Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1867-12-03

U
Union, as the tax payers were led 70 suppose,
but 10 expel the m from IL ard hand them over
10 te governed by negroes, the neral duty 10
pay il may seem lees clear. I cay it msy seem
so T; for do not admit that this or any other
arg ument in favor Of repudiation can be en ter.
tsined as sourd: bu. its influence on some
classes OF minds may we'll be aprrehended
The financial honor Of a great commercial ma
ton, largely indebted. and with n repuoiiean
form Of eoverumt Mt administered by agents OF
the popular choice is q thing Of 50 IN deHcae
texture. ana the destruction OF il would be
followed by such upspeakahle calamity, tha
every true patriot 10 ust desire TO avoid what.
ever might e1 pose II TO the slightest danger.
The great interests Of the country require
immed late relief from these snsctmente. Bus.
inese In the South is parals red by sense OF
general insecurity, by the terror OF copfsca.
ton, and the dread OF negro supremacy The
Southern trade, from which the North wsuld
have derived so great q profit u nder q gov
ernment OF law, still Ian guishes, and can never
he revived until 10 ceases To be fettersd by the
arbitrary power Inch makes ali Its opera.
tions unsafe. That rich country The richest
in natural resources the world ever saws
worse than lost AZ II be not soon placed under
the protection OF q free Consultation. Instead
OF being, as II ought 20 be, a so1rce Of wealth
and power. IL will become an intolerable
burden uron the rest OF the nation.
Another reason for refracing our steps will
doubtless bs seen by Congress in the late man.
jfesiations OF public opinion upon this sub
jet. We live In a country where the popular
Will always enforces obedience 10 itself. soon.
er or later. 1t Is vain to think OF opposing il
with any thing short of legal authority, backed
by overwhelming force. II cannot have es.
capped your attention that from the day on
which Congress fairly and formally presen ted
the proposition TO govern the Southern State,
by military force, with view to the ultimate
preston OF the general sentiment has bee
more or less adverse TO il. The affections of
this generation cannot be detached from the
institutions Of cir ancestors. Their determi.
Y6 SpY " fho tnh Of frno
ersment in their own hands, and transmit IL
undivided and unimpaired to their own pos.
terity, is too strong TO be successfully opposed.
Every weaker passion will disappear before
that love OF liberty and law for which the
American People are distipg uished above all
others in the world.
serve, protect, and defend the Constitution
requires him 70 60 In opposing an unconsutu.
uonal act OF Con grsss, 10 q very serioue and
important qnstion, on which have deliberat.
ed much, and felt extremely uxto us to reach
proper conclusion. Where an act has been
passed according to the forms of the Constitu-
ton by the supreme legislative authority, and
10 regularly enrolled among the public statutes
OF the country, Executive resistance to IL, es.
pecially IN times Of high party excitement
would be likely 70 produce violent collision
between the respective adhprents of the two
branches of the Government. This would be
simply civil war; and civil war must be re.
sorted 10 only as the last remedy for the worst
OF evils Whatever might tend to provoke it
should be most caretully avoided. A faithful
anc conscientious Magistrate will concede
very much 10 honest error, and something even
TO peryerse malice, before he Will endanger
the public peace; and he will not adept forci.
BILE measures, or such as might lead to force,
as long as those which are peaceable remain
open to him or to his constituents. 1t is true
that cases may occur in which the Executive
would be compelled to stand on its rights,
and MAINTAIN them, regardless of all con.
eeq6ences. II Congress should pass An
Act " hich 10 not only in paIpabie conflict
Wi tnlx
carried out produce Immediate and irrepara.
ble injury TO the organic structure OF the Gov.
ernment, and II there be neither uiicial RENE
dy Tor the wrongs II indicts. nor power in the
people TO prote CT themselves without the official
aid of their elected defender: IL, for instance
the Legislative Department should pass an
aeteven through ali the forms OF law to abolish
&C .ordlpate department Of the Government
in such case the President must take the
high respoI sibilities of his Office and save the
life of the nation al all hazards. The so. called
reconstruction ACTS though as pIainly uncon-
sltutional as any that can be imagined, were
NOT believed TO be within the clase last men.
toned. The people were not wholly disarmsd
OF the power OF self-defence. In all the North.
ern States they stll held in their hands the
sacred right of the ballot, and it was safe TO
believe that in due time they would come 10
me pleasure TO add that the appeal TO our com.
mon constituents was not taken In vain, and
that my confidence in their wisdom and virtue
seems not 10 have been misplac
1t well and publicly known that enormous
frauds have been perpetrated on the Treasury,
and that colossal fortunes have been made at
The public expense. This species OF corruption
has increased, is increasing, and II not dimn-
ished will soon bring us into total ruin and
disgrace. The public creditors and the tax.
payers are alike In nterested in an honest admin
long endure the large banded robberies of the
recent past. For this discreditable state OF
things there are several causes. Some OF the
taxes are so laId as TO present an irresistible
n ha 0roa
which officers may win by connivance AT
fraud, create a press ure which is more than
The virtue OF many can Withstand; and there
can be no doubt that the open disregard of con-
stitutional obligations ayewed by some Of the
highest and most inf iuentai men in the coun-
Try has greatly weakened the moral sense Of
those who serve In subordinate places. The
expenses Of the United States, IN ncl uding inter.
est on the public debt, are more than SIX times
a. much as they were seven years ago. To
collect and dtsbuTse this vast amount requires
careful supervision as well as systematic vigi.
lance. The system, never perfected, was much
disorganized by the 'sTenure of Once Billr
which mas almost destroyed official account.
ability. The President may be thoroughly
convinced that an officer is incapable, dis
honest or unfatthful 10 the Constitution, but,
under the law which have named, the utmost
be can DO Is to complain 10 the Senate, and ask
the privilege OF supplying his place with q
better man. If the Senate be regarded as per-
soDally or politically hostile to the President,
II is natural, an d not altogether unreasonable,
for the ofncer TO expect mat IT Will take his
part as far as posi- ble restore him 70 his place,
and give him a triumph over his Executive
superior. The officer has other chances Of i'm.
punity arising from accidental defects of evil
dence, the mode Of investigating ii, and the
secrecycf the hearing. Ii Is not wonderful
that official malteasance should become bold
In proportion as tie delnquents learn to think
themselves safe. | am entirely persuaded that
under such rnle the President cannot per-
form the great duty assigned 10 him OF seeing
the laws faitbfully executed, and that IL dis.
abies him most especially from eE Eforcing that
rigid accountability " which is necessary TO the
due execution of the revenue laws.
The Constitution invests the President with
suihcrity to decide whether removal should
be made in any given case; the act Of Con.
gre.s declares, ia substance, that he shall only
accuse such as he supposes to be unworthy OF
their trust The Constitution makes him sole
judge in the premises; but the statute takes
away his jurisdiction, transfers it to the Sen.
sometimes impracticable duty Of becoming a
prosecutor. The prosecution is to be conducted
before a tribunal whose members are not, like
him. responsible to the whele people, but to
separate constituent bodies, and who may hear
bis accusation with great disfavor. The Sen.
ate is absolutely without any known standard
Of decision applicable 70 such a case Its
judgment cannot be anticipated, for 1, is not
governed by any rule. The law does not de.
fine what shall be deemed good cause for re.
noval. 1t 10 impossible even 10 conjecture
" hat may or may not be 50 considered by tne
Senate The nature Of the subiect forbtds clear
proof. II the charge be incapacity, what eyi-
Lr.