Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-06-21
The OpInion of the Attorney Gen.

The Opinion of the Att Orney Gen
eral.. p
+ The Attorney General of thes United
States, has at last completed his opinion as
to the legalityNof the acts of the military
couimanders who have played the part Of
despots at the South in open violation of
all law. and have been guilty of usurpa-
tions that would cost an English official his
head. -.0lf ~ ETIETVT
The Attorney General 'sis clearly of the
opinion " that those military usurpers have
exceeded their powers. ATnEFcr..
Wonderful discovery. Profound opin-
| There was not. we'll Informed school
boy of fifteen in the United States but was
aware of this before this very remarkable
paper was produced ash ~
The Attorney General appears to have
belabored the subject through many tribu-
lations,., "A question of law that any re-
spectacle Justice of the Peace could have
answered in fifteen minutes has occupied
the attention of the Attorney General of
the United States for weeks And what
| has been going on while he was deliberat-
ing?s,r,. ,s,ss,sy.s .st,i-.s-e-ss ---s
The military usurpations have been ex-
ercised with despotic will by those who are
clothed with official power. The rights of
the people of the South have been sus-
pended by military usurpers,s upon the
point of q bayonet with one hand, whilst
with, a sword in the other, they have re-
moved the Executive if he dared set con-
stitutional limit to their power. -z.i
| And the blessed Radicals, what have they
been DOING? 's7s as5s .aassa fz5l
Rejoicing at the boldness of those mill
itary despots and urging the people to re-
volt if the Executive does interpose the
Constitution.
HORACE GREELEY says that by this act a
second civil war is inevitable, and if the
people would avoid it, the Radicals must
be allowed to WELD whatever power they
will. --1 a..s-,,.s
Humiliating scene. .I;s.t.ss. ~
The Executive and his Cabinet in coun-
ell resolving that the bigoted creatures of
military authority have violated the laws
of the land, trampled upon the rights of the
people and set at defiance the legally chosen
officers of State. 77.-s5- "a.
And if this cannot all be, we are to have
another Radical war. to"s- p.
When, even in the history of this or any
other Republic, was council of the Pres
idsnt and his Cabinet called to pass upon
such a question as this? .5.fi
What party but the Radical party ever
furnished officers whose conduct had t. be
squared. revised and censured by the Execu-
tive and his counselors? We had indulged
in the hope that the evil days of the Re-
public were nearly at an end. s
But if this course is to be pursued and
tolerated the days of absolute and perma-
nent military despotism are not far off.
If the military govern by usurpations
to-day, and are only restrained withinAe-
gal bounds by Executive interference tie
day is not far distant when they will brave
the power of the Executive and the people
and govern with the sword. And all this is
demonstrative OF the results ofRadical pol
icy. The creation of these military COM
manders was an outrage, and in violation
of the Constitutional rights of the people.
That sin, therefore, like all others, has
led to another. D III O q 7 9
r The appointees have usurped and exer-
cised illegal powers, and are restrained from
exercising absolute despotism by Execu-
tive interference. M f-
Here we go with the military in front,
the negroes in the center and the Radicals
in the rear, the people flanked, and where
we will halt God only knows. @