The Elk advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Elk Co., Pa.) 186?-1868, 1867-06-27
The Coming Session Of Congress.

tinuation of agitation upon the Presl-
dent They declare that his action un.
der the Attorney Generals opinion
upoC the reconstruction acts has made
it necessary that Congress should meet
and pass an extra act, or announce the
real meaning of disputed parts of those
laws which the military officers are
called upon to enforce IN the South.
They will not as rec that the legal officer
OF the government shall construe and in.
terpret this law, as does all others.
The Supreme Court of the United States
is not to be trusted with the duty of
saying which portions of their recon.
struction acts are in harmony with
the organic law of the land, and which
are imperative on account OF want of
power in the Legislative branch of the
government to make such regula'io ms
and invest them with the binding obi.
cations of law and ordinances. The
party in power has determined that
Congress shall rule ; that the same body
which cnacts laws shall construe them ;
that the President shall he redu ccd to a
mere cipher, and the whole fabric of
government shall rest upon the will of
partisan faction Which represents a
minority of the people and sectional
portion OF the Union.
In looking at this position assumed
by the Radical party, it must be
borne in mind that the President
did not make this issue with Congress.
That body enacted the laws by which
the South is now governed, and
the military re construct bills which
destroy the States. They erected the
military divisions, and made it obli-
gatory upon the Chief Magistrate to
place persons in command in those dis
tricts. This was done, and it was the
asking for instructions by those officers
as to the meaning of disputed points in
the laws they were compelled to enforce
that called fcrth the opinion of the At.
torney. General, and the action of the
President and his Cabinet upon that
opinion. The Chief Magistrate sought
no quarrel with the Legislative branch
of the government. He did not place
obstacles in the way of the mi litary re-
construction acts, monstroHs and absurd
as were some Of their provisions. The
Attorney General did not volunteer his
opinion. That was extracted in the
usual way, by questions propounded to
him by the constitutional head
of the government. Congress is the
party that has recommended agitation
by proclaiming their determination to
open the whole issue Of reconstruction
afresh, and so alter and amend the mill
tary acts as to make them supreme over
the civil law in all respects.
And why this. action of the Radical
party 1t will not be pretended that
such course will have the effect Of
healing the breach between the sections
Continued agitation cannot build up thu
PROSTATE business of the country, opeI
the mills and manufactures of thu
North, give more employment to me
chani,s and workingnicn, spread th
sails of American ships that have s.
long been furled, or produce large
crops of cotton, rice, tobacco and suga
in the South. None of these objects, S
much 10 be desired, will or ca
he produced by further agitation
'on the reconstruction question. Th
reason for a summer session of Con
, gress must be sought for in another di
rection. The people are turning thei
attention to the manner in which tn
country is governed. They are notin
, the expenditures and calculating tn
taxes and talking of reform. This re
turn of reason has alarmed the Radici
e managers and they demand that Coz
a gress shall meet that agitation shall |
renewed and appeals be made to til
n pa ssions and prcjudices of the Nortl
: as means cf bringing back the popu
o lar mind to the old channel, and thus il
e suriug them triumph at the polls, Th
!. is the meaning of the July conyocatic
is Of Radical managers at Washington.
n is not inteuded that Congress shall legi
r. late for the good of the whole countr
The wheels Of the reconstruction car a