The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-02-22
The President and the Execution OF Law
From the Times

The Preside ent and the Execution of Laws
From the Times.
The President has again and again been ac
rused of refusing or neglecting to enforce laws
passed by Congress, especially the provisions
of the Civil Rights act, and other measures de-
5ensive of the rights of the Southern blacks.
His conduct in this respect was one OF the
strongest points relied on to secure his i'm
peachment; and if it could be proven it
would unquestionably be the best justification
of that extreme measure that has yet been
given. The President has no choice as to en-
forcing such laws as are passed by Congress.
The Constitution provides that he shall faith
fully execute them; and it is only when any
special measure of legislation has been pro
nOunced unconstitutional by the Supreme
Court, that the President is empowered to sus-
pend its enforcement. law may be adverse
10 his personal convictions, and obnoxious to
5lis ideas of the public welfare; he may have
exercised his veto upon it, and may have
given the best of reasons against it, but if he
attempt to evade its execution, it is under
peril of the penalty in such cases provided.
No President has been so severely tried in
This respect as the present Executive. His
conflict with Congress has been upon measures
of the gravest political Importance and as the
action of Congress has been such as not only
TO carry out theirs, his conduct as the admi-
nistrator of obnoxious legislation has been con-
stantly subject to suspicion In making it the
subject of special inquiry, the Senate has given
1lim an opportunity to bring the facts before
the country as well as that body.
The inquiry Of the Senate was in regard to
q law concerning the Executive dereliction, in
the enforcement of which the charges had
been most frequent and positive He was re-
atty xiO1
tions of the Civil Rights law had come to his
knowledge, and if So what steps he had taken
20 enforce the law and punish the offenders.
The President sent an answer of some length
10 the Senate on Tuesday. "Not being cogni-
zant,n says he, ''of any cases which come
within the province of the resolution, in order
4hat the inquiry might have the fullest range
referred it to the heads of the several Exc
Cutive departments, whose reports are here
with communicated. From these reports it
appears that neither the Secretary of State,
zhe Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary
of the Navy the Secretary of the Interior, the
Postmaster-General, nor the Attorney General
were cOgnizant Of any violations of the law.
The Secretary OF War reports the means taken
for the enforcement of the law in the Southern
States and the action of the military authori-
lies, so far as its execution deVOlved upon
them. "No instance" " according to Mr.. Stanton,
H'has been reported to the Department of any
neglect or refusal by military officers or EN-
ployes of the Department to enforce, to the
extent of their legal authority, the provisions
OF the act within their respective commands
and stations, and he has no knowledge of any
such neglect or refusal having been reported
10 the President" Mr.. Stanton takes occasion,
however, to make report of three cases of alleged
violation OF the act-One in the State of Vir-
ginia another in Georgia, and the third in
Texas. One of these was a short time since
referred to the Attorney General, who immedi-
ately ordered an investigation of the circum-
stances of the case, and, furthermore, informed
the authorities of Georgia that the President
5ntended to have the matter brought forward
for adjudication by the proper tribunal.
TO this, then, was the whole matter reduced,
and ii IS made TO appear
]. That this special law has been enforced