New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1867-11-21
OPINIONS.

Tho Attorney General is one curious instance
(ns Mr.. johnson is anotheI) of the importance
which mankind attach TO the views OF those
who are much talked about. II Mr.. Stanbery
were only private manufacturer OF wrts, or
a dispcnscr of advice in chambers upon mod
crate terms nobody would think of making a
long journey for the purpose of purchasing his
opinion; if anybody should give constitutional
arguments over the signature of "X. y. H."
in Washington newspaper, the serenity of
the land would not be in the least disturbed.
Alas for the destiny of nations! This great
Republic, with all its performance and with all
its promise with its immense population and
its remarkable commerce, and its extraordinary
wealth and its conceded intelligence. and It's
brilliant hopes and its sYarming newspapers,
and its widely -difIused educatiOn-this noble
specimen of political progress, Is agltated by
the fact that somebody with the initials ii.
"S.r sends legal opinion 10 the news
papers, and the opinion being entirely wrong,
it is universally attributed TO Mr.. Stanbery
And being supposed to be his, it is thought
10 be of some importance and it is further
thought that perhaps the skies may fall and
that the river is in danger of combustion
The legal opinions of Mr.. Johnson and of Mr..
Stmbery Why Mr.. Sampson Brass and Miss
Sally his sister, were certainly more encour-
aging brace. Suppose that this opinion had
really turned out to be that of Mr.. Stanbery-
what then? What is there so frightfully mys-
terious about the Constitution If it were in
five hundred volumes, and written in n dead
language, and edited by transcendental phi
osopher, and calculated by its occult provisions
to drive Investigators mad; if it were some
thing which it required n long life and longer
head to comprehend, we might throw ourselves
upon the mercy of n pundit like Stanbery, or
trust with child-lke confidence i'll the expo
sitions of the President. If it be so unsatls-
factorily dubious in its language that Congress
cannot tell when TO meet, how much less
can Congress decide what laws IL mas
authority to enactl If the two mys-
FERROUS initials I'll. S." so fright us that
we forget that there may be another Henry IN
the world beside Henry the friend of Andrew,
we might just as well be the subjects of Stan
berry, governed by his decisions, and guided by
his opinions, and politely hail him as our men
tor and master But having made up our
minds, First: That there is nothing to be
frightened about in III. ST." whether it mean
Henry StanbcTy, or Homtlo seymour, OF Ilor-
ace Smith, and, Secondly: That Congress does
not meet by permission of Mr.. stanbery at
all-haying determined that Congress has also
right to adjourn without Mr. Stanberys
permission, we are, then, in no danger OF any
fatal shock to our nerves. Fix Tor once, Ill
your mind, dear reader, the precise value OF
Mr.. Stanbery's legal opinion, and you will DO
able to smile, and even to sing, whatever com
munications signed I'll. s." may be printed
AS there is no limit to the ingenuity OF the
legal mind suppose H. S." should put out an
opinion that Congress has no right to meet at all
without written permission from the Presidents
DO tue wheels of Government go by his permls-
sion. and is the motive power OF all our law
making and law-enforcing mysteriously hidden
either in his brains or his books AS it IL I'M
possible to give an Affirmative answer to these