The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1868-01-28
WOoDsFIELD MONROE t)UNTY OHIO JANUARY 28 1868

Radical views Of the Radical Rev.
Il OlutfOn.
Il fFrom the N. Y, Evening Post, jan. l5.l
x Mr.. johnson, by the choice Of
the people, is the Chief Magistrate of The
lnation; as such he is responsible for the
jexeeution of the laws, and has a clea,
1rig7t to choose the suJordiaaates 5y aohom
Ithe laeo Is to be enforced. He must sub.
nit his appointments to Office to the con.
lfrmation of the Senate, but is otherwise
Independent of Congress. The Tenure
lof- Office act, by which the Senate haa
I been made to control the Presidents
lpower of removal as aotaccordsasg to the
Constellation, Mr.. Stanton believes that
lit is not, and yet be ayails himself
|of this Law, which he says IS not consti-
|tntionalslag, which IS geidsble and dis.
y slorganizing, to resume ap pLSeesin the Cab
linet of President he has
|been especially desired to resign, IT
Iseems to us necessary only to state case
like this to man who respects the law
land respects himself, to be certain Of
what discourse will be-. It is not enough
to reply that large majority of the mem
Ibers of Congress have signed letter re-
questing him to resume the duties of Scc-
retary of War Members OF, Congress
haze nothing to do acith The control OF the
-Erecutiue Department; they belong to an
other and CO. ordinate department OF the
Government, which, in all sound theory
as in the express letter of the organic
Law, it is desirable to keep distinct; and
their interference is as revolutionary as IL
IooaM be to resolee the President out of Of
| tce.
Whatever Dir. Johnson's designs may
be, he is answerable to the people; and
he is answerable only in the way that the
Constitution prescribes. Congress may
notliko his individual pecaliarities or lis
political principles, but he is none the
less as much a part of the. Government
as Congress itself; and what is more, he
represents nearly as large a part of popn
lar opinion as Congress does. 1t may be
distasteful to admit it, butit is true, that
the political sentiments Of the President
have large following-not among the
rebels only, as the cry has it 5ut among
the loyal people of the North He is sup-I
ported in most Of his positions by the
great opposition or Democratic party, and
that support Is ertessdiny and growing rap
idly under the fostering care Of congress.
[FrOm the Springfield (Mass.) Republican,
Jan. 15.]
1t was thought it would be good
thing so to manipulate the Southern
Goyernmests, a. to secure the votes Of the
lreconstrpefed States for q Repub blicanl
s 70 i ess iRis ightl
| to vote and hold eoiice vas taken from
| the Southern whites who had held Office
requiring an oath to support the Conati-
tuition of the United States. This ex-#
cluded at once from political life the most
intelligent classes Of the South, and those
at the time best disposed to accept any
terms of, reconciliation that shonld be Of
Ifered,, This made reconstruction by the
white population Of the South impossi-i
Ible, for they naturally felt that it would
be dishonorable to- abandon the leaders
who shared with them the guilt of the
rebellion, Reconstruction ,oas thas throa0n
into the hands of the negroes, led By a feaoI
Northern aohite asea and Soatheraers soho
did not scraple to take aag oath required
| ofthem. That they should seek to retain
power by the policy which gave it to
them is matter Of course, and the first
new Constitution framed virtually ex-
cludea nearly every white man from suf-
frage and office, It is so utterly inde-
fensible on any principle of justice and
equality that its trainers fear its rejection
BY the registered voters, and are begging
them to accept 1t in the hope that Con-
gress will strike out its objectionable pro-
visions.
The governments of the minority in
the South, and that minority black, will
find it necessary to be more and more re-
pressive, and will need strong military
force to maintain them. Is anybody SO
insane as to predict reconciliation of ra-
ces, true republican or even moderately
just government, and restored peace and
loyalty as the result of such system?--
If SO, about how soon? No, the system is
fundamentally scrong, and sciU ineuitaby
4oaG qcorse and qoorse. And men are al
READY asking how soon political neces-
lsity'' may lead Congress to interfere aoith
certain Northern States and compel them
to take the "repubtican form OF negro saf-
4 trage and a0hite distraachisen,entg
The proposition to getrid of Gen. Han
cock by the iadirect and cosoardly dodge
of reducing the number Of Major Gene
rails, is of piece with the scheme for
preventing decision against the consti-
tutionality Of reconstruction by hamper
ing the Suprense Court. They both illus
trate our theme, and show how one wrong
act makes another necessary, and so leg
islatien inevitably goes from bad to
worse. There is yet hope tina. the Sen
ate will arrest these measures. The same
party exigency which makes the two
thirds rule necessary for the Supreme
Court may soon require that the Court
shall be forbidden to pronounce any act
of Congress unconstitutional, even i
unanimous in that opinion. There is abb
solutely no stopping place in Legislation
of this kind. The descent to hell is easy
to be sure; but how are we to get back, il
we ever wish to stand again on terra fir.
ma? Gen. Grant can carry a pretty heacy
load tor as, bat there are soeights that euea
he cannot lyt. and galts too broad evea fo'
him to cross. A step too farnsay make re-
turn impossible.
/ From the Times. Jan. ISL