The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1867-01-05
KEoKuK. iowa.
SATURDAY MORNING. JAN. s.
r~nnACrrorAnY uOvEnEHr.

-
SATURDAY MORNING, JAN. s.
14RR8AcTI0HA1Y MOvEH4NT.
The rsactonary movement inaukurassd By
Preidsut johnson and snncanssd in his
Twenty Second of February Speech Of last
year, is still progressing, and is being pushed
forward with great boldness and zeal by the
high dignitaries 1t the Capital Of the Nation,
in despite of the verdict Of the people at the
polls hast Autumn. The aim and purpose Of
the movement, as proclaimed in the Presi.
dents pronunciamento, was to place the
loyal people Of the North under the ban of
treason, and to clothe the rebels OF the South
in the hsbilsments of devoted supporters of
the Union and Constitution, against which
they had waged war for four long and weary
years. The programme implied the inaugur-
alton Of President johnson as Chief Of the
defeated forces of Rebellion and their allies
in the North, and its contamination seems
now near at hand.
The well>informed Washington correspon-
dent of the Cincinnati Gazette, in speaking OF
the situation and the position Of q majority Of
the Supreme Court, says:
at is a strange commentary upon the re-
suit of the war, and upon the present condi-
ton of affairs, that secret ambassadors should
60 from the national capital to see what terns
conquered rebels will accept. Perhaps it il
stranger still to have q Chief Magistrate. who
upholds these rebels in ail their resistance 10
the only law making power Of the country.
And these ambassadors go from the Conser.
vatives in Congress also. Who are these
Conservatives now Men whom the people
repudiated at the late elections, and whose
political future depends upon what Andrew
johnson may please to give them after the
close of this Congress. These are the mer
who are helping the President to nullify the
war.
ABLE lawyers, who are giving considers
BILE attention to the probable effect Of the
late decision Of the test oath, are t%urnin.
from the investigation sick at heart The
say it not only sets aside all that military
courts have done, but it renders all who have
taken part in them in any capacity liable t.
trial; and thus rebels will be able to turn upor
those who dared to use the war power Il
crush them.
sit makes the army utterly powerless in
the South, except as the President might or
der'it to com and 60, at the request of hi.
Governors. to execute the civil law. II can
not arrest citizens for any disloyal practices
1t cannot prevent the murder of freedmen
though done under its eyes. There is nj
protection for those men whom the nation se'
tree, and swore to protect in freedom. The
decision has in effect extended the bred Scot
decision TO white loyalists. Under it a ne
urn had mn vI0hfc "A -h,t, ,~r ~.c I1,rl e.
respect; under this, as the action of South
ern courts win make it, mo loyal man, white
or black, has rights which q rebel is bound tc
respect This is not the language, but be
yond all question it will thus result. Its ap.
plication sweeps the Freedmen's Bureau
away, for 1t acts alone by the war power,
and through it alone stood between the freed
man and the law framed to Cypress him.
"ln all except admission to the floor OIL
Congress. these rebel States have triumphed
completely in the matter of reconstruction
And perhaps the question of representation
Is less important since Mr.. johnson became
their representative and stands at the head Of
the Government Not a rebel has been pun
ished, and the old leaders are in power sgair
IN al these States"
The Supreme Court to-day, or rather a ma
jority Of the members of that body, stand il
the same position and are imbued with tn,
same spirit which prompted the infamou
opinion Of Chief Justice Taney against tn
rights and liberties of mankind. They lool
al their Law Books, and Tsney's opinion
and the "precedents" of the past, and, mole
like, bhndlY burrow in the rubbish Of bygon,
ages, Ignoring the condition of our times an,
fhn ayfrapr,aa ae aprrapt ovo.- Tlz- e..
no express provision in the Constitution say.
ing, in 50 many words, that when eleve,
States rebel against the authority of the Gov
~nment, the President may enforce ODE
ce to the Constitution and LAYS by war
SO they hold that neither he, nor an,
other officer or man, is authorized BY th'
Constitution to do any act in consequence o
the war which they might not have done il
time Of peace. Hence, it follows not onl,
that President Lincoln was guilty of usurpa
ton and tyranny, for his war measures Il
preserve the Government and the Union, bu
that all loyal officers and soldiers are amena.
BILE to punishment on charges OF murder
robbery and false imprisonment for acts com
mitted under the authority Of the Presiden
during the war, whenever rebels or sympa
thizers choose to prosecute them for such of
fences. This seems to be the logical impor
of the position Of the majority OF. the Su
preme Court, and, as a matter of course
Confederates and Copperheads are jolly.
Under this view Of matters ABRAHAM LIN
COIN becomes the chief criminal and JEFF
DAVIS the patriotic and persecuted victim o
tyranny, and rebels and Copperheads osten
tatiously parade the decision Of the Supreme
court in support Of their position. The Chi
kgo Times, which combines in itself thu
thole trinity of traitor, Copperhead AM
bhnsonite, draws on the Supreme Court I,
bnction its most bitter denunciations o
resident LINCOLN. 1t says of him:
In the midst of . civil war, which if no
( fosecuted for the purpose of maintaining oul
evernment in its integrity, was the creates
fme ever perpetrated by a people, he as
3 lined that the very bond Of Union which
bthorized the contest could be set aside a
p pleasure and for such purposes as he ant
BE vindictiye and corrupt men who so large
~ influenced him might deem expedient.
He adopted a theory which the Sup.em,
Court says is false" to give q c~oloring o.
justice to- his usurpation. II is paying +,
wretched compliment to his intelligence /,
suppose that he did not know it was " false
and It In paying q worse one TO his sense o
justice 70 suppose that he did not believe il L
be true. His admirers may select either hort
Of the dilemma they please. The Court ha,
not left him q shadow of defence. Juds,
Davis, who was appointed by Mr.. Lincoln
says that "no doctrine involving more PERM
cious consequences was ever invented by ths
Wit of mar than the one that any of the pro
Visions of the Constitution may be suspended
during . great exigency Of the Government
Mr.. Lincoln invented the doctrine. The in
venticn was not one requiring q great deal o
WITHOUT be contrived to exhibit bis dexterit,
q : logician and pettifogger on it afer-th,
following curious fashion: Acts otherwis,
unconstitutional may become lawful by be-
coming necessary to the preservation Of tn,
Constitution thrpn III the preservation Of III,
Union The CAsrt has made short worl
With this tkiaAbis Il i, apology for a usurpatio,
involving . crme ecker even thar the act
of dsspolism PERI eated under it.
"Comparahveis- he few Judicial murder