The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1869-09-11

Tho political situation st washington Il BE-.
coming decidedly interesting. What with
the opinion Of Attorney General Boar in.
the Virginia case, the middle in Tennessee,
Mississippi and Texas, the Alabams clsims bus
iness complicated with matters in Cuba, and
lastly the death of General Rawlius, the d.
lemma of the President is becoming difficult
enough to be pitiable.
Attorney General Hoar, contrary to the
confident expectation Of General Candy and
all the ultra radical hosts at his back, decides
that under the amended reconstruction laws
Of last winter, the irOn-clad test oath can not
be administered to the members of the newly
elected legislature of Virginia, but that the
new constitution, adopted in Virginia ct the
same time Gov. Walker and the new legisla-
ture were elected, supersedes the reconstEnc-
ton laws, and the only oath to be admisister-
ed is prescribed by that instrument.
But the opinion of Mr.. Hoar covers another
highly important point. The Legislature
elected in June, he says, is the creature Of the
new constitution, but that constitution cannot
go into effect, and the legislature elected upr
der it can therefore only be a provisional body,
until the new constitution Of Virginia is ap-
proved by congress. So far 30 good. But
congress, in the reconstruction laws, says it,
approval OF the new constitution will only be
given on the fundamental condition that
the legislature of Virginia shall first have rati.
fed the 18th constitutional amendment
Here is the dilemma. Hoar says there can be
no Legislature in Virginia until the new con;
stitution is approved by congress, and the ap-
proval Of congress depends upon previous
act OF a Legislature that, according to Mr..
Hoar, has and can have no existence.
This is dilemma number one. Number two
arises in the case OF Tennessee, Mississippi and
Texas. Stokes and Senter both visit the
President from Tennessee and each insists on
being at the head Of the only party that 10
truely friendly to the President in that state,
and each demands his countenance and sup
port or they will turn against him. Senter
represents much the larger party, but to Ne
ject Stokes involves an immediate split with
the radicals, who, though possibly composing
minority of the republican party, are con-
fessedly its life and soul, and without whom
the party, Grant and all, must 20 under in
month. In Mississippi Dent, representing the
same big majority that Senter carries in his
breeches pocket in Tennessee, besides Icing
relation of the President, demands all Senter
does and even more; and in Texas Jack
Hamilton, also at the head of multitudinous
majority, makes the same DentSenter de-
mands.
Dilemma number three is Cuba. With di-
lemma number one and two over him, Grant
feels that his case is hopeless unless there can
be diversion of some kind. Some new SEN
sation, like the recognition Of Cuba, would
divert the public mind from the other dan
gers of the party, and give the President time
to look abount. But the recognition Of the
patriots in Cuba would be the death of our
Alabama claims on England. What, in that
case, would become of Sumner, and all the
thunder arising out of the rejection Of the
Johnson Stanley treaty After the rejection Of
that treaty, dare the administration accept .
new one by which England would concede
infinitely less?
And lastly, death has taxed away from
Grant the only counselor whose wisdom and
honesty and pure friendship he had hitherto
been able to rely on implicitly to guide him
over the breakers and quicksands by which
he had been on all sides surrounded. He not
only loses this counselor and mentor, but
must make new appointment to I'll his
place Shall he be q radical and thus drive
from the support Of the administration the
whole conservative mountain to whom the
President has latterly SO evidently inclined,
and to cast off whom leaves him without q
corporals guard Of support in the southa Or
shall he be conservative, and thus break up
his cabinet by driving out Boutwell, and Cress-
well, and consolidating against him that same
bitter, relentless, INSCRIPTIONS opposition that
pursued Andrew johnson during the whole
of his unhappy administration "J
What, in such q plight, is poor Grant to do
No wonder he seeks to drown clare in dissipa-
ton at the watering places and in travel. He
is to be pitied.
Gen. RAwLINs died poor man. Consider
ing the numerous and important positions he