The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-10-14
o5Con,or and Johnson.

The controversy going on between these
great legal lights Of the bar concerning the
power; of the President-in relation aspect
ally to the Louisiana KELLOGG government
has attracted the notice of some unknown
Baltimore lawyer, who, under the fictitious
name of "VINDEx,"'. says some sharp things.
A more impractical and pointless controyerr7
sy than that between the two famous old
lawyers we never saw; and SO thinks " VIM
pEx." He introduces his line of discussion
by a brief reference to the characters of the
distinguished adyersaries. He has very
correct idea about them, and presentsa good
parallel of them, Hesays:
ave cannot better describe Mr.. 'Conor's
nosiiion than by adopting the New York
Hprold's vigorous sketch, each line of which
is expressive of the subject: Dir. O'Conor,,
saws this adverse critic, Cooked upon seces-
sion and all the events resulting as the un-
Ringing of the American system. His mind
was so severely logical-he had knelt at the
shrine of the Constitution with SO sincere
deyotion-that the infractions of the SUI
preme law which the suppression Of the re-
belion made inevitable filed him with pain.
From this be has never really recovered.
| Better that the Union had fallen to pieces on
! the rocks of extreme constitutionaism than
to live as it has liyed-the expression of
| legislative shifts aud party expedlents.' And
then, as if involuntarily, the Herald adds:
cit would be better for the moral tone OF
| our public affairs if we had more statesmen
like Charles OConor.' To US who also think
mar lv nnhInpInO'
| but the disiocation of the federal American
system as created by the Constitution, such
! POI traiture is very captivating. Our towns.
man (Mr. JobnsoD) would, however, be very
sorry 10 have such portrait painted Of him.
His mind is logical, or he would not have
| been able to command bis great professional
success; but it can hardly be said to be Sc.
verely so. He, too, has worshipped at the
SHRINE of the Constitution with faith
slucere,' but in the Intervals of his deVo-.
ton he has gone out and mingled with
publicans and sinners, who scoffed at all
reverence for organic law, The New York
devotee would have persisted at the stake IA
ther.than hold communion with the ungod-
" and compromise his conscience. Our mild,
intermittent worshipper was not little I'm.
like Gobel AID him of Autun and other seq.
uIar priests Of the French Revolution, who
went to mass, and yet on occasions offered
incense TO the Goddess of Reason. MIR.
johnson Leld high office under Abraham
Llncoln's military Governor Of Tennessee,
and received instructions from William Fl.
Seward"
Very good. Of the quibbling between
these two old lawyers-both having given
up their Gibraltar by conceding the right of
the President to interfere in the manner he
did-VISDEx speaks but the truth. 1t will
be remembered that O'CoNoR contends that
the President may change his views and
alter his policy; JOHNSON contends that he
cannot. FINDEx says:
"Who for an instant imagines that the
patient will be induced to swallow either
Dr.. O'Conor's honest tonic his 'iodide Of
from purge the blood and invigorate the
system, or DR.. JohnSon'S superfluouS sooth.
ing syrup? The President has no. idea of
changing his mind, whether be has right
to do so or not, and we regret that our
townsman' (Johnson) gives him even an ex-
cuse for his obstinacy." n..t. ea,,,E