Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1868-03-14

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raent. their ctznc.> cf dcfs-st are
/ much aiS,Ve the average With =
moderate platform. gvv'd candidates
To represent before the pe'l.le undi>-
pu,ed and cardinal Republican prin-
ciIle>. aud with jn!ici"u> leadership.
the natural Successors of the party
which carried us through the war for
tue Union will achieve certain trl-
umph; but let them fail in these pre-
cautions, and we have good reason
to tremblc for the result.
There is. l find, a well settled con-
viction among Democratic atNhori
ties that President johnson is So
bold, defiant and persistent in his
opposition to Congress-, because he
knows that his general views of the
reconstruction acts will be sustained
by the Supreme Court whenever the
issue is reached for decision. That
he has some stronger assurance for
this than mere surmise, there is only
too much reason to fear-for gentle
men who have carefully canvassed
the general views of the individual
members of the Supreme Court, and
who have studied their methods of
reasoning on political questions, are
quite confident that majority Of
them will declare the Reconstruc-
ton acts unconstitutional and void.
1t is surprising that test cases were
not made during the recess of the
Supreme Court before each of its
Judges sitting in Circuit. If that had
been done, the views of each indi-
vidual Justice would have been al
ready ascertaincd before this, in an
ticipation of formal decision before
a full bench. The Importance of
ascertaining authoritatively what the
court of last resort will hold in Il
case like this, cannot be over. estima-
ted, because, if the Reconstruction
acts are sustained as sound law, the
Democracy will lose at once vast
deal of capital, which they now
make by plausible argument against
their constitutionality. On the 9th
err hand. if these acts are-in view of
the highest tribunal k"own to our
Governmental conflict with the
organic law and null and void, the
sooner we know it the better, that
we may get upon the right track
again, and proceed to reconstruction
by legal means, without further loss
Of time and misdirected effort.
After careful examination OF the
evidences, am forced to the con-
clusion that a majority of the Su-
preme Court, as at present constitu-
ted, are likely to decide against Con-
gress and it's Reconstruction acts.
l present no argument ot this time
upon that point. My simple pnr.
pose is to indicate the result which
now seems probable, together with
the reasons sustaining such proba-
bilitics. Despite the proverbial aud
very proper reticence Of members Of
the Supreme Court, elsew here than
on the Bench, in regard 10 questions
coming bsf re them officially. shrcwd
observer are generally able 10 deter
mine qaite accurately the opinion
held by each If them in anv case ri
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