Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1867-07-24
Another Veto.


ed the supplemental reconstruction bill to
the House with his objections. The bill
was at once taken up and passed over the
veto by vote of I09 to "a; and, on being
sent to the Senate, it passed that body by
vote of 30 to 6.
The following article from the n. Y. Tn
Juae, will give the reader pretty clear idea
of the spirit in which the Presidents veto
is received by the Republican press through
out the country The Tribune says:
In any trial of strength between Andrew
johnson and the people, Andrew johnson
sure Yet if there is any man utterly blind
to the events of the day and alienated from
the spirit and purposes OF his country, that
man is the President OF the United States.
| He is as far removed from sympathy with
this nation as is the Kahn of Tartary and
further than the Emperor of Japan. In
his own land he is as foreigner. He holds
the highest office of the Union In the the in
terest of Rebellion, and the whole aim of
his policy seems to be to substitute the de-
feat of the Union for the victory To which it
is entitled. There is no man who talks more
Of the Union than he, and none who now
does more to preventltS peaceful reconstruc
ton. 1t is his misfortune that he has for
gotten the Rebellion. Treason, to him, is
neither crime nor mistake traitors and
| Rebels forfeit no rig hts; the secession of ten
| States gives to the Government no control
over their reorganization Congress, repre-
senting the loyal people of twenty six States,
! is powerless to prevent the rule Of a minori-
ty of Rebels. Yet, few years ago Andrew
| j Johnson led the band of extreme men who
| demanded that treason should be expiated
| by death, who proposed the gallows as the
! solution Of all National difficulties; and
there have been no acts as arbitrary as his
when siugly, and without consultation with
| Congress, he took the whole business of
reconstruction on himself By what mira
Gle these extremes have heen reconciled it is
useless to ask it Is enough that Andrew
johnson, is the President of the United
| States, Is now the worst foe of the people
who placed him there. At peace with the
| whole world, we are at war with him.
We, who put down the Rebellion, have
| the right to dictate terms to conquered reb-
! els. Who denies the rigkt2 Not the reb-
els " hen they laid down their arms to
Grant, and Sherman, ard Sheridan, they
| laid down everything. Technically, their
property, their lives were forfeited by
the laws they had offended but Humanity
and Christianity plead for them, and the
noble argument that mercy was but justice
convinced their conquerors They had sur
rendered everything, and what did the ma
ton take? Their lives and liberties it gave,
| their property 1t restored, and all that 1t de-
manded was submission to the terms which,
for self protection, it had imposed Who
| denied the right to enforce these conditions :?
! Andrew johnson He inspired with pas
] nf no rac Rabntlipn that w 1c
PROSTATE at our feet The fruit of his poll
cy was riot, and murder, and massacre
| fresh hatred between the South and North ;
| the long and costly delay of Reconstruction.
| The nation had resolved that certain things
should be done, and they have been done,
! but at what cost? Every step that we have
| taken has been over Presidential veto ;
! loyalty wherever it has advanced has found
Andy johnson barring the way; we have
| fought every battle of the war over again
with him for the enemy, till very weariness
of the struggle has given US new strength.
He has professed his willingness to yield to
the DEGREES of the people, and again and
again the people have decreed, and repeat
edly he has refused to obey. Nothing can
teach him, and Congress, reassembled TO
prevent the notification of its laws, is again
met by the petty quibbling, the gigantic OBJ
| StIBdCl VI iliiS idiLuitSS SCiS Ills mes
sage goes further than we thought even he
would dare to GO He has hitherto oppos-
ed the laws now he would defy them If
the President should undertake to carry out
his argument he will begin new rebellion
but, like the old Rebellion, it will be
crushed
To the extraordinary argument which Mr..
johnson opposes to the Supplementary Re
construction act, the Senate replied with
contemptuous silence, and the Immediate
passage Of the bill over his Veto 1t is al
most unnecessary to answer his evident So
phistry, though Mr. Butler ably exposed in
the House the pretense that the legislation
Of Congress in reference to Federal Courts in
the South, and Constitutional Amendments,
admitted the power to place the Rebel
Sta es under military rule. 1t is not with
the President argument but with the spi-
rit of the message, that the country will
take issue. We pass by his fimsy logic,
but we must listen to his threats. To us
the emphatic portions of the message are
that which insults the people by declaring
that Congress has placed twelve millions OF
American citizens under a rule than which
there has been none more intoerant and
more especially that which refuses to exc
cute the act. His objections to the bill are
worth nothing, now that it has become the
law. He is bound to discharge the high
duties of his executive Office, to the letter
and in the spirit, and we need not predict
what would be the result, should this SER
want of the people persist in affirming -
will not, )" when the Nation has again, and
we believe for the last time, commanded
You shall"
The Jewels presented to Madame Rain
baux by the Empress of Russia, as a testi-
mony of her feelings on the occasion of the
Crar's lifa hc:.,c- a,nA h. tha NJ