The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1867-03-28

rights and by an act q VS., III u0I
all such pardons and charters VOID, ana thae
no sdispensation by non abstante OF or 70
any statute or any part Thereon pe aiioweo.
British ancestorsf But at the most the par
dons extend to but $4,000 out OF 10000
wealthy belligerents. While there is not the
least pretence in law that the President, by
pardon or otherwise, can wrest this property
from the Government, yet 1t is melancholy
that the Executive should confederate with
traitors, and by his own act and on his own
individual responsibility attempt to take
billions out of the Treasury of the United
States to enrich bloody traitors; to impose
burdens on the loyal men who rlsked lie
and property to save the nation, that tawn-
ing rebels might live in affluence and glorlfy
him. But even if all those now pardoned
were beyond our reach, there are still sever
al thousands who were not shielded by these
potential charters. That will suffice for the
small sum which this bill requires. While
| all must mourn over the melancholy specta-
Gle of the attempted robbery of loyal men
and the suffering relations of the martyrs OF
liberty, by one who should be their guard
ian, let us deal fairly, and place the respon-
+sibility wllers it justly belongs Andrew
Johnson before he was President, held, as
we have seen, the following language. In
SpCtCH dlTSdu1 W. hit'esS AZ Wv 1890
ner OF 1864, he said:
"Wby all this carnage and devastation? 1t was
| that treason might be put down and traitors
| punished; therefore i say that traitors should
| take back scat in the work of reconstruction
| mo ''restOrati0n" then l say the traitor has
| lion has become public enemy. lie forfeited
his right to vote with loyal men when he re-
nounced his citizenship and sought to destroy
our Government Then there was no being in
| q TT,,;a nd led tn
! Treason must be made odious, and traitors must
| be punished and impoverished. Their great plan
tations must be seized and divided into small
| farms, and sold to honest, industrious men. The
day for protecting the lands and negroes of these
authors of rebellion is past. 1t is high time it
was. l have been most deeply panied at some
things which have come under my observation
We get men in command who, under the infu-
| cnce of hattery, fawning and carcssing, grant
protection to the traitor, while the poor Union
man stands out in the cold, often unable to get q
receipt or voucher for his losses.'
How we'll he describes men when they get
in command "who under the influence of
fattery, fawning, and carcssing, grant pro-
lection to traitors, while loyal Union men
stand out in the cold" For some time after
he " got in command' he held the same hon
est language. But, unfortunately, he had
inherited the Prime Minister, the chief bane
of his predecessor, who, oily and adroit
gradually gained his confidence and misled
his Judgment. He boasts that the plan of
the Administration is his plan, invented by
him and carried on by him. This is doubt
less true. 1t cannot be the Presidents plan,
for it &C ntradicts all his well considered de-
clarations. But in process of time he was
| beouiled While he was clothed and in
| his right mind" he uttered the thoughts and
sentiments of craftsmanship but Seward
entered into him, and ever since they have
both been running down the steep places in
to the sea. Nor do expect he will be cast
out without sore rending." Without i'm
peaching the motives of the President, it is
the duty of Congress in v1ndication of its
proper rights and prerogatives to declare
that he has arrogated to himselfpowers, and
attempted to do and enforce acts for which
he can find no warrant in the Constitution
and laws of the nation. Invested as he is
with the command of the army and navy,
with all the executive powers of the different
Departments, if he should be permitted to
usurp still further powers, and take control of
the States, and the organization of Congress,
is there not danger that some future EXecu-
tive, some ambitious Caesar, will cross the
Rubicon and march his legions upon the
capital? While protecting the President in
the exercise of all his legitimate duties, and
in times of national peril making large al
lowance for patriotic acts of a doubtful le-
gality, great care should be taken that he
does not draw to himself all the powers of
government. and thus enable him to become
despot This is one of the sacred duties
of Congress, which if they fail to discharge
they deserve the severest censure, for they
betray nation; nay more, they betray the
cause of universal liberty. To maintain this
position Is difficult, and requires great forti-
| g,
human nature to yield to the smiles or the
the frowns of power! How difficult to de-
termine to cast from you all chance of inf1u-
ence and patronage! How difficult to
resist the temptations of office and emolu-
ment And yet this must be done, or this
great people, instead of being free, will become
the heritage of tyrants. Ten States of this Un-
ion have cast off their allegiance, and, by the
common acknowledgment of all, have forfeit
cd all their rights under the Constitution.
To become again Legitimate States in the
Union, so as to entitle them to equal rights
with the other States, the Constitution re-
quires the sanction of Congress. It matter,
not whether such power is attributed to the
provision to admit new States, or to tho
clause guaranteeing republican forms of
government; in either case Congress is the
only power authorized to act; so has the
| Supreme Court of the United States decided
in Luther agt. Borden, and elsewhere. The
law-making power providing for the case,
the Presidents whole functions are to execute
the laws. If the "Confederate States Of
America are conquered power, the Presi-
dent, as a Commander-in Chief, may hold
them in military rule until the sovereign
power of the nation declares by what laws
they shall be governed. Sovereignty rests
with the people, and is exercised through
their representatives in Congress. But the
President has assumed not only the military
control of those conquered States, but he hs.
attempted to give the force of laws to his
proclamations and DEGREES, whereby he has
determined what acts shall entite them to
all the rights of States in the Union. He
has imposed upon them forms ofgovernment
without their consent, and without the con-
sent of Congress. He has allowed small
minority of their votes to register his coz
stitution, and without submitting them to
the ratification of the people, he has declared
them legitimate organic laws and the State,
reconstructed" He has imperiously re-
quired of Congress to treat them as equal in
all their rights to the loyal States, without
inOuirinp whether they arc aOtitled m roy