Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1867-09-28
ire Amnfsli rfnflamnllan.

WrIl ~ frirU4 I've " Hu lNHfof lNt
pale shrinking shadow ~ fofnei
Executives. War. IN the opinion
NJ tho vitl0rious llnditnl majority
had completely fcyoluiioniacd on
fedcrativo system of States and
they proved their fifth n theft
works by arrogaiing to rump Con
gross tho supreme legislative pow
cr of tho nation" They ourtnilcd
the Presidential authority 10 H.,
extent they dread by the rcvolu
ton all power had ccnterod IN fac
ton of Congress, Tho President
was TO bc left but little more author
ity than his Secretary ofStato, Fol
n whilc, n long period il measured
by the notifications, regrets and
anxietics cngondcrcd by the appar'
cnt surrender of tho Executive
President johnson seemed to resign
himself to his shorn authority, But
tho recent dccapitation of insubor'
dinatc district commander 3, TIL c
proclamation of September . and
the amnesty proclamation assure
the people that the President Is
neither the mere puppet to which
an insolent majority would reduce
him nor tho shrinking shadow Of
his former himself, as only too
many ofhis sincercst friends beliov'
ed he had become. Legitimate au'
thority is at length asserted, nay
better still, exercised and large
and generous measure Of policy and
Justice tardily conceded, state
reasons" innumerable nigh b Q,
we suppose, put forward in vindi'
cation of delay. And MS we are
profoundly ignorant of State craft
we conceded these same State reas-
ons the largest measure of impor-
tance-omne ignotum pro m0gnifco
Yet we cannot conceive wherein
Presidential authority or the coun.
try has profited by the delay. Ger
tainly the Rump Congress, so far
from being appeased by Executive
concessions, has swclled to the most
insolent proportions, usurping every
authority that might tend to fasten
its odious hold upon the governmet
going so far even as to set the mill
tary above the civil power, and be-
slowing a premium upon military
insubordination and upstart inso
lencc. 1t cannot be denied that al
this is in a great measure due to the
indecisive policy of the Executive
Its effect upon the country at large
moro especially these Southern
States, in their industrial, political
even social and religious interest
is obvious to the meanest under
standing.
While a general amnesty was
withheld, the possibility of confsca
ton hung over us like the sword o
Damocles. Capital is natur a II }
timid. But with us it was n o I
merely the locking up of capital thai
the apprehension of confscation in
duccd-in truth there was but lit
tie to lock up. All industrial pur
suits, whether in the field, the fac
tory or workshop, were paralyzcc
by it to an incalculable extent
There is no estimating the amount
of foreign capital withheld from III
by the apprehension of confiscation
But in fact the amnesty proclama
ton itself furnishes us with co
gent, an unanswerablo condemna
ton of its tardy appearance. Para
graphs 6, Z, 8 and 0 put the whole
case in a most mastery manner
Whereas, say these paragraphs il
brief:
There now exists no organized
armed resistance to the authority
of the United States in the States
of Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia
North Carolina, Tennessee, Ala
bama, Louisiana, Arkansas, Missis
sippi, Florida and Texas, and thu
laws can be sustained and enforced
therein by the proper civil authori
ty, and the people of said States ar.
we'll and Loyalty disposed, and have
conformed, 0i if permitted to do so
| will conform in their legislation tt
the condition of affairs growing ou
of the amendment to the constitu
ton of the United States prohibiting
slavery within the limits and juris
diction of the United States; ant
there no longer exists any reasona
bic ground to apprchend, within
said States, any renewal of resis
lance.
Whereas, Large standing armies
military occupation, martial law
military tribunals and the suspen
sion of the privilege of the writ o
habeas corpus and the right of tria
by jury are in time of peace danger
GUS to public liberty, incompatible
with the individual rights Of thu
citizen, contrary to the genius ant
spirit of our free institutions, ant
exhaustive of the national resources
and ought not, therefore, to be sus
tanned or allowed except in cases o
actual necessity; and
Whereas, a retaliatory or vindic
tive policy, attended by unnecessa
ry disqualification, pains, penalties
confiscations and acknowledgements
now, as always, could only tend t.
hinder reconciliation among IN
people, and national restoration
while it must seriously embarrass
obstruct and repress popular ener
gies, and national industry and en-
terprise. - t
The objections to standing armies
martial law, military tribunals ant
the suspension of the writ of habea
corpus in time of peace, were, per
haps, never more strongly urged il
so brief a space, nor could we desir
to add q word to the Presidential
condemnation of the impolicy ant
dangers of the retaliatory and win