Brownlow's Knoxville Whig. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1866-1869, 1867-09-11
The President.

The President must stand and fight We have
been advancing and retreating long enough Too
many white Gags have been exchanged. The Pre-
sident means war. War be it. then, and God speed
the right
Nearly FIVE months since the regular session Of
Congress was adjourned. The winter had Witness
ed an angry contest with the President There
were three parties /, The Democratic fragment.
which gave the President undivided allegiance
2, The moderate Republicans who, trusting in his
nonoE, endeayored TO make his duty 50 plain, and
ms responsibilities so exact and limited that he
could not escape them. They hoped that the ma
ton might be reconstructed without violent appeals
to the law. 3, The earnest and extreme Republi-
cans who felt that we could not reconstruct the
country without the impeachment of the President
The counsels OF tho moderate Republicans prevail
ed. They carried the reconstruction bill. with
the aid OF one Of these parties they prevented i'm
peachment. This was accomplished by the assur-
ance that the President, having protested against
the seton Of Congress, would content himself TO
have the law quietly carried into execution He
appointed generals in command Of the military dis
tricts who were most acceptable to the country
In the case of Gen. Sheridan, at least we know
that some OF these appointments were made against
his Judgment and ia Difference to the wishes Of Con
gress. The Senate and house adjourned It was felt
that the virtual acquescence Of the President would
make m extra session unnecessary. Sumner would
see the States reconstructed. Universal suffrage
would be tested The States would gradually drift
back into the Union. When Mr.. Mcpherson called
the roll Of the House in December, all the States
would answer, and once more full American Con-
gress would sit in the American Capitol
Then came the first crime. This law OF recon-
structioa, duly considered and well-spproved was
assailed by Mr.. Stanbery. We give Mr. Stanbery
the credit Of being an able lawyer and an up
right man. But the President wanted an opinion
that was not upright and in an evil hour his At
torney General wrote Il. Ingenious and subtle, the
country did not fail TO see that it was fraud, and
that the President in inviting its publication wss
dishonesS 1t cut the heart out Of the military bill
Reconstruction was brought to s dead lock. The
opinion 10 use the figure Of General Sheridan was
a broad mRcademized road to fraud and perjury,
and the Southern States were thrown into chaos -
Congress was hurriedly assembled. A bill was
passed which even the subtlety of Mr.. Stanbery
could not misconstrue The extreme Republicans
that even this would not do and that to
have Reconstruction the President should be i'm I
peaehed: The counsels Of such men as Mr.. Fessen-
den and Mr. Wilson, Mr.. Colfax and Mr.. Sherman 4
prevailed. II was held that with law thus plsin-
" written the President would walk directly and /
the South would be restored. This assurance in
deed, ives given by men who claimed 10 speak for 1
the President, Congress believed il and again ad-
lourned over ustil tbs Winter
Now comes the second crime. Stsnberv cannot
explain the law. Blae is so impalpablv blue that
there is no making even the President to believe
i 70 be gray. The President has the best part Of
year before him. Since he cannot nullify the law
pc persecutes It's ministers. Stanton is stricken
aown. The War Secretary, who has been retained
~' seAfs ior me- disagreeabe qualities, is removed