The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1868-07-06
THE. PR Il s =
Mond v Morning, July 6. 1869.


We have noticed elsewhere that the Siam
ese twins have decided upon a severance of
the corporal bond which unites them. Ply
steal dualism will thus lose It's most remarka-
bic exemplification. But there are stronger
than mere ligaments of fesh,-a union at
tanned through harmony OF feeling and CO.
incidence of moral sentiment. It's in the 'at.
teI-way that the world is to gain compensa-
ton for the divorce of Chang and Eng.
On the Sd of July President johnson and
Chief Justice Chase, by contemporaneous
inspiration that goes far toward proving COM
plete mental sympathy, deliberately rolled 10
the dirt as few men have ever done, as com
petitors for the nomination at New York. or
the TWO, johnson, we are bound to say, dis
graced himself the least The amnesty pro-
clamatiou is in harmony with his general pol
icy, and 1T is not by any means exceptionally
dsgraceful unless viewed in relation to the
time of its PRONUNCIATION. But to postpone
its publication until the very day of the Con-
ventlon, so as to show in the clearest possible
way that what is done ostensibly in the inter
est of of peace and restoration of iratcrnal
feeling is really mere trick to subserve the
selfish ambition OF an individual, is baseness
OF which no one OF Andrew Johnson's prede-
cessors was capable. The proclamation itself
is of very little account. Undoubtedly the
pardon of the Executive shields traitors from
prosecution before the courts. No one cares
particularly about this. for there is no desire
to prosecute them. Such enterprises of this
kind as have been heretofore entered upon
have not been attended with that success
which excites a wish to see more OF the same
sort. From the language of the edict how
ever, and from previous Johnsonian declara-
tons, it appears that the President regards his
from political disabilities. Even concedine
that it has any efficiency of this kind it can
only take effect practically in case of the two
States Of Virginia and Texas which will not
Immediately be restored to the Union. Re-
publcaps and Democrats alike hold that the
people of States that are represented in Con-
gress may determine the qualifications OF
voters, and it would be equally competent for
the President to undertake to remove til OBJ
legation of the educational qualification re-
quired by the constitution of Massachusetts,
by an amnesty proclamation. As to Virginia
and Texas, Congress will adhere to the same
course pursued in all the Southern States un.
der the previous less sweeping amnesties OF
the President. Congress holds that it belongs
to the National Legislature and not to the
Executive to regulate the constituencies Of
States whose relations with the Union are OF
an abnormal character. lat tlt
But Chase -"God help thee, Ella, how thou
art changedr But few sli,t,e months" ago
supporting Congress, or only dissenting from
it in the way of extreme Radcalism-the cy
nosure of Theodore TiIton's and Wendell
Phillips eyes-the Radical of Radicals-the
standard by which Republicans measured
their political soundness. Then he supposed
that he was marching directly from the Su
preme Court room to the White House; but
another man having been preferred to him
self, lac begins to falter. He doesn't like mil
itary government; his soul misgives as to the
constitutionality of the reconstruction acts;
his bowels of compassion yearn over an i'm
peached President and disfranchised rebels;
he consorts with Richmond Confederates and
c,nceives a violent passion for Henry A. Wise
Finally he comes to the conclusion that. hang
it all, for the sake of overthrowing the "Ja-
collins" he will accept the Democratic nomi-
nation, if he can stand an his own platform of
universal suffrage. But" says the New
York World, "this will never do. You must,
before you can be eligible as candidate in
the Convention, pledge yourself to support
whatever nomination is made and whatever
resolutions are adopted"-and ON the third OF
July he accedes to the demand. For the sake
of bare possibility of receiving the nomina
ton himself, he agrees to repudiate the con-
viction he has cherished for a lifetime, and, il
he is beaten, to give his support to Pendeton.
reputation and white-man's government!
Longuna yale!