Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-09-19
THE PREsIDENT-TaIE CONsTITU-
TION-THE PEOPLE.

The Washington correspondent of the
Boston Post thus writes Of the Presidents
views privately expressed:
The Presidents late pyoclamations hay
ing given rise to much speculation as to
their purpose and practical bearing upon
the country, 1t may be interesting to know
what the author himself thinks and says
regarding them. In a social conversation
to-day, l ventured to inquire of His Excel
lency his views of the proclamation de-
claring the supremacy of the constitution,
and his special object in publishing the
same. | admitted that the purpose was
patent on the face of the document, but that
many persons protested not TO be able to
comprehend its practical bearing. He re-
piled that there were now two parties in
the country-one acting within constitu-
tional limits, the other openly-professing
to act outside of the constitution. His
purpose was to call the attention of each
and every officer and employee Of the GOV
eminent to this fact, that he might clearly
understand his duty, and understanding,
perform it. Our constitution, he said, was
the citadel of our freedom, the wall which
environs and protects us all. But another
purpose which he had in view was to as
sure the country that the authority of the
Federal judiciary would be unhinchingly
maintained in all the States. | called the
Presidents attention TO the correspondence
published to-day between Gen. Ord and
Col. Gilbert, in which the latter claims
that Gen. Ord and his subordinates were
not the servants, but rather the masters, of
the people. He replied that it was but
one of the legitimate fruits of the Radical
teachings of the day, that public officers
were not bound by their oaths but might
act Outside of the constitution" this very
case, he said, illustrated the necessity for
his proclamation. Col. Gilbert seems to
have lost sight of the fact that ours was
government, and that he was
bound to respect the law. When a military
officer could thus forget that the people
were the sovereign and could assume that
he was one Of their masters, the President
said he thought it was high time that at
tention should be specially called to the re-
quirements of the constitution and the
true principles of our government. He
spoke in fattering terms of General Ord,
and heartily approved the noble rebuke |
which the General administered to Colonel |
Gilbert. l inquired what he thought |
would be the practical effect of the amnesty |
He promptly replied, ito |
restore the parties to all their rights-to
place them precisely where they were be-
fore the war. The suffrage question was
one to be determined by the courts, and not |
by the executive branch of the govern
nent." In abiding to the future, he said
he had no idea what Congress would do, |
but that he believed that the people would
AXE care that their government was not
and destroyed. So far as he was
he should exercise every con-
'titutiOnal power in its defense, but that the
sreat controlling power was in the hands of
he people themselves, and his firm con-
7iction was that they would use it wisely
md efficiently. The late elections in Cali
ornia and Maine served only to fix his
confidence in the sober second thought of
he people,