The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-07-30
MIR. Johnson's Last Movement.

The orders from President JOHNSON sub
stituting military departments for
"districts," and restoring the old regime,
under which he is really as well as nomi-
nally Chief of the Army,
recognize the validity of the governments
established in the States of North Carolina,
South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida,
Arkansas, and Louisiana, under the au-
thority of the reconstruction acts Of Con-
gress. These orders will doubtless be OBJ
jected to by the Radicals for some reasons.
They will fear the influence of the Demo-
Gratis over the negroes in the absence OF an
appearance of martial power to encourage
them in their idleness and 1nsoience {;
Int as the Bureau officers are not as
vet Invested of any Of their powers,
and these are the ones who have most to do
with Sambo's vote, they may not raise q
very great clamor on the subject. The
President is determined to do the best he
can under the circumstances. The law
establishing the military districts was, in
his opinion, unconstitutional; and he
doubtless concluded that it would be no
more improper or inconsistent in him to
recognize unconstitutionally formed States
than to recognize Observation-Disclosures
ed military districts. To have permitted
the military to remain in charge of these
districts on the ground that the State go
vernments now existing in them are not
valid would have been to play directly into
the hands of the Radicals. He had to choose
between alternatives neither of which fell
in with his own wishes and opinions. he
followed the wisest course that was open to
him. He has taken away the authority OF
the District Commanders, and left the
powers of the State in the hands Of the
civil authorities. The soldiers are still
scattered through these States; but they no
longer claim to be the lords Of the manor.
They are ministerial servants, who will
hereafter await the bidding of the law be-
fore doing any act not q part of their duty
as soldiers.
General MEADE will hereafter have to
look to the President for his orders. General
GRANT can no longer interpose between the
two. He has not even an unconstitutional
act of Congress to plead as his justification
for not obeying the constitutional com
mander-in-c chief of the army md navy.
So much at least the southern people
have gained from the admission of the
scalawag and carpet-bag representatives
into Congress.
P. S.-The telegraph informs us that the
Radical members of Congress remaining in
Washington, backed up by member OF
General GRANTS staff, have determined, so
far as they can determine the matter, that
the President must be impeached and re-
moved at the September session of Con-
gress. This because of his order substi
tuting departments for districts in the re-
constructed States which order will, they
think, result in giving the vote Of every
one of those States to SEYMOUR. They re-
gard GRANTS election as "patriotic nn-
cesSitu" which mast be achieved. How
exactly did General BLAIR foresee the issue
upon which the presidential election is to
turn. But this notable scheme is scarcely
feasible. There are hardly as many weeks
(only six between the third Monday in
September and election day as it would
take to try the Impeachment articles
certainly not rs many as were occupied
in the trial of the impeachment articles
recently presented. AS, however, both
Houses are now full of scalawags and car
pet-baggers, it may be possible that the
business might be done in couple Of
weeks, and the President dismissed time
enough to allow WADE four weeks in which
to compel the southern States to vote for
GRANT. There are fierce times ahead-or
a Democratic victory. One or the other
seems to be certain; for if the southern
States vote for SEYMOUR, his election is rem
dered unavoidable; while if the Radicals
impeach JOHNSON, turn him out Of office,
and compel those States to vote for GRANT,
there must surely be trouble ip the North
unless the people there are fit only to be
slaves, We of course are powerless, and
have nothing to do but look on.
Virginia must act with extreme caution
and circumspection in these troublous
times. She should furnish the Radicals
with no plausible protext for reconstruct
ing" her by force and counting her vote fol-
GRANT.