St. Mary's gazette., 1867-03-07
The Freki1ent's Yctn.

Our limited space precludes US from CIV
ing more than a paragraph Of the receH
veto message of President johnson on tn
.bill to provide for the more efficient gov
erpment Of the Rebel States" better know
as the shx p scheme. We have no hes
i,a,ion in "a ving, that the message through
oss IS QUE Of the most conclusive and cx
kssustivc State papers which it has eve
| beon our good fortune to read. # is can
did. clear. concise, forrible and manly and
in certain passages. rises to the highest or
,, der of eloqrencc. Unlcss the people OF th'
country are alto ,ether indi1cr Mt to sh'
preservation and maintenance OF the gov
crnment establishe.. by the Constitution
and, indeed, of free institutions themselves
the solemn earnestness of the President
lcnr.catiops cannot be without salutary
effect upon the public understanding. lie
establishes beyond all doubt that the
bill abroga;cs the Cons'i uti"n, sub
ycrts all State rights, and institutes an II
responsible ard acknowledgement at
the South On this latter point, the Pres
ile:t says:
THE power thus eiven to the command-
ina officer over all the people OF each DIS
tries is tlat of an absolute monarchy =
Ills mere will is to. take the place OF all
law. The law Il the State IS now the on
ly rule ap}lienbsc tc the subjects pacea
unler his control, and that IL completely
displaced by The clause which declares all
interior encc Of State authority to be null and
void. He alone is permitted to de'crml'e
what arc rights of person or property ana
he nlay protect them IN such way as IN bis
disvls ion may seem proper. 1t places at
his free disposal all the Ian Is and 4oods III
his district. and he may; distribute them
without let or hinarance .lom he pleases.
Being bound by no State law, and there
being no other law to regulate 'hc subject,
be may make criminal code of his own;
and he can make it a bloody as any re-
corded in history, or he can reserve the
privilege of acting upon the impulse OF his
nrivate PASSIONS in each case that arises -
lie is bound by no rules of evidence; there
is indeed no Irovi ion ly which he Is au-
t'.orized or required to take any evtd nee
at all. Ever,iI.in 5 a crime wnich b.
chooses to "a 50 and all persons are con-
icmucd wion he pronounccs TO be guilty
he Is not bound to keep any record, or make
any report of his proceedings. lie may ar
rest his victims wherever he finds them Wit: :
,ut warrant, accusation or proof OF proba-
bic cause. If he gives them trial before
ne irflicts the punishment, ne gives 1t OF
his grace and mercy, not because he Is
SO to do "
1T NAV be answered to this that tn" Of
iccrs Of the army are too ma hahl'n""s'
ust and hun q e 10 oppros' aud s,ahpLe
lpon subjugated people | Go not douof
hat army officers are as we'll entitled TO
his kind of confidence as any other class
If men. But the history of the world has
,,en written in vain If does
each us that unr* strained authority I
an never be safely trusted III human |
,ands. 1t is almost sure to be more |
,r less abused under any clrrumstan-
veg, and it has always resulted 10 gross
tyranny whore the ru!crs who exercise 1t
IRE strangers to their Subjects, and come
among chem as the representatives OF DIS
ant Power. and more especially when the
Power that sends them IS untrlendly,
Governments closely resembling that here !
oronosed lave been fairly tried in llua-ary |
and Poland, and the suffering entsured
by those people reused the sympath,es OF
me entire world 1t was tried III Ireland,
and, though tempered at first by principles
If Fuslsn law, it gave birth 10 cruel'lcs
:, strociouS that they are never r'counted
without jpst Indignation. The fr2nsh
Convention aru.ca its dcsptics with this !
power and sent them to the southern de
partments of the republic The massacres'
murders and other atrocities which they
show what the passions of the
,bIest men in Ike most civilized society
tempt them to do, when wholly unres-
trained by law.