The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1867-06-14

| alleged he still retains in slavery.
1t is reported that at Cabinet meeting was
decided by the President and all the members except
Secretary Stanton that military commanders in the
South have right to remove civil officers.
/ Governor Brownow has placed General Joseph A.
Cooper in command of the Tennessee militia and says
that the Of service Of the forces will depend
| the conduct Of the people Of the State.
| The sensation among the "fancy" yesterday the
| combat between Sam Coyor and Barney Aaron. near
Acquia Creek Va. for the championship OF American
light weights After stoutly contested struggle Of
hour and ffty-two minutes duration and tho inter-
change OF sixtyeight rounds Sam refused TO to
time, and Barney was declared the champion.
The Cabinet Decision the Powers Of Coss-
manders-New Obstacles to Keconstrnc-
| tion.
| Reconstruction still slips away from the
national grasp still, like very Tantalus
| draught cheats the eager wishes of the people.
II is published on the authority Of the Washing
ton Intelligencer that the President and his Cabi-
net have decided the question Of power in the
Southern States against the military comma and
ers and in favor Of the civil State authorities,
holding that the generals "have no power to
remove civil officers deriving their authority
from the State governments as now organized"
This decision is further said to be in accord
ance with an elaborate opinion Of the Attorney
General on the same point It must be obvious
at the first glance, as well as apparent on deep
reflection, how villanously the President and
his Cabinet will stultify themselves by instruct
ing the district commanders to this effect
With what cool defiance of reason, with what
shameless Indifference to public indignation,
we are told that . law of Congress shall be
what the President pleases; that the expressed
| will Of the nation shall have from the Execu-
tive no more respect than his old glove that
he will turn it inside out twist 1t and torture it
to any purpose or any shape, az the whims,
humors, petulancies and partisan bargains of
the hour may require. Hardly have those SEN
fences ceased to echo on the public ear in
which the President declared that the power
of the military commanders was absolute, was
despotic, was without limit, was paramount
and above all question for any and every pos.
sible purpose Of right or wrong; and now this
same President declares that his own words
were trash, blatant nonsense, mere vaporing,
and that the law is harmless weapon in the
hands OF helpless men that it means nothing,
and that under ii those same terrible CON-
manders cannot take even the simplest steps to
prevent interference with them in the discharge
Of their duty. The country viii be puzzled
which phase Of this event should most move 1t:
whethe, the Presidents quiet defiance of the
nation and decency should more excite indig-
| nation, or the clown-like completeness Of his
| somerset stir contempt
| We are to have deliberate piece OF legis-
lation put forth from the Executive Chamber
an "order in COMEDIAN imperial decree or
ukase multiplying absolutely the Reconstruction
laws passed at the last session of Congress, and
declaring that the Presidents policy sill lives
and is paramount to all law. Well might the
President have believed his own declaration
that Congress had no legitimate power in the
| government, since we see that in fact II has
none, and that it only wasted the words in
General Stanbery used no idle expression in
the Supreme Court when he declared that his
| sympathes were on "the other side" Between
the President and his lawyer and the stultifed
Cabinet that agreed to the Presidents vetoes
and now agrees to one more veto, we soc the
defunct State rights doctrine again rising 10
trouble the nation with its putrid presence.
Funciionarics deriving their authority from
the State governments" they tell us, shall be
safe and sacred No general shall touch them.
They may do what they please-they may be
obstructive and factious and impracticable,
according 10 the example set in Washington;
and If the generals find Il impossible to carry
out the laws with such civil officers fighting
them at every step, Why then, the generals
may resigni That Is what the law Of Congress
comes to. Rebel hatred Of reconstruction will
have lost all It's ingenuity and animus II, under
such q rule and with the guidance of the
makers Of that rule, IL does not utterly kill
every point Of the law that the North desires
should be kept alive. We have rebuked GER
.ain generals for their interference with tree
speech; but free political action with Southern
State officers Is quite another thing. If the
generals canuot interfere with that we ought
from humanity 10 do one Of two things--eithel
call them home or increase the number Of sol
diers in their commands.
Congress must meet In July. II must NEE
with the rcsolute will to carry on the move
ment, now greater and more necessary thar
ever, Of impeaching and removing Andrew
johnson from the executive chair. If II doe
not do this, then the war will have been II
vain II must throw away and trample upoI
all ?it:ful pleas, ell such miserable argument
~ il committees have concerned themselve