The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-09-14
Andrew JOhnsOn,s Plan of Revolution.

on correspondence Oh bu6 N6W 1OIh AdUtu,
What purports to be Andrew Johnson's plan
or preoipitating a revolution. Under ordi-
nary circumstances these outgivings would
hardly be worthy of attention, but at the pre-
sent time they so clearly coincide with the
general tenor of Mr.. Johnson's acts, that 1t
may safely be assumed that the plan in ques-
ton, if not already determined on, is thrown
out as feeler to see what response it would
be likely to meet with from the people.
II starts out with the extraordinary assump-
ton that the President is entitled to Judge of
the oOnstitutionality of the laws passed by
Congress, and that he is not obliged to exc
cute any law which he deems to be unconsti-
tutional. II is one of the ominous signs of the
times, that doctrine so inherently absurd as
this, so opposed to the letter and the spirit of
the Constitution, and SO at war with the fun
damental ideas of our form Of government,
should for moment be ascribed to the Presi-
dent by any of his friends. OF course such
construction would at once change the charac-
ter of the President from the executive of a
republic to that of an absolute monarch. No
laws could be put in operation except such as
he saw fit to execute. His veto would
become positive, against the unanimous
voice of the representatives of the people.
There would be no need of a judiciary to de-
eide upon the constitutionality of laws, because
that function Would be assumed by the Presi-
dent. He would be the supreme power in
the Government. Whatever laws did not suit
him he would decide to be unconstitutional,
and there would be no appeal from his deci-
sion. He would take the statute-b books of the
nation, go through them, and expunge such
as did not suit him. The ground of unconsti-
tutionality covers everything. The Constitu-
tioz, in that event, would be practically the
Presidents will.
In accordance with this theory, President
johnson holds, in the second place, that he is
the sole judge of what constitutes impeach-
able ofenses on the part of the President. In
other words, although the Constitution ex-
pressly provides that the President, and all
the officers of the Government, may be i'm
peached and removed for "treason, bribery,
or other high crimes and miSdemeanors," and
makes the Senate the high court for the trial
of these cases. Mr.. Johnson assumes that the
President himself is to decide whether or not
he has committed an impeachable offense
And he volunteers to tell us that the refusal
to execute the laws of the land is not such
G'misdemeanor" as can be made the ground of
inpeachment and removal. OF course, no
President would ever acknowledge that he
had committed an impeaehable offense; so
that the power of impeachment and removal
JoI of
Cons titution as the final grand remedy of the
nation for crimes and misdemeanors on the
part of its officers becomes, so far as the
President is concerned, mere myth.
The final touch is put upon this mad scheme
by the assertion that if Congress does not accede
to this transformation of the President into
king, and shall proceed to the execution of its
regular powers under the Constitution, Mr..
Johnson will at once assume the power of pro-
roguing Congress and ordering the election of
new one. This is after the kingly fashion
Of proroguing Parliaments when they become
intractable and obnoxious to the sovereign.
But what if, after having got Congress out Of
the way, Mr.. Johnson should conclude that it
was not best to call another one Suppose a
new one assembled to prove as intractable as
the present one, are we to have that prorogued
tooH tlels
Language is not needed to brand such a
scheme as this in the eyes of every American
citizen. Of course, it is simple revolution, the
coup d'Stat Of usurper-the total overthrow
Of the Government. If Mr.. johnson is SO de-
mented as to suppose that such scheme
would receive any countenance or endorse
ment from the masses of the people, we simply
pity the man. The most popular and power
full President that we have ever had would
have been a madman to undertake such
revolution. If the American people shall
ever choose king or submit to a dictator,
Andrew Johnson will not be the man.
Incredible as this atrocious programme is,
it Is gravely put forth by the Presidents
friends, and is really the only logical terni-
nation of the course he is now PURSUING. Ha
has already entered upon the 6rst stems of Il
in refusing to execute the laws Of conoro.s
and its spirit has pervaded his whole oo1I.o %
conduct from the moment that an asse ess;,S -
pistol elevated him to power.
Ma. GRBEbBY to-day describes the Demo.
orats who surround Mr.. Johnson in his usual
emphatic style;-
"Before Andrew johnson had been thre,
yVaAIka Presld0nt, Slimy, insldlOuB creatures
,.gff