Year: 1868

Mr.. johnson, by the choice oi
the people is the Chief Magistrate of the
nation; as such he is responsible for the
execution of the laws, and has a clea,
right to choose the subordinates by WhOm
the la,rs are TO be enforced. He must sub
nit his appointments to office to the
confirmation of the Senate, but is other
wise independent of Congress. The
Tenure-of- Office act, by which the Seu-
ate has been made to control the Presi-
dents power of removal IS not according
10 the Constitution. Mr.. Stanton be-
lieves that it is not, and yet he avails
himself of this law, which he says is
not constitutional law, which is void
able and disorganizing, to resume a
place in the Cabinet ofPresident John
son, which he has been especially desired
TO resign. II seems TO us necessary only
to state q case like this to man who
respects the Law and respects himself
to be certain of what his course will be.
1t is not enough to reply that O large
majority of tho members of Congress
have signed letter requesting him to
resume the duties of Secretary of War
Members of Congress hare nothing to do
trith the control of the Erecutire Depart.
ment; they belong to another and cO-or-
dinate department of the government,
which, in all sound theory as in the ex-
press letter of the organic law, it is de-
sirable to keep distinct; and their inter
ference is as revolutionary as il ,rOuIS be TO
resOlre the President out Of office.


Whatever Mr. Johnson's designs may
4 Ia 20 Ia.
and he is answerable only in the way
that the Constitution prescribes. Con-
gress may not like his individual pecu'
liaritIes or his political principles, but
he is none the less as much part of the
government as Congress itself; and
what is more, herepreseRtS nearly as large
a part of popular opinion as Congress does.
Ii may be distastefnl to admit 1t, but II
is true, that the political sentiments OF
the President have large following
not among the rebels only, as the cry
has it, but among tie loyal people Of the
North. He is supportedin most OF his
positions by the great opposition, or
Democratic party, and that support rs er-
tending and grOTing rapidly under the tos-
teriRg care Of Congress.


From the Springfield Mass Republican,


January l5


1t was thought it would be a good
thing so to manipulate the Southern
governments as to secure the votes OF
the reconstructed States for Republi-
can President. To accomplish this the
right to vote and hold office was taken
from the Southern whites who had held
office requiring an oath to support the
Constitution of the United States. This
excluded at once from political life the
most intelligent classes IN the South, and
those at the time best disposed to
accept any terms of reconciliation that
should be offered. This made reconstruc-
ton by the white population of the
South impossible, for they naturally
felt that it would be dishonorable to
abandon the leaders who shared with
them the guilt of the rebellion. Recon
strWction uds thus thrOtrn into the hands ot
the negroes, led by a fe,r Northern rhite
men aud SoutherRers WhO did not scruple
to take any oath required Of them. That
they should seek to retain power by the
policy which gave it 10 them is mat
ter Of course, and the first new consti-
tuition framed virtually excludes nearly
every white man from suffrage and of.
fee. 1t is so utterly indefensible on
any principle of justice and equality
that its trainers fear its rejection by the
registered voters, and are begging them
to accept it in the hope that Congress
will strike out it's Objectionable provi-
sions.


The governments Of the minority in the
South, and that minority black, will find
il necessary to be more and more re-
pressiye, and will need q strong mill
tary force to maintain them. Is any
body so insane as to predict reconcilis.
tion of races, true republican or even
moderately just government, and re-
stored peace and loyalty as the result
of such systemf If SO, about how
sosni No, the system is fundamentally
rrong, and rill iReritsbly tCdI irOrse ana
porse. And men are already asking how
soon political necessity" may lead Con-
gress 10 interfere Tith certain northern
States and compel them 10 take the "repHb-
lican form" Of negro ssfrdgedHd 9hite dis
franchisement.


The proposition to get rid of General
Hancock by the indirect and coWGrdiy
dodge of reducing the number of major
generals, is of . piece with the scheme
for preventing q decision against the
constitutionality of reconstruction bs
kampering the Sapreme Court. They both
illustrate our theme, and show how one
wrong act makes another necessary,
and SO legislation inevitably
goes from bad to worse
There is yet hope that the
Senate 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 if unanimous in that opinion
There is absolutely no stopping place
in legislation Of this kind. The descent
to hell Is easy, to be sure but how are
We to get back, if we ever wish to stand
again on terra .frmdf General Grant
can carry a pretty heary load for us, but ther.
are reights that ereR he cannot lift, ana
galfs too broad erea for him to cresS 4
step too far may make return Impossible.