The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1868-02-25
Tho Wur nt Washington.

The W ur tt w
The situation Mt Washington is still
exciting. The special frieHds of the re
srectiyc parties To the disgracefu
s,pahble now in progress in that city
ara ardent in their advocacy Of theiI
yiews of the right, but the masses are
disrIeased With the whole proceeding
and insist npon peaceful solution o
bo lificuIt,. The right of the PrrSi
Jeut to appoint a clerk to trke chars'
Of the War Department may be de1ieG
hr some. trt tl;r general opinion is that
thr question is too insignificant to jus
tify airy violence by either Congress oI
the Executive.
# is therefore clear that the sympa'
,hies of the pc~ple will b. with the
,,,rtv to this quarrel that stands upon
tbe defensive as against the overt act
OF the othci.
The Tenure of Olfice Act is held to
have been by no means clearly violated
hv the President in appointing sue
,.sssor to Mr.. STANTON. That Act pro-
,,des that the members of the Cabinet
shall hold their offices during the term
NJ, the President by whom they were
snpointed, unless the Senate consent to
their earlier removal.
As Mr.. STANTON is an appOiutee OF
Mr., LINCOLN, it is by no means certain
that he is entitled, under the law, TO
hold his office during the term of Mr..
JOHNSON, whose appOintee he is not.
leaving ont of view, then, the c0nstitu-
tionality of the Act, its possible inap-
plicabl!ify TO ;he pending case will
prcvent Congress- from receiving that
General rndu: ,vIncnt from Republicans
Of cummou sense, which, under the in
aucnce of party discipline, 1t might
otherwise have bad.
All men, who are not blinded parti-
SINS. want this case settled by the Sa-
prrne Court. Its decision is desired
and vii. be accepted as final. If, how
ever. this cannot he had, the evil effect
Of impeachment upon the general inter
csts of the country will operate to the
prejudice of the leaders in Congress.
The nsigniticance of the end will not
Justify the vislence or the means, aud
the countsy will not willingly be dis
turled from centre to circumference,
merely to prevent the President from
s.lect;ng Il subordIu ste flicer.
~ great is the dissatisfaction of many
With the uIiseemly course of Congress
in prccipitatiuG this crisis, that they
are willing to stand 10y the President at
al hazards, and to lend the most sub
N'autlal aid in rebuking the desperate
lGen in Congress. 1t should not be for
gotten, however, that the good citizen
should stand by the Government and
the Constitution, aud nothing more.
Ii in doing ~ he Incidentally approves
the course Of the Executive, well and
good, but IN uphold the President for any
other IcasOn than because he is the eX-
ponent of the COnstitu' ion, would not
be- the part of wisdom. Let us support
him as far aS he vindicdtes the laws,
aud no farther And it in this support
it becomes necessary To meet violence
with fi.mness, and 10 rebuke fanati-
cism promptly and vigorously, 1T there
be no flinching, but let it not he for
gotten that we are upholding the Gov
rrnmrnt of the United States rather
than the individual who stands at its
head.
In conclusion, Il word To Democrats.
The Republican party is responsible for
the acts of both the President and Con-
grcss. 1t elected both, and with their
quarrels, as such, we have no concern.
Our duty is to abstain from taking any
part with either, that will not leave us
free to condemn what may require con-
demnation. Every evil resulting from
this difficulty will be referable to the
party which carried the elections
in 81 and tic. 1t is no part of
onr duty to do anything that would
relieve that party from any portion of
It's just responsibility. Let us stand
by the Constitution and laws of the
country, but let us not adopt either
side of Il Radical squabble, or interfere
III the domestic concerns of the Radical
household.