The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-01-30
n N-The DAILY
CHARLE ES TON

MED acih the casa. --------z
CHARLEST ON.
WEDNESDAY MORNING, JANUARY 80, 1867.
---------O on THE FENCE.
The ssIittle Villain" of the New York Times ap-
pears to be ambitious of gaining the title OF 2r!-
n,er. His political shiftings are OF such requens
recnrrence. that il is not easy to Keep pace WIN
them. On the floor Of the House, recently, speak
inc, ON STEVENS Reconstruction Bill, he SAID tnat
the will Of the people The means the Kao1cas o.
the North we suppose OF late had settlea se'ei@
Questions. One Of them is that they nave eA-
,raa,ad their dissatisfactihn with the Presidents
nlea Of reorganization; that he himself Slr. Ray
roxn, had. eoncurtcd in the Presidents opinion
and still thought that if that course hao poen
taken in the early period OF tho dlsumon' u "ouu
have conduccd largely to heal the poay Poh'lc'
But that policy would not answer nov.
IT is clear, Also he said that the people had pro-
rounced the Constitutional Amendment OF laat
.ess;n az tho wisest and best basis OF adjustments
Of which the question was susceptible; anu tnas
H., .,.,ople had decided, furthermore, that they
nonl,; rather trust this whole subject to Congress
than 70 the Executive.
After ,.dr.,tting this much, mildly admonlshlne
b;a hearers, as it were that he VAS not going 20
oppose anything very violently, that ho was very
ranentaat Of former ho.esy, and hencetorth meant
TO veto with the maiorty,Ahe goes Oh to say that
the governments now in operation in tie SOUTH
ern States were de faclo governments, absolntely
pacas.ary for tho protect.n of society thero, end
hett.r than stale Of anarchy. Ho submitted that
tbe establishment Of martial law would give no all
ditonal protection to life and property N tho
Soutb. because it would depend for its execution
~, the President, and if he did not execute tho
| Freedmen's Bureau Bill or the Civil fi.hts Bill,
how could thev calculate Lis executing martial
lew? Referring to the provisions OF the b:l,
which declares that any abrogation or change OF
tha conditions imposed would cause forfeiture OF
representation in Congress-, he expressed his con-
y;ction that if those States Nere in tho Union,
unGer and by virtue Of tho Constitution, Congress
would have no shadow Of right for forfeiting thor
reuresontaton; and it the Constitution we're bind
inr on Congress it could not enact into law the
bill now proposed, though thero are those who
.hink th.t Congress can act without reference TO
| the Constitution on the subject.
| The Supreme Court, however, had declared that
the constitution must be the supreme law tor the
whole people, for rulers and the people, uD aer al
circumstances Mr. RAYMOND said that he was
not prepared to side with those who th:ak Gon.
press is not bound. by the Constitution, nor could
he agree with the Supreme Court. He S''i!is c: E
cumstances should alter cases. In other words,
Mr.. RAYnoND, although bo2nd hand and foot, self
| delivered to his Radical masters, still throws ont
mild protests; whether to save his conscience, or
to make feint show Of consistency, it we're diff
cult to say.
One objection, he stated, that he had to the Con-
stitutionsl Amendment submitted last session,
was that it did not embody all the guarantees
which he thought the action required; that the
Constitution should distinctly state, that here
after any State should seoede, such State should
thereby forfeit all share OF power in the govern
mont Of the Republic. His objection to Mr.
eT1vENs' Bill was that it merely proposed law;
there is nothing stable in it. The Supreme Court
might unnul it; or another Congress might repeal
it.
Mr.. STEVENS Bill, he said, would simply implant
in every Southern State q revolutionary govern
ment. There would be two governments in each
State then contending for ascendency, and it was
impossible that they should not come into col.
lision II might be said that the power Of the na-
ton would besexerted to sustain the now to be
organized. But, who would WELD that power 7
The President, not Congress. Looking at this
Bill from practical point Of view, it was plain
that its enactment would simply organize q now
conflict in every one OF those Southern States.
This Bill therefore, would perpetuato strife, and
nothing more.
Now, If this means anything, tits strong argu-
ment for impeaching the President with view to
his removal. But this, We know, is not Mr. RAY
MoND's intention, tor the New York IFmcs Of
which he is the editor, has uniformly pronounced
against it. A few days ago. in it's editorial columns,
it published communication signed ''EFee Soil,'
which, it is understood, WAS written by Mr. Ray
,IoNn himself, presenting most powerful argu-
mont against the impeachment Of the President by
Congress; pointing to the financial crisis already
brought on by the mere agitation Of the subject,
and showing that a terrible revolution and most
sanguinary civil war must bo the inevitable conse-
quences Of further prosecution Of the present
course Of the dominant party in Congress. Now,
in wow Of Ill this, what can Mr. RAYMOND mean
in his speech, in thus apparently urging upon
Congress the necessity Of an impeachment 2
Ho next proceeded to say Few words in favor
of a national" government. The consolidation
Of 81 o7ernment was going on all over the world,
SO tina. it wls not soutmont peculiar to the
American people. People were becoming in fa7or
Of strong governments everywhere, as instanced
in the recent history Of France. Italy, Germany
and tho British North American Provinces; but
consolidation should. be kept within limits aid
watched with jealous care" AS vel talk Of regu-
lating a tornado. Tho truth is, We are cvcn ROW
in the very midst OF revolution, aud ar. RAY
xoNDs feeble protests can be likened TO nothing
better than tue attempt Of tho celebrated Mrs.
Partington, when, in her simplicity, she csaayed
to keep out the Atlantic with pitchfork. Finally
lie wound up this extraordinary. trimming speech
by saying he believed that if strife did come tho
nation would eiuorge out Of it stroug hearty free
preserving its liberty es republic, and enforcing
is respect all the nations of the earth by the
strength, the sel-comnnand, the adherence to sub
startial justice aid right which it would never
cease to exhibit.
Now, to which party belongs Alr. RAYMOND?
Certainly not to the Democratic, or the Johnson
Conservative, nor yet to tho Radicals. Hc would
fain, We presume, establish an cclocticism, Per-
haps he is ambitious of emulating HENRY C1AY's
position, and desires to so down to posterity as
the great compromiser. But nc fear he is not tho
nsn Tor the times, and, if known at all to the next
generation, it will be only as the Little Villain
Of the Times.