Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-02-19

? it is now enrieling baser sort OF niel
: and the legal mercenaries, the clerk
2 a ft0rneys and marshals, who by ezhorh
tant fees plunder and despOil thOi
whom war has already impOverishe
5 and ruined.
In the estimation Of those who posse
power, especially under the sanction Of
! church in alliance with il, or by divin
right, there Is no crime 40 heinous as lh
attempt to deprive them Of tha
r power. or to define or limit
by constitutional or other safeguard.
. During the wars Of the LeagU
in France, and in the Roses-of England
what was treason one day became 10y
atty the next. William the ConquerO
was but the military chief Of his peers
Treason then was venial and readil,
eondoned and when eOndoned, the Of
fense was effaced, as il it never hai
been. No church excommunicated th
noble who took up arms against his SUI
Grain. To-day in arms against ia.
crown, tomorrow he will be an officer o
the court. We find the law the same Il
the time Of Henry the Fourth Of Franc,
and Richard the First Of England. So /.
was in Scotland ia thedays Of Bruce anC
Ballot. It was only when the plan wa
I adopted of cutting down unsparingly the
/ tallest wheat-eaFs, in the persons Of the
| great mobiles, in order to consolidate the
power of the crown, that treason be-
came more difficult Of pardon. Louis
/ NI., and Louis XIV, Henry VIII, Eiiz.
abeth and James /. made it an unpar-
/ donable crimsin those whom it was theii
I intention to murder.
MARTIAL Saw FoR THE SOUTH
From the New York WOrlu-
Saturdays debate in the house on the
/ bill for putting the south under martial
2 law F0retokens that it viii not receive q
majority sufficient to carry it over the
veto. The dag it was introduced, Sir.
Stevens. who lad charge Of il, exhibited
much Of the dietatorial arrogance with
which he bore sway at the last session.
7 { looked a. if fhe bill was To be driven
through witheut debate by the sheer
force Of Ovefbearing party discipline.
On Thursday, Stevens wavered, doubling
if he had backing enough to strangle de
bate. On Friday, has power was tested.
The previous question was voted down
bv a large majority. The radical ranks
being thus broken, and the widest scope
opened for debate, the general east Of the
discussion, On Saturday, gave glimpses
of such a decentralization OF Stevensis
phalanx, as Indicates that the martial
law bill will fail, and that an attempt
will soon be made towards genuine re-
construction.
The decline and fall Of Thad. Stevens
ascendency can be as easily explained as
its sudden rise. The sharp crack of his
whip, which axtorted ready submission
before the congressional elections, has
lost its terror SINCE. At the last session,
all the members Of the house and one
third Of the members of the senate were
anxious about the expiration Of their
terms The republican part of them
knew that if they were reelected, il
could only be in pursuance of regular
nomination, and that the aggressive in-
tolerance of the radicals, who were a
majority of the party in almost
every district, would defeat every
candidate whose course during the
last session they disapprOved. II
Stevensis cry of mad-dog were raised
against them, they were doomed, aud
they had no liberty Of action. Now that
the elections are past, many moderate
republicans are disposed 70 eXerc So
more independence. They viii prefer
to see the reconstruction question settled
at an early day, in order that the public
mind NAV be eugrOssed with other cues
tiOns before their claims are again sub
mitted to the people. The passions eX-
cited by the war viii gradually abate
under the soothing influence OF time.
Many rOrecssung politicians who tiOaJed
into power on the tl0Od-tide of those
passions, will take care not to be left
high and dry by the cob.
Another cause, which is Just coming
into activity, will have a constantly
growing influence. We refer TO the
presidential availability Of Gen. Grant
IL was inevitable that he should be
thought of ia that connection sfter his
great military Successes, and the rare
prudence and reticeuce with which he
has bourne himself since the war, favor
his chances. He has been especially
chary of party eOmmittals, or Of binding
himself by antecedents which would
interfere with the most perfect freedom
of action in any future exigencies Of the
country. It il easy to see that he Is
too valuable a trump to he played
out at random in an early stage
OF the game Now il is evident 70
all his friends, whether republicans or
democrats, that the great strength Of his
position as presidential candidate would
be fatally haz4rded by the Use proposed
20 be made Of him in the martial law
bill pending before the house. The iude-
pendence and moderation Of his charac-
ter would pa teut his administering it
with such unseTupu!ous Vigot as 20 please
the extremists, ami no man having any
thing to do with it would be likely to
please the other party. The whole drift
and spirit of the measure IS political not
military; il demands 10 s0luiership, but
only talents for political aud civil admin
iStration The duties will be so vague
and discretionary, being guided by no
law CT settled principles Jurisprudence,
and moreover 80 delicate. 80 fitted TO
kindle complaints, so liable To criticism,
and so little capable Of defense against
criticis-q, since they could rest on no
fixed ISg for their Justification, that the
administration Of the system and respOu-
siblity for its success, would inevitably
ruin Gen. Grants political chances. In
the speech made III the house by Gen.
Banks on Saturday, he seemed to have a
clear enough perception OF this conss-
quence e the bill; Gut the restraints
imposed by his position caused him
70 express himself with some re-
serve. He said He had 30 rear
Of Gen. Grant, On the contrary,
he was sorry 10 say that he 5eljered Gen.
Grant 3ruS the only man to VhODl t31
country could turn it its present dis
tlr5ed condition. It was not impossible
that the friends of Gen. Grant might,
through this bill, place him in position
which would lead either 10 his sacrifice
OF to a course of conduct which H0
friend Of his would like TO suggest for
bis adoption. II Gen. Grant acted with
the president in the execution of the
law, congress would not have much tC
hope for unless the president changed
his course and if he acted against the
president, he would have against MIN
the higher officers oi the government
and the lower officers Of his command,
and detlUeea them he lg03Rd DE sacrificed.
The cord touched IN this passage OF
! Gen. Banks speech gives key y-nOtt
/ with which many hundreds OF thou
sands of voices will be in unison. The
martial law bill, besides its 1ther bad
] features, is a schene 70 sacrifice Gen
I Grant. 1t seizes hold Of him without
I his consent, and drags him out of the
polite reticence in which he hGs kept
himself SO strongly intrenched. i
oompels him to Ire the leading
actor in the most odious, the
most obnoxious, and the mos
desperate political project ever under
( taken In this country. It is field II
( which there is no opportunity to wiz
/ laurels, but which abOunds IN sloughs aIiJ
pitfalls from which nothing short Of g
miracle could save him. II the friend,
Of Chief Justice Chase had eOntrived ;
scheme for tha express purpose of re
iievlng aim of his most formidable rival
they could have hit upon nothing bette
adapted TO their design Jnan this bill
Now ,hat ten. Grants friends have de
/ eiphered and exposed it, its defeat ma
be regarded as certain.
The great strength Of Gen. Grant
position as "a candidate for the presidencl
lies in tie fact that be can he sGpp0rte,
without inconsistency Dy either of tn
great political parties. He has kept s.
aloof from politics, and borne himsel
with such distinguished discretion, tha
he seems to be the one man capabl
of uniting aud harmOniZing the couu
try. If the republicans should have tn
good sense and moderation TO run hin
Tor the presidency, the democratic part
would make no opposition. If the demo
! erats should run him, no candidat
J brought against him by the other sid
, would have any chance of success:
, Hence the willingness Of the extrem
radicals to put Gen. Grant IN positio
where he would bear the brunt of th
Odium caused by desperate measur,
, and become mark for poisoned shaft
from partisans of all shades. Too man
2 men are looking to him with hope, l
allow this game to succeed. His contiT
gent candidacy for president will, frol
B ]