conqueror, over people defeated and at
his mercy.
It is as yet uncertain what tho new Congress- will
do in regard to the impeachment, but the proba-
bites are all on the side Of itB vigorous prosecu-
ton Generals BUTLER and LOGAN, both ambi-
tious of the Radical leadership, are pressing this
question Mr.. WADE, the new President Of the
Senate, is understood to favor the impeachment'
not perhaps altogether uninhuenced BY certain re-
versionary honors and dignites, to be his in case
Of Mr.. JoHNsoN's deposition, perhaps in the event
even Of his mere trial.
Mr. JOHNSON, thus far, has proven to the world
that he shirks not responsibility, and cannot be
intinidated