Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1867-09-11
The Criminals Subterfuge.

If the Presidents power for mischief WAS
equal to his inclination, the country would
have reason to apprehend serious trouble
from his persistent efforts to defeat the exc
cution of the laws, and prevent the recon
structIon of the South according to the enact
ments of the supreme legislative power of the
United States w hat evidence wanting
Of Mr.. Johnsons disposition to hinder and
prevent the execution of the laws of the land
the proclamation which we print elsewhere
furnishes. This pretentious proclamation Is
full Of lies Whether the notorious Binckley
composed its sylI0gistic whereases or not may
i.e never known, but it is quite like the pro-
auctions of that worthy, who manufacture
TO order opinions for Mr. .Iolrnson'> conduct
The whereases lie in fact. and lie still moro
in inference II this were all. however. L q
would not be dangerous. The spirits ct d
are seldom capable Of much harm when they
appear in their own dress and form Ii il
only when they appareled angclr &,
light that they mIslead any but Wiling duTes
And this proclamation if it was on its fuc,
a defiance Of Congress and denial OF the Itr-
thority of law. would only ruin It's autier
but it insists upon devotion to the constitution
and the laws. while the proclamati ia ir~eli
Is intended as fatal stab at the authority
Of the reconstruction acts Of the last CDngrr5-
The Chief Magistrate l., it Is true. sworn
to support the constitution and the laws. Il
this oath he is charged with the execute II ol
all the laws, except such may have IccIi
declared unconstitutional by the Supreme
Court. 1t IL. therefore. much the prc-i-
dents duty 10 execute the reconstruction
laws. as any other laws Of the land lie
cannot refuse to obey them because m think
them unconstitutional, for that would make
the President the final judge Of their consti-
tutionality, and he might thus nulliiy every
law. And this duty of obedience to the law
rests upon all officers, civil and military. moi
excepting the Supreme Court, well : upon
the President, and cannot be evaded by any
fne-spun logic about the supremacy OF the
constitution Nothing but the ultimate de
cision Of the Supreme Court upon the law
itself, can relieve any officer or any citizen
from his obligation to obey the laws Of the
land
Tho President s discourse about the consti-
tuition, then, il out Of time and out Of place
When an enactment is under discussion its
conformity to the organic law may he prop
erly considered, but after it is passed it Is the
duty of the President to drop that discussion.
and treat it, like every other law. is valid
Unless he docs this he makes himself the
Judge of the law and not its --ees. ton " hef
:. bill has been passed over his veto. he can
no longer question its validity without be
coming guilty of the most serious crime which
the Chief Magistrate can commit and If he
may not further question its constitutionaIitv.
he must enforce it according to the plain let
ter of its provisions
The letter of the reconstruction laws i
not of doubtful meaning it makes the mil
itary authority supreme in the states named
Because this supremacy of the military over
the civil power was, in the opinion IF Mr.
johnson, unconstitutional he vetoed the bills |
But Congress took different view Of the
subject, and passed the bills by two-thir,i- |
vote. The bills thus became laws as much as |
though they had the Presidents arr-ovaI |
and nothing remained for Mr.. johnson but |
to execute them. In North Carolina Gen |
SIckles' authority was superior to the process
of any court, until the Supreme Court decided |
the law unconstitutional and this it has not |
yet done. Gen. Sickles had. therefore, full |
right TO disregard the process of the United |
States Court and order its officials not 10 exc
cute such process. Whether he should in |
terfere at all was wholly matter of expedi- |
cncy and policy. affecting the work oi re- |
constitution. and not at all a matter Of con- |
stitutional law. Yet, because Cen Sickle, |
did what the reconstruction acts fully Iueji- |
fed him in doing, President johnson in effect |
declares that he is in instruction against |
the laws of the United States and as Gen |
Grant approved of Gen Sickles course zen |
Grant IL in the same boat, and must be con- |
sidered as receiving his share Of this rrc-i |
Dental Illumination.
1t is becoming more and more apparent |
every day that Mr.. johnson. instead Of exc
cutting the laws of the land. is doing what
he can to encourage resistance TO those Iaws
This proclamation is only the felon's cry If
stop thief Either the President veto
messages were all nonsense, or his present
construction of the bills he vetoed has 10
color of reason. He said then that the bills
left the civil power wholly at the mercy OF
the military. lie now prctends that Gen.
Sickles is in instruction against the laws of
the United States for holding and acting upon
that opinion Mr. johnson was either dis
honest then or he is criminal now and the
people are rapidly coming to the conclusion
that he is criminal now. Instead Of being
the executor of the law, he in effect nulIifes
the law. If nothing will arrest his Iaw-defy-
ing course but impeachment, that remedy
cannot be too soon resorted to- |