New-York tribune., 1867-09-24
CEN SJCKLES TINDTCATED.

The letter of the Governor OF South Carolina
makes it altogether clear that in removing zen.
SickIes the President committed "a two-iolu
blunder. This, if it does not occur to the
remover himself must be patent to those VINO
of,icioto rs his proxies in affairs of Executive
reason. Il desire to express TO you the great
"regret which | feel personally and oihciaily
cat the course taken by the President ana his
| "adviscrs in this natter writes Gov. UT.
| Could there be more unexpected ana slghlli-
cant condemnation on the one hand, and vindlca-
tion ON the other? South Carolina herself, bitter
and bloody in some of her by-gones, declares tiii1
that over-zealous Southerner Mr. Johnson
| is wrong, and that his General is rlSht. one
nrotosts that Democratic President Is FAR out
| done in sensible and generous forbearahce anu
kindness toward the Southern people oy
| servant of that Congress, they are DOM sup
posed 70 hate with equal heartiness. 1he Ex-
| ccutive has cndeavOred to lead another raid on
| the Union lines, but there are few Rebels III
| boort who think it worth while to follow HIM.
The state of the case is deplOrablc 1t Is "a
cornorars guard. made up of Falstaif's recruits.
II is begging policy, going about the land
like a crazy king, without either his head or
crown. At last. it receives the unkindcst cut
of all A State of nulliicrs rcpudiates null-
fying President.
The first surmises of the motives of Gen.
Sickles's removal are confirmed by Gov. 0rr's
cordial and willing testimony. "ln my opn-
"ion.r he writes, General Order No. lO re-
"ccved the approval of n very large majority
"of the citizens of South Carolina and fur
thermore he remarks that, if this order had
not been issued last Spring, considerable
increase of troops would have been needed
to protect shcrifis in executing civil process
at the instance of ravenous creditors. The
paragraph of the order seized by the President
"a the text for the Generals dismissal. was the
one of all others most priced 10y the people
of South Carolina. IL was by no means
an obnoxious provision; nor was 1t com
batted by the courts. which, rs whole,
yielded to the evident charity and necessity OF
the order Had the Marshal in North Carolina
desired harmony between the civil and military
powers of the United States he could have so
managed by simply postponing the execution
of civil process until the next term of court.
when, by law, he was required To make a re-
turn. We see that all the trouble arising ont
of Order No. 10 was in consequence of II
part of the Executive, for the order
had been already nearly half year
in existence when he gave TO the world the
characteristic explosion To the effect that it
was unconstitutional. A modicum of forbear
ancc, of patriotism, or of prudence, would have
saved the poor blunder of reversing a good
order and dismissing n popular officer. But it
is plain that the President was disposed to
have another tilt with Congress- another out
break of periodic Constitutonalsm. Don
QuixOte and the Windmill were not more
unequally matched than the parties of such n
duel.
Thus we remark the issue Of another Of the
| Presidents experiments iii Consttutionality.
Where is the use we ask-the reason or the
| right of these obstructive misdongsi From those
whom they would serve come no thanks. They
are as easy as making soap-bubbles, or catch
ing flies in Summer, but where is the good
| Given a certain amount of mischief to be
worked against Congress, and it is required to
| find how much Bnkleysm and Backcning in
the shop of the Attorney General is needed to
| give n legal polish to Executive rashness
| All this is as easy as lyng-but whom does it
cost Every movement of the President, so
far as it tends to delay the progress Of
reconstruction, is at the expense of the suffer
ing people of the South. Tigers on the hanks
of an elephant in the jungles may be more
hurtful than the counter-poicy with which
the President assas reconstruction, but we
are inclined to think that they are as reasonable
| The President is not enough of fanatic
to cling with consistency to his idea of the
Constitution, even if he tears good quarter
away from our elephant of reconstruction. He
can only show us the aspect of one inveterate
and inconvcrtible, Bourbon who learns moth
ing and remembers nothing, and who acts
| without meaning or occasion. Practically, he
| is an outlaw, and at war with the country.