The Portland daily press., 1867-11-04

| ton, and Hse nert business, to hare sel os;de
Andreao johnson for has criminal co,,d,,ct
Butno. Congress expended the whole Sos
sion extending into the summer OF 1866. and
adopted no plan whatever for reorganizing the
rebel States and then adjourned sine die, with
out setting aside Andrew johnson and his
rebel state governments. They proposed the
constitutional amendment, and that was ALL
They held out to those rebel State govern
ments, that ii they would adopt the constifli-
tional amendment, their representatives and
senators should be admitted to seats in Con-
sress. And not one OF said rebel STATE gov
ernments was legal or authorized TO act on
on the proposed constitutional amendment at
all With the permission OF Congress, John
son and his WHY Secretary OF State submitted
the constitutional amendment TO these rebel
State governments. Thank God, they all with
one consent rejected it, .li ,t e.lssd|
Sherman of Ohio and other Conservatives
in Congress claiming to be Republicans, de-
clare that il those rebel State governments
had ratified said amendment, their represen-
tatives and senators would have been admit
tcu. tcutn u WOtiu hdft Dtch iilti 70 tDt
Union men in the South, and would surely
have resulted in new civil war within few
years. Andrew johnson continued his usurp-
ations and bis wholesale practice OF pardoning
traitors and counterieiters. 1t appears Mrs.
Cobb reigned supreme at the White House.
When Congress came. together in Decep,-
ber, 1866, one nould hare thought the .Jirst
business tcOald hare been TO hare set aside
the rebel State governments Aadrep. .JohasOu
had set up by usupatiOn, and the meet busi-
ness, to haze set aside Andrelo johnson for
his criminal conduct. But, no, Congress did
neither. They sal till the fourth OF March,
1867, and then left Andrew johnson ard his
rebel governments in being. They however
passed the military bill and conferred the
right OF suffrage cn the blacks and the coloIed
men in the rebel States. Here was a streak
OF light! But still the rebels held all the bal
lot boxes and Congress made no provision TO
place them in loyal hands. 1t would seem
| Congress was as blind as a bat. 1t was of no
use TO confer the right of suffrage on the
blacks and men OF mixed color and leave the
control OF elections and the ballot boxes in
the hands OF traitors. Congress adjourned.
| Three or four days afterwards an election
was held in Alexandria, and the traitors hold
| ing the ballot boxes rejected the votes OF
| about thousand legal voters, because these
/ voters were negroes and men of mixed color.
| Congress had provided that the new Con-
gress should meet Immediately after the seth
Congress closed. The 10th Congress was in
session. That body took the hint and imme-
diately placed the ballot boxes and the
control OF elections in the rebel States
in the hands of legal officers of the
army. Here was more light. One
mould hare thought that Congress
,oonld no,o haze set aside the rebel State
| governments and Andrea1 johnson himself.
| But no; they were still left in being But
the two houses OF Congress made provision
| that ii afew men of each branch should be
in teeir places in the capitol on the fourth day
| of July, 1867, the session should be continued.
| Here was more light. Mr.. johnson put his
Attorney General to work to fritteh away the
acts OF Congress by construction. This was
done, and Andrew johnson was about to
| act on it. A quorum OF each house of Con-
gress was in its place in the capitol on the
ourth of July, 1867. tr sar
One aoOuld hare thought R0to sureiu Con-
| gress piI set aside the rebel State qopern-
meRts Of Andre,u johnson the usarper, and
then Andre~ Johnson himseif. But no,
| Congress passed an act TO make more clear
| its meaning, and then adjourned, leaving the
| rebel State Cover nments of Andrew johnson
still in existence, and Andrew johnson the
\ usurpcr still in ofiee..--z.--
These Facts are the key 10 reeen, s,ise,io,,s IA
Northern States. The great body OF the Re-
| publcans III the Northern Sta.es are radical !;
| but their representatives and senators in Con-
| gress are not So d bold course III political
| party is tie road TO success. To nine tentbs
| of the Republicans it was obvious, that 10
body OF loyal men could be gathered in the
rebel States, sufficient to MAINTAIN state gov
ernments without the aid OF the negroes and
men of mixed color. They therefore desired
that the right of suffrage should be conferred
on all the loyal men in the South, and that
| Andrew johnson the usurper and his rebel
| governments should be set aside. We do not
| say that all these desired that course for the
| sake OF justice. Those who did not desire it
for the sake OF justice, desired il because they
wished loyal State governments organized in
the rebel States, and because tlley wished
ifiatters Of business to move in the regular
channels With many these considerations
| were paramount -no.sgs 5dl
III Congress had set aside the rebel State or
carnations of Andrew johnson and confer
red suffrage OH the blacks and men OF mixed
color in these States, and then removed the
usurper from office, as early as January'lS66,.
or even in January 1867, We think the party
in opposition to them would not have been
able to make respectable fight 10 any of the
northern States. But the Congress has been
delayed and controlled by conservative men,
claiming to be Republicans For some reason
these men have been slow to act Many Rad
ical Republicans have become tired and dis
couraged. They have declined tovote. These
Conservative leaders in Congress admit that
Johnson's States are Illegal and filed with
traitors. The dissatisfied Radicals say TO
them: Then you should have set them
aside" The Conservative leaders admit that
Andrew johnson made most foul usurpations
Of legislative power in III, matter Of reorgan-
ization, and that he used the power so usurp-
ed to place the new governments he made
wholly in the hands OF traitors. and that he
| persists in this course. Then you should
have impeaehed the usurper and turned him
out of officer BY keeping up these illegal
governments of traitors and by keeping the
usurper in Office, the Conservative Republi-
cans have strengthened the hands OF traitors
in the South and Of the sympathizers with
| treason in the North. Congress has grossly
neglected its duty, as the great majority OF
the Republicans believe. And this one fact
is sufficient to explain the comparative loss of
the Republican party at the late elections in
the Northern States. The question OF the
constabulary law in Maine, and OF the at
tempted change OF the constitution in Ohio,
may have changed few votes ir those States.
But these would produce no more than rip
Mo on tho enrfaaa rH.- j. O. w ~