The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-08-27
..wATcHMAN, WHAT OF THE NIGHT -

The New York Herald, in its issue OF Saturday,
delivers itself of another sensational exhortatlon
to President JOHNSON. 1t says: "Will Mr. JOHN
SON finally rise to the demands Of the situation
Can he? The next few weeks will show us. JudS-
ing. however, from past blunders-his apparent
desire to embody in himself oil political power
to merge into unity the three branches OF govern
ment and call that unit ANDREW JOHNSON to
place himself alone as the exponent which gives
the only value to every political equation to make
the people, who have fought for and gained inc
great battle Of nationality, believe that Congress
does not represent them-hc will fail to take ior-
tune at the flood and redeem himself"
The Herald then proceeds to say that Congress
ha. no more risen to the magnitude of the prob
lem than has Mr. JOHNSON; that the first thing the
President must do is to brush away his entire
Cabinet. New issues demand new men. Had
Mr.. JOHNSON, upon his accession to power, nancd
| a new Cabinet and called Congress together I'M
mediately, the reconstruction Of the South Wouid
long since have been ended; for he and the
people, through their Congress, would have puled
together in common purpose"
This we fully believe. It is very easy to see
| this now, when wo know, from bitter experience,
that contrary course has led to disastrous re-
suits. But in what follows we cannot agree with
the Herald 'It is not too late yet to restore har
mony between the forces of Government. Now,
however, is the moment to strike. Let the Presl-
dent by virtue OF the executive right given to hlm
by our fundamental law. suspend the Cabinet, the
Tenure of Office Bill to the contrary notwthstand-
ing. II he has no courage to do this, he ID
not equal to the occasion"
ssBesides the reconstruction of his Cabinet, Mr..
JOHNSON is master Of the best method Tor the re-
construction of the South, and BY a single stroke
of his pen may, by virtue Of the power which the
Constitution gives him, proclaim universal amnes-
ty-amnesty for the white who was foolish enough
to run into rebellion with the idea that he alone
was created to govern the county; amnesty for
the poor negro, whose intellect is completely uE-
settled by our political quarrel over him; amnesty
for the North, which is heartily sick of paying the
bills for these Ethiopian theatricals; amnesty for
our commerce. our agricultural interests, our pro-
gress as people; above all, amnesty for the brains
of our statesmen. Let US, therefore, have new
Cabinet and general amnesty"
This is all very fine talk. Nothing more; utter
NA~A>NN~-~~ -
the way Of the execution of this programme. l.
The President is not equal to the occasion. 2. He
cannot disregard the laws of Congress without
jeoparding his position and official existence. D.
A declaration Of amnesty, as We stated yesterday
would be of no avail.
Unless we are much mistaken, ninety-nine out
of every hundred ex-Confederates have already re-
ceivod the benefit, either OF general amnesty un-
dor the Presidents proclamation OF June, 1865, or
of special pardon since granted by him.
declaration of universal amnesty, therefore, would
not add over one per cent. to the number already
enjoying tho immunity it would be capable OF con-
ferring. But amnesty and pardon from the Exc
cutive, we have already seen, does not remove
political disability, imposed by Act Of Congress-
However unconstitutional tho President may deem
this infringement on his prerogative, he has never
s:gnifed his intention of setting aside any OF the
Acts Of Congress, either in whole or in part.
A revolution is necessary to effect what the
Herald proposes But it is our firm conviction
that the Herald only desires to raise sensation
and gives little heed to the logical result to which
its propositions would lead.