The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1867-08-08
The Now Crisis-The President and Congress
on a Broad Issue.

L 70 Do something more IMAM nine uays "onoor'
The "grave public considerations" which have
constrained Mr.. johnson TO request the resigna-
ton of the Secretary of War. Mr.. Stanton, and
the "grave public considerations" which have
| constrained the latter to hold on to his office
until the next meeting of Congress, make up
a broad issue, which simply puts the President
to the duty of fighting it out or the alterna-
tive of a base retreat in humiliation and dis
grace The reply Of Mr.. Stanton to the Presi-
| dents request involves an offence from sub
ordinate 10 the Chief Executive officer of the
government without parallel in the history Of
the country. But with the knowledge that the
Civil Tenure Of Office bill was passed by Con-
gress expressly for his protection, Mr.. Stanton
has been encouraged to this unprecedented act
of contemptuous defiance. Yet still the ques-
ton recurs, is the superior or the subordinate
officer by this act to become the master of the
situationi 1t strikes US that if the law will not
admit of the removal of the cOntumacious Sec
rotary in the absence of Congress, the Presi-
dent can and must suspend him. To recognize
him in his Office after this unsatisfactory pas
| sage at arms with him is to consent on the
| part of the President to his own degradation
But why this request upon Secretary Sta nton
to resign? Unquestionably it is because, as the
head OF the War Office, he stands in the way Of
| the Presidents ideas as to the execution of the
reconstruction laws of Congress Mr.. Johnson
desires to apply these laws with margin of
liberality to those classes Of the Southern
people most directly affected by them. 1t is
on this ground mainly, we presume, that he
desires to get rid of General Sheridan, COM
mander of the Fifth Military district. But, with
q little reflection upon the matter, Mr.. johnson
has discovered that the removal Of Sheridan
and the substitution of even General Rousseau
in his place would practically amount to moth
ing, 80 long as Rousseau remained subject to in
structions coming through Secretary Stanton
under the laws, rules and regulations Of the
army. Hence this request for Stanton's resig-
nation. He declines point blank to withdraw
and falls back upon Congress. We hold, then,
that the only course left to the President if he
would maintain the dignity of his Office and his
own selfrespect is to suspend the refractory
Secretary of War, and appoint or recognize
some other person in the discharge of his official
duties for the time being.
This, however, is but limited view of the
case. Mr.. Stanton's suspension is not only
necessary to the proper settlement of the per
sonal Issue between him and the President, but
it becomes indispensable to Mr.. Johnson if he
would SO apply the reconstruction conditions
a fair field against the negroes. But is there not
some danger in this thing Of making martyr
of Stanton to his advantage as Presidential
cahdidatef There might be if he were left
standing alone as martyr. But there will not
be any such danger il the whole FIVE command
ers of the FIVE Southern military districts are
made martyrs of at the same time with their
removal. The honors of martyrdom, in being
thus divided among half dozen martyrs, will
be neutralized, and so Mr.. Stanton's calcula-
tions upon this score will signally fail. This,
then, is the proper line Of action for Mr.. John
son-the suspension Of Stanton, the removal of
the FIVE military commanders, and the substtu-
ton for all these Of other mon who will cor
daily cooperate in the execution Of the laws
of Congress according to the liberal ideas and
purposes Of the President towards the white
population of the ten States directly concerned
in opposition to negro supremacy.
Upon this broad and general issue Mr..
johnson need not be afraid Of throwing down
the gauntlet to the radicals in our approaching
Northern elections. Let 1t appear, and let it
be fairly understood, that while Southern
reconstruction under Secretary Stanton and
the present Southern military commanders
under his wing means negro supremacy in the
South, and the return Of perhaps twenty or
thirty negroes as a beginning to the present
Congress from the Southern States, the execu-
ton of the laws of reconstruction aimed at by
Mr. johnson contemplates the supremacy of
the Southern whites, 30 far at least as to
exclude negroes from Congress. and we shall
have au issue which will change the face Of
| sylvania and New York.
| The whole issue in the South depends upon
the spirit in which these laws Of reconstruction
are applied. If the restrictions against rebels
are vigorously enforced, while the negroes,
| without question, are freely admitted to the
suffrage, - they have been so far, the negroes
will rule in the work of reorganization and
send whom they please to Congress. II, on the
| other hand, the restrictions against the South
ern whites are somewhat relaxed, and the re-
quirements to suffrage are fairly applied to the
blacks, the white majority, where 1t exists in
any Southern State, will be brought into action,
and white ascendancy will be the result We
believe, too, that under this system Southern
reconstruction may be so fairly accomplished
rs to compel even the radicals Of Congress to
accept 1t /; for IL the idea Of universal suffrage
has now gone so far that II cannot to be arrested,
that other idea Of general amnesty is close
behind. II JEFF Davis, on the bail volunteered
by leading radicals, can be turned loose, surely
we need no longer delay in letting all the
L e. - H.. al.oll