The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-02-12
CHAR E S TON
MORNING, FEBRUARY 70, 1867.

CHARLES TON.
TUESDAY MORNING, FEBRUARY 12, 1857.
- THE SITUATION.
The Joint Congressional Committee on Recon
struction, at the close of last session. brought In
o report, recommending the passage OF an amend
mant to the Constitution of the United states.
This amendment has since beon submitted TO tue
several Z legislatures Of the Southern States anu
was almost unanimously rejected by every one OF
them, To punish these States for their opauracy,
the same Committee in Congress, Wltn eas .,, i.oo
few days, have reported faEoraDly upon '''i
trodnced BY Senator WILLIAMS, or oregon, 1no
main outlines of which 10 published aDout s"o
weeks ago in our telegraphic columns anu 1no
f,ll text Of which we gave in our issue OF yes'7i,
dny. If this Bill becomes law, and IS not sc1ocu
NV tho Executive. or set aside by the J1dlclary'
we shall be brought to taste the bitterness ol "
despotism equal to the worst forms OF Aslatlc t'ue
rocorded in history. State lines are to DO apro-
Gated our municipal and State Governments over
thrown our State Constitution and laws Will DC
nowerless to afford us any protection, evon the
Constitution of the United States will be no par
rer to the exercise of this tyranny 1t is dstlnc1
" and professedly set aside The pflvllese u
hnbens corpus is to DO suspended; civil raehts'
which are claimed for the meanest, the most aD-
;ect dweers Of the land, are to be deliberately ana
sndiously denied to 1.ilions of intelligent, peace
abe men. who, themselves and their ancestors,
have for ages been in the full and ice exercise OF
all the privileges Of enlightened citizenship An
this ia done to subserve tho wicked sel6shness OF
nartv purposes. Tho old adage, s'The voice of the
people is the supreme law, Will nave 10 pe
changed. Vor satrapea supreme te1 VIII Do 'no
future reading.
Events are rapidly eliminating to q crisis. Con-
gress, certainly the more Radical part OF "
seems bent on ono or another Of these destructive
plans of Reconstruction; yet these projects, they
know. can never be executed as long as ANDRE"
JOHNSON remains President. Indeed, &lr. JOHN
soN at the White House acts as check on all
kindred measures; for although Congress over
rides his vetocs, and has restricted his power, aud
hammered 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 Are
nue locks the wheels of Radical legislation.
OverruIng the Presidential veto is not q flnallsy,
it still leaves room for objections on constitutional
grounds from the Supreme Court. This tribunal
cannot be abolished It is found necessary to re-
organize it, and thus change its political COM com
plexion. This, however, cannot be done as long
| as JOHNSON is President. .a.,s5=s :
Tho one great task then before tho extreme fac-
tionists is the impeachment and removal OF the
President. This, it is folt, must be compassed at
any cost. No stone is left lnturIed to drasoon
the party up to state of political frenzy, reckless
! of all consequences A whole army OF scr1opsers
and stump agtators are retained to famil'ar1ze the
masses with these revolutionary tactics. An or
anization is said to exist under the name OF the
Grand Army. of the Union, 500,0 600 strong, the
specia purpose Of which it is to be at hand in case
they shall be needed to carry the impeachment
FoRNEY's papers arc recognized as the othclal
organs that set the etuno, and from them the
smaller fry take up the cry. The respectable Ke-
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 on the part of the faithfu
competent corps of mercenaries has been enlisted,
at the head Of which stands the New York Herald
For nearly two months past This sheet almost daily
has had one or two editorial articles, demanding,
with earnest soEcitude, the impeachment md re-
moval Of the President. Coupled with this de-
| mand, says the Boston Post, in very thoughtful
leader on this subject and as if to cover the tracks
of the consprators, it sweepngly proceeds to show
how Congress Gun declare three-fourths of the
States represented to be competent to adopt an
amendment to tho Constitution; how it may pass q
law deposing the Executive while his trial is pro-
ceeding; how Con. GRANT, or some moro ductle
General, may be set in his chair until new cleo
ton shall be ordered, or Congress shall choose to
make President Of it's own; how the Supreme
Court may be abolished by Legislation and some
thing created in it's place to register the octs of
Congress instead of reviewing and deciding upon
it's laws; and how everything will proceed without
ruffle or u jar; the deposition of the President
and the arbitrary appointment of another DO effect
ed without shaking popular confidence or under
mining the foundations of public credit; the su-
prene 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 all the functions of Government
in the name Of the people, though undeniably to
the popular wrong and the downfall of tho wise and
equitable government set mp by the Fathers.
There is more ssmethod' in this madness OF the
Herald .hen instantly suggests ITSELF 1t is IN the
strict line of it's duty, which has always been that
of it's 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 f.ltery failed and always holding out
it's right ha ID and it's left that SO it might at least
catch-s something. Its 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,id their dollars
into it's gaping treasury did rather to silence its
denunciations than because they beloved its high
est terms of praise ard tlattery were OF any
real service to them. The Herald has the most
of it's days been considered a black mail Sheet
and Mt tho unmistakablc close OF its ca
reer is proving itself truo to the rule which
has been it's reputed guide from the Begin
ming. Just before the war, no paper IN tho coun-
try so roundly abused Aboltionists and Rcpub-
lcans; now the war Is ended, it 0ut-radcais
Radcaliem itself in it's bold assault OIL 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
was first presented in Congress, no
paper was moro violent in it's dcnunciations OF the
proceeding, OF drew moro vivid pictures ofthc dis
astrous consequences OF such q measure to the
business Of the country and its political welfare;
now, none SO vehement in advocating the Ashley
Boutwell, Butler crusade.
It would bo travelling wide Of tac rule to sup
pose that the motives OF this sheet were not, as
usual, mercenary in the present case. The reck-
less perseverance manifested, where common pru-
dence requires Of the public journalist an oSenl-
plary degree Of discretion in discussing matter
H. L. l. Mod IN