The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1867-09-11
The President ON, tho War Path.


pondent of the Boston Post writes
from Washington: 3.
1 have every reason to believe that
President johnson is about inaugu.
rating a new policy. He has deter
mined to be tmaster of the situa.
tion, and redeem his adn,ipistration
from the charge Of weakness and in
decision. He tried toolong the tenn
porizing policy; he exhausted every
effort at harmony and Cancellation,
and he has now determined to stand
upon his constitutional rights as the
, Executive of the nation, and. resist to
the utmost the dark wave of fanati-
cism which now threatens to engulf
the nation. He thinks that another
| four years like the past would not
| leave semblance of the Constitu-
ton, and says that the only hope of
the nation is in arousing the people
from their fearful lethargy and teach
ing them, in the coming elections. to
look to principles and not to men.
When Andrew johnson was Mill
tary Governor of Tennessee, his
position was one of great RESPONSE.
bility, and trying Ill the extreme to
one who had been educated to q
strict construction of the Constitu
tion-who had ever favored the,
masses, from which he had risen,
and who was now to see, for the first
time, his neighbors and friends
borne down by the military, and
stripped of all their civil rights. In
speaking of his observation and ex-
perience at this period of his life, the
President remarked to friend, to-
day, that his heart had almost bled
to witness with what facility men
could lay aside their civilrights with
out complaint and adapt themselves
to military rule. He argued from
this of mans readiness to catch at
any form of government in order to
quiet internal strife, and wondered
how far we were from that state of
confusion, which was so we'll calcu-
lated to drive the country into O
military despotism. His great obiec-
ton to longer continuation of Gen.
Sheridan in the command of the 9Th
Military Department was the fact
that he was habituating the people to
the tyranny of despotic govern
ment.
I have already telegraphed you the
true position of affairs as regards the
Cabinet. The President informs me
that each member of his Cabinet has
said he was ready to retire whenever,
in Mr.. Johnson's opinion. the public
interests should demand it. Yet he
has not determined on any change
up to the present moment, nor does
he know that change will actually
occur. At the same time, he remark
ed that such were the peculiar cir
cumstances surrounding his admins
tration, that there might be, at any
moment, partial or an entire
change of his whole Cabinet. Every
thing now depended upon develop
ments from day to day. Matters
were in that unsatisfactory and un-
settled condition that it was impossi-
BILE to tell what day might bring
forth.
The same correspondent telegraph
ed the following on Friday night:
Mr.. Johnson has electrified the
country by an exhibition of frmness
and decision. and I feel authorized
to say that the policy inaugurated
WILL be closely followed up. Those
who oppose the Administration will
have to stand aside, regardless of
personal considerations. The blow
struck 1T the late Secretary of War
will be followed by others Whenever
events may justify; and the example
made of Sheridan and Sickles had
better be needed by others similarly
situated. Mr.. johnson declared to q
party of friends to-day, that having
exhausted every effort at Cancellation,
he should now unfinchingly enforce
every constitutional power to save
the country from impending ruin;
that the simple issue was constitu-
tional government or military des-
potism, and he had fully resolved
upon the course he should adopt
to fulfil the plain requirements of his
office. Letters are pouring in upon
the President, from prominent men
of oil parties, North and West, urg-
ing him to stand by the Constitution,
and resist those who would inaugu-
rate military rule. The President has
taken the "war path" in earnest,
and we may witness return of the
days of "Old Hickory" and the
"Constitution must and shall be pre-
served"