The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-09-05
what are We Coming to In Political
lynn he RoAt0n AdceTtlsr. -

PSom The BostOu Ad1eTfIsT.
Aeood many anxious people are now
asking the Question-.What are We
coming to in political affairs 2" People
are TO be met every day who think that
we are coming very near to fresh out
break of civil war. One OF the Wash
ington papers-they are very eXcitabfe
in Washington, and just now'at fever
heat,-says that the "time may come,
land that right speedily, when
sit will be crime 10 obey the Presl-
"dent as commander-in-chief OF the
"Army. Then we shall need man
bold enough 10 arrest his course ana
"save the county" This looks very
much like prophecy of war, and
was at least intended TO represent that
affairs would be driven to an early ana
violent crisis by the President "hlC1
might end in war If enough men couI1
be found to fight on the issne. Ana
other predictions qnits as gloomy are
not wanting.
There is OF course always this ele-
rnent of uncertainty in any calculation
a. to our political future under the
present administration, thai nobodS
can tell 10 what lengths of folly Mr..
johnson may think proper to go. Ordi-
narily II is safe TO assume that man
will not deliberately run his head
against a stone wall and that he Will
not need the doctor for that cause at
least. But II is not safe to make any
such reck oning in the present csss,-as
witness the Presidents last difficulty
with Congress, and its results. 1t Is
not safe to rely absolutely upon his
acting Is a shfeHd, or even as sane
man And therefore II is always posi-
BILE that he may carry things with a
high hand towards an open outbreak
Tomorrow; he may undertake to multi
ty all the acts OF Congress not signed
II D. Mt tn.
lay Gen. Grant by the heels in the Old
Capital prison, or mine and blow up
the public buildings;-only We do not
think that he will.
His measures are more likely-if he
were anybody else we should say they
are certain-to be directed to one or
both of Two other objects. OF these the
first is TO get possession of Congress and
place the southern representatives, in
their seats at the next session, and fall
ing IN this TO bring into question the
validity of the present organization OF
Congress. But the time for measure
Of this sort has gone by. II might have
been undertaken at the organization OF
the Fortieth Congressman indeed that
occasion was universally felt to be crlti-
cal. We might then very easily have
had rival organizations and Il grave
dispute as to the true Legislative success
sion. The same thing might easily
have been tried in July, with much less
warning to the country and far more
prospect of seriously disputing the
ground with Congress than now exists.
But this ex pedient, formerly entertain
ed by the President, it is believed, has
been twice neglected, and is not likely
To be taken up again at This day.
The otter object at which the Presi-
dent can be supposed to aim Is TO throw
the work of reconstruction into the
A a.. a. friAnfa nd
thiZers at the South, and thus to defeat
the purpose of the reconstruction act
in the very process OF execution. This
is, in fact, what the minority of the peo-
Pile are now looking for. There is Il
general fear that we shall see the South
reorganized on wrong basis, aud the
whole work vitiated for any good pur-
pose. This is to all appearance the
end towards which the President is
working, and In this the singular ina
bility of Congress to express its own
intention unequtvocally Is materially
assisting him. But there is, after all,
IA definite limit to the Presidents
powers in this direction. Suppose his
success in his present struggle against
General Grant over the technical grants
! of power by the acts of Congress to be
ever so great, that does not bring "A sim
gle Southern Representative into Con
gress, nor does II settle the question as
TO the reorganization of Il single State.
One thing Congress did thoroughly,-it
reserved for itself the power to decide
upon the good faith in which its acts
are executed and upon what must fol-
law. In this direction, then, we have in
prospect simply some months of con-
ientiun over the executionlof the acts,
and then peremptOry veto by Congress
of all that has been done, with the
work to begin over again.
And this brings us to the answer to
the universal question,-what are we
coming to? We are then coming TO
reckoning between the nation a nd the
President.