The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-02-12
CHI Al LES TON.
TUESDAY MORNING, FEBRUARY 12, 1867
THE SITUATION.

was almost unanimosy rejected by every one of
them. To punish these States for their obduracy,
tho samo Committee in Congress, within the last
few days, have reported favorably upon Bill IN
troduccd by Senator WILLIAMS, OF Oregon, tho
main outlines of which VIC published about two
weeks ago in our telegraphic columns, and the
full text of which gave in our issue Of yester-
day. IF this Bill becomes a law, and is not vetoed
by the Executive, or set aside by the Judiciary,
we shall DO brought to taste the bitterness of a
despotism equal to tho worst firms Of As;atic rule
recorded in history. State lines to DO abro-
gated, our municipal and State Governments over
thrown, our State Constitution and laws will be
powerlcss to afford any protection, even the
Constitution of the United States will be no bar
rier to the exercise of this tyranny. It is distinct
ly and professedly set aside Tho privilege Of
hdbcus corpus is to bo suspended; civil rights,
which are claimed for the meanest, the most alb
ject dweers Of the land are to be deliberately and
studiously denied to millions OF Intelligent peace
able mon, who, themselves and their ancestors,
have for ages been in the full and f. exercise of
all the privileges OF fenlghtened citizenship. All
this is done to subserve tho wicked scfshncss of
party purposes. Tho old adage, ssTho voice OF the
people is the supreme law" Will have to be
changed. Vor satrdped s7tprenea lea will be the
future reading. e@ ata
SoA-
gress-certainly the more Radical part Of it,
seoms bent on one or another OF these destructive
plans of Reconstruction; yet these projects, they
know, can never be executed as long as ANDREW
JOHNSON remains President. Indeed, Mr. JOHN
SON, at the White House acts check on all
kindred measures; for although Congress over
rides his vctoes, and has restricted his power and
hampered the exercise Of his prerogative in every
conceivable form and shape; still it is found that
his mere presence sat the other end OF the Ave
| nue." locks the wheels Of Radical legislation.
oyerruling the Presidential veto is not 6nality,
it still leaves room for objections constitutional
| grounds from the S1promo Court. This tribunal
cannot be abolished. It is found necessary to re-
organize it, ana thus change its political COM
plexon. This, however, cannot be done as long
as JOHNSON is President.
Tho one great task then before the extreme fac
tionists is the impeachment and removal Of the
President. This, it is felt, must be compassed at
any cost. No stone is left unturned to dragon
the party up to state of political frenzy reckless
of all consequences. A whole army Of scribblers
and stump agitators retained to faniliarize the
masses with these revolutionary tactics. An or
ganizaton is said to exist under the name Of the
| Grand Army of the Union, soc, 900 strong, tho
special purpose Of which it is to be Mt hand in
they shall be needed to carry the impeachment.
FoRNEE's papers are recognized as the official
organs that set the tune, and from them the
smaller fry take up the cry. The respectable Re
publican journals, those which have heretofore
been considered as the organs Of the party, with
singular unanimity condemn the whole plan and
proceeding. But on the other hand, to compen-
safe for this detection the part Of tho faithful
competent corps of mercenarics has been enlisted
at the head Of which stands the New York Herald.
IL.
has had one or two editorial articles, demanding,
with earnest soicitude the impeachment and re-
moval Of the PrcsideHl Coupled with this de-
mand, says the Boston Posi- III a very thoughtful
leader on this subject and if to cover the tracks
OF the conspirators it sweepngly proceeds to show
how Congress can declare three-fourths Of The
States represented to be competent to adopt an
amendment to the Constitution; how it may pass
law deposng the Executive while his trial is pro-
ceeding; how Gen. GIANT, some more ductile
General, may BIO set in his chair until new cleo
tion shall be ordered, or Congress shall choose to
make President OF its own; how the Supreme
Court may be abolished by legislation and some
thing created in its place to register the edicts of
Congress instead of reviewing and deciding upon
it's laws; and how everything will proceed without
rufhe or jar; the deposition Of the President
and the arbitrary appointment of another be effect
Cd without shaking popular confidence or under
mining the foundations Of public credit; the su-
preme Court be abolished by coordinate branch
Of the Government with no danger whatever to the
steady working Of our system; and the majority in
Congress usurp oil the functions Of Government
in the name Of the people, though undeniably to
the popular wrong and the downfall Of the wise and
equitable government set up by the Fathers
There is more method in this madness Of the
Herald than Instantly suggests ITSELF It is in the
strict line Of its duty, which has always been that
Of its interest The single principle which has in
spired the conduct Of that paper from the begin
ming Of its existence has been, apparently, some
thing very like black-mail. It alternately sided
with the Democrats and the Wings, employing
abuse when fattery failed and always holding out
it's right hand and it's left that so it might at least
catch-sonae1ting. It's editor made good part of |
his living off actors and actresses, singers and mu-
sicians, by making them fear the effects OF his |
journalistic frown. Those who p i'd their dollars
into It's gaping treasury, did rather to silence it's
denunciations than because they believed its high
est terms OF praise and hattery were of any
real service to them. The Herald has the most |
Of it's days been considered a black mail sheet.
and at the unmistakable close or it's CO.
reer is proving ITSELF true to the rule which
has been its reputed guide from the begin
ming just before the war, no paper in the coun-
try so roundly abused Abolltionists and Repub
Leans; now the war ls ended, it out-radicals
Radcaism itself in its bold assault on two Of the
departments Of the Government, and in it's base-
less declarations that the majority of fraction OF
Congress compose the permanent and responsible
authority of the nation. Wien the proposition for
impeachment WAS first presented in Congress-. no
paper was more violent in its denunciations Of the
proceeding, or drew more vivid pictures Of the dis
asIous consequences OF such measure to the
business Of the country and its political welfare;
now, none 80 vehement in advocating tho Ashley
Boutwell, Butler crusade
It would be travelling wide of the rule to SUD-
pose that the motives of this sheet were not, as
usual, mercenary in the present case. The reck
less perseverance manifested, where common pru-
aence requires Of the public Journalist an exenn-
olary degree Of discretion In discussing matter
IF such moment, leaves little to be suspected in
he case of paper OF such notorious antecederts.
Where everything like principle is become abhor-
rentlv venal Eanaticism is sure of finding an ally
oy simply complying with its terms. Those are
ts favorite Instruments, too, because, when the
obligations are mutually cancelled, each side is
reo to treat the other as il there had existed no
temporary relationship.
Such prostitution Of the responsible Office Of q
public journal is, at o critical juncture like this
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