Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1868-03-31

people Ior peace after the long wa
OF ideas and of force that they would
tamely submit. Hence, when Con
gress assembled in December, 1865
he pointed them to ten sovereign
states which he had set up in les.
than half that many months. HI
pointed TO reconstruction as an &C.
complished fact, and asked-nay. de
manded-of the Congress that il
should open wide its portals and ad.
NIT Senators and Representatives
from such States, most of them prom.
incnt rebels all OF them elected by
rebel votes, and loyal men, the sol.
diers Of the Republic, being excluded
from the polls.
This, | believe, was a usurpation
of power in the interest of reaction
of counter revolution, and of tyranny
over a portion of the loyal people OF
tho United States for which The Pres.
ident ought long since to have been
removed from office.
Mr.. Chairman, my time will not
admit OF more than an allusion to the
shameful scenes of Feb. %, 1866;
when the President addressing q
crowd composed in great part of re-
turned rebel soldiers in gray uniforms
sought to arouse their passions against
the representatives of the people,
singing oat and coupling with terms
of ribaldry two members of either
House, who, by virtue of their long
and faithful services in the cause OF
freedom had been prominent leaders
of public opinion. And | certainly
cannot follow the President in his
Western tour commonly known as
swinging round the circle" more
than to allude to his denunciation of
Congress as an illegal and unconsti-
tutional body. Indeed, it is needless
TO enumerate the particular acts of
the President further to show that
his whole course, from the commence
ment of his Administration, has been
in the interest of the defeated REBEL.
ion. Being firmly convinced that
his object has been to shield all that
was left of rebellion from the Just
consequences of it's great crime, to
save the property, the influence, the
pride and the prejudices of the rebels
| have scarcely been surprised at
anything he has done-certainly rot
at his completely in the New Orleans
massacre, the removal of Sheridan, or
his attempt to remove the Secretary
of War.
The President Of the U. S. is pos
sessed of great patronage. If he is a
good and wise man this enables him
to accomplish much good but if he
is low, tricky, dishonest man it be-
comes in his hands an engine of COR
ruption and great abuse. How this
patronage has been used by the pres.
ent Executive let the disorganized
condition of all branches of the pub
lie service answer
Mr.. Chairman, there is one accusa-
ton against the President which 1
have not heard made on this floor,
but which, in my opinion, is not the
least one which we will have to am
swer at the bar of public opinion
The manner in which he has made
the appointments in the regular AR
my to fill the original vacancies caus-
ed by the increase of the Army
Upon the disbanding of the volunteer
forces there were many hundred
young men who had served with great
gallantry and efficiency, and had be-
come so habituated to Army life, and
having served their country during
those years of their lives when young
men usually learn to trade or study
profession, they were desirious to
obtain commissions in the regular
service of their country. Who shall
describe the feelings of these expec>
tant waiting boys in blue when it
became evident TO them that the
President, from whom their commits
sions must come, had gone over to
the enemy that their recommended
tions signed by such of their old COM
manders as Butler, Logan, Scbenck,
Sheridan, and Paine were worse than
waste paper at the presidential coun-
ter, and that the royal road to the
Presidents slate lay through the in
fuence of certain heroes who had
been distinguished for resisting the
draft and voting mo" on all meas
ures for supporting the Army or de-
Tending the country in any manner.
Mr.. Chairman, | can scarcely allnde
to the well-known and logged op,
position Of the President to the re-
construction of the rebel States &C,
cording to laws of the United States.
But will assume that holding these
laws TO be unconstitutional he has
INSTRUCTED them in every manner
Indeed, Mr.. Chairman, l think that
his name will go down to posterity
as "the great INSTRUCTOR He has
thrown himself across the track of
the progress of the country in its
sure and certain march to universal
freedom, universal education, and
universal suffrage. He has thrown
himself in the way and is an obstruc-
ton to justice to the soldiers who
saved the Republic.
OF the Cabinet of President Linz
coin in office when Andrew Johnson
succeeded him one only has remains
ed at his post and true to.his trust.
Some OF them resigned as soon as the
apostacy of the President became ap
parent, and some of them seem to
Justify the treachery of their chief
even if they are not originally res
ponsible for it. But Edwin NJ. Sian.
ton has not only refused TO support
the policy Of the President, but has
refused to abandon his post and allow
the vast armament of the nation to
pass under the control of another,
who would allow it to be used in the
interest of the reviving rebellion =
For this refusal the President has
sought to dispossess him by the APP
pointment OF his successor without
the advice and consent of the Senate
the same being in session, and thus
violating the Constitution, as well az
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