The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1869-04-10
Grants knowledge Of Law.

The most significant feature oi
the order to Congress for the re
peal of the Treasury Law of 17SG
! is the fact that it shows Grant to
be totally ignorant of the pTInci
pies Of the Governments. He ad'
dresses a messagefor the repeal OF
a law "To the Senate of the United
States" 1t therefore could not
be communicated to the House:
and the supposition is that he be
lieved the Senate alone could re
peal a law. No President ever
before displayed as much igno.
rance as this. Grant undoubted-
~ thinks that the houses are indie
pendent legislative bodies, each
invested with full legislative pow
ers, and that the only reason why
there are two is to provide for the
contingency ola press ofbuslness,
for which one may not be suffi-
cient. He supposes the fathers
looked to an emergency In which
it might become necessary for the
law making power to ''go ahead
on both wheels as the steamboat
men say. 1t was not % slip OF the
pen that led him into theblunder-
ous omission, for he told one of
his confidential friends on Satur-
day morning that he believed "the
Senate would repeal the act be-
fore night, and that Stewart
could take his place on Monday
morning." But it happens that
the House had adjourned from
Friday till Tuesday, and he had
been notified of the fact. There
fore, his error was one of utter ig-
norance, as / have said, of the
character of the legislative de-
partment of the Government.
Grant gS. Ohief-Justice Marshall.
One of the first executive acts
of the new President was to order
the Withholding of two pardels
issued by Mr.. johnson on the 3rd
of March, to persons convicted of
revenue frauds. Mr.. johnson had
fully reviewed the cases, and Or
dered the pardons in the belief
that the convictions were unjust,
and on the assurance that the re-
lease Of these two men would lead
to very important results in the
detection of other frauds. The
pardons were made out, signed
and sealed, but when Grant took
possession they had not yet left
the Office of the Secretary of State.
Grant Immediately presumed that
he had right to withhold them.
And it is to call attention, to the
fact that in this presumption he
differs from Chiefjustice Marshall
that I write this paragraph. In a
celebrated case before the Supreme
Court, Marshall decided that
pardon or commission, when sign
ed, became ipsO factO the property
of the person named in it; that,
though the President might leave
it in his Office over night, had full
force and effect from the moment
his signature and the great seal
were attached to it. 1t win be
seen that Gen. Grant reverses the
decision Of the old lawyer in a
summary way.
There is a story told of q law
yer who attempted to quote Black
stone in a Magistrates Office, but
was promptly interrupted by the
Squire with the assurance that it
was "no use to quote authorities
to this Court "Oh, mo, your
honor" said the lawyer, II don't
presume to influence the Courts
decision, but [ thought I'd show
you what a darned old fool Black
stone was.D 1H aa tRE-1 Hrra at
So | do not presume to say that
Grants view of the pardon cases
was wrong, but thought I'd take
this opportunity to show what q
stupid old fool Chief;iustice Mar
shall was when he attempted to
decide a question of the constitu-
tional law. aas sH..y3a
io % t'Let me tell you boss"
said an aged, baldheaded and