The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-01-23

When the greenbacks we're first i5suei they
were tacitly regarded as promises to pay 50 soon
as we COud-so soon, at least, as the stress of
war should have passed away. Now that we
have peace, and are paying off natloual deb6
rather than mourning 1t, let us resume pay.
| ment: at all events, let US not multiply false
| hoods which have not even the doubtful merit
| of deCevng Only let the treasury resume paw.
ment in coin, and then, if there be an equitable
| mo0e of replacing our bank note currency by
greenbacks, we have not The least objection.
! strnteuicnI Movements ON the ImpeRch-
menL QuestiOn-The Issue and the
/ settlement.
| from the Herald.
A few weeks ago the impression generally
prevailed that the impeachment agitation was
all moonshine. Next, when it began to assume
! the character of a fixed design, it was de-
nounced as despotic and revolutionary by the
astonished Southern Rebel press and their
! allies, the Copperhead organs and orators of
! the North and as certain TO involve the country
in another rebellion. In the next place, with
the exposure OF the folly and faacy of all such
ridiculous threatenings against plain consti-
! tutonal proceeding on the part of Congress, we
are happy to announce some signs of a reCOg-
milton of the necessities of the situation in the
quarter most Immediately interested. The
signs to which we reter are embodied in GER
tam private advices we have Just received from
Washington, which include the following state
menls as emanating from high authority.
The impeachment mOyementl will not be
pushed during the presenC session. The judi
Ciary CommIltee OF the House will probably
! be occupied till March in examining witnesses,
collecting evidence, and making up case.
Meantime, a. we are informed, President JOnn-
son is expected to broaCh a compromise with
Congress on the Greeley platform OF a general
amnesty 10 Southern Rebels, State by State for
impartial suffrage, whites, mulattoes, negroes,
and all. This plan proposes to let each State
concerned act for itself, and when 1T shall have
voluntarily granted Impartial suffrage, to admit
its representatives into Congress, chosen upon
this basis and then, with certain exceptions, to
grant TO the Rebels OF the State thus reinstated
general pardon. We understand that Chief
Justice Chase is inclined to favor this PROPOSE
| ton, together with some leading members of
Congress, anu that Gree ey, like BarBis, is also
| willing. Leading Southern men are 10 be con-
| suited and some confidence IS expressed in the
! success OF the scheme.
This may perhaps, account for the milk in
| Greeley's cocoanut. Ever since his famous
! first Bull Run esCapade he has been the most
easily frightened man in the country. His
! budget of blunders in consequence has been
! truly deporable, from his proposition TO pay
! the Rebels four hundred millions of collars for
! their negroes, down to his last blundering
! manifesto for a universal amnesty, negro sut-
! trage or no negro suffrage. OF course he is
! frightened out OF his wits at this impeachment
! movement, from the terrible threateuings of
! the Copperheads. But he blunders worse than
| ever in regard to the course Of the Herald.
j
! led poor Pierce and the Democracy 10 their
destruction on that fatal kansa ebraSka blll; ;
! and he fears that, IN this "malicous mOCkery"
/ OF the Herald on this impeachment remedy, we
| are now leading the Republicans on the road
/ to ruin. Lei us assure our frightened phiosO.
pher that there is no danger in this remedy of
| impeachment, none whatever; and that in our
| discussions of the subject we are looking only
at the general interests of the country, aud
| Tor the shortest, simplest, and most available
programme Tor decisive settlement with the
South.
Does this new departure suggested in behalf
of the President meet the necessities of the
case? As we understand it it involves the cast
ing out of the pending Constitutional amend
ment and the readmisalon into Congress OF the
Rebel States, under ther CONCESSION of negro
suffrage, Just as they are. Under this plan,
within twelvemonth Mason ana Slidell mas be
back again in the Senate, and most of the osd
secession Southern delegations OF lS6O-Gl may
be back again in the House, agitating State
rights once more, and the unconstitutionality
OF the war for the Union, and all its debts and
obligations Is it not wiser, first of all, to Tx
these obligations in the Constitution beyond tho
reach of reputation party, ana wiser, as the
pending amendment proposes, to let each State
for itself take negro suffrage with negro repre-
scntatlon, or give up the one III withholding the
other? We think so. At all events, we want
some other securities for the future besides
GreeleY's universal panaCea of general Rebe
amnesty and negro suffrage.
But the paramount issue which now demands
settlement is the line of demarcation between
the functions OF the Executive and the powers
| OF Congress-. Under Jackson the latter. day
policy of Executive enCroachments upon the
| exclusive powers of Congress was commenced
which, from his examples has been steadily ad
vancing, until now we find the Executive no
only assuming the highest and most exclusive
powers of CONGRESS, but charging usurpatioI
upon the two Houses in presuming to deny hin
these legislative powers, and in refusing to en-
dorse his acts done without authority in law
The constitutional line OF demarcation, there
fore, between the law-maEing and the laW-eXe
cutting branches of the Government must nov
, be fixed and settled. SO clearly, too, is this ln
drawn in the Constitution, that Congress ha
only to assume and exercise its rghtful autho
rity in order to settle the question.
We guess that the amendment, added to re
construction bill offered the other day in tn
n House, providing for the suspension OF tn
habea, corpus and the re-establishment of mai
tial law in the Rebel States, has this settlemen
t in view. Let this thing be passed into 81 lay
n over the Presidents veto, and then in his re
. tusal if he shall refuse to execute the law, tn
y last resort of impeachment will admit OF n
e further delay. The prospect is that under thu
It test the Executive will plead a justihc'iiO
. against Congress from the Supreme Court, /
which event. under the pressure of this gref
e revolution which is upon us, President Johnso
t. will be removed and the Court reconstructed
q TO make way for the will of the sovereign peopl
- as represented in Congress.
! The Democracy and the ImpeachAen
q From the World.
= AIr. Greeley, who has recently spent sever
,. DAYS in Washington briefly sums up the resu
e of his observations, in an editorial in Monday
e Tribune. On the subject of impeachment
j..