Year: 1867

u


The telegraph informed us yesterday


morning that the President designed
faithfully to execute the Reconstruction,


bill which Congress had passed over his
veto. This was q pleasing assurance, but
with 1t came an antitode, He was pre-
pared to bow to the inevitable, to Yield


To the Imperative demand Of the nation;


but he could not forgive those who had
anticipated him in obedience to the pop
ular Will. He was ready to carry out the
law, but he would sacrifice first the man
! who is the most faithful exponent of the
! law. Congress Is to he obeyed. but Sbers
idan must be removed. The conquered
Rebels must submit to the lust precau-
tionary conditions imposed upon them
by their conquerors, but they are to un-
derstand that the President Is with them.
heart and hand, i'm their opposition; that


he sympatllihes in their rebellion: that
he has no love for hts own generals: that
he will bear them out as far as he can in
every attempt to evade aud cjrcumvent
the measures upon which the people have


resolved; and that jealous, honest.


faithful, straightforward performance of


the duties which the bill imposes upon


the military commanders will be visited


with his severest displeasliTe.


In old times there was no more earnest


stickler for the rights of the people than
Andrew Johnson. The cardinal dogma


of his creed was that the people were the


sovercigns; that their will must dictate


the national policy that their will must


determine the conduct of the National


Government; that Presidents, and Gen


erals, and all subordinate officers were


created only to carry out their resolves.


Has he changed his principles? From


the most radical of democrats has he be-


come the most stately of aristocrats?-


Does he believe that he il no longer the


creature of the people, az he boasted HIM
self in his memorable inauguration


speech, but their divinely-appointed


guide and director, whose office it is to


point out to them what he deems the
right way, and force them to tread i'm it?
| There is no man in all the United States


whose conduct the American people more
heartily approve than Gen. Sheridan
There is no man who has apprehended


more clearly and carried out more faith
fully than he their deliberate policy to-
| ward the unreconstHcted States. There
is no man in whOse& &gacity, and homes
ty, and ungelfish devotion TO duty and
patriotism they hove more confidence


than the gallant victor of Winchester
And there is no man with whom Andrew


Johnson can so i'll afford to place himself
in antagonism.


Ilt ItSlutlll lbSl II HOOu IIl1Y


friends by his course in this Reconstruc-
tion business. He has now an opportu-


nifty to regain them. We do not expect
him, we do not ask him, to change his
principles. We do not require that ne
should modify his opinions. We only
demand that he shall act up to them-
Time and again he has told us that the
| will of the people is the supreme law Of


the Republic. And what can be clearer


than that the will of the people in the


matter of Reconstruction is that the pol
| icy of the Government shall be Sheridans 4
| policy? What can be clearer than that
| the bold and determined course of the
distinguished soldier who has so wisely
directed affairs in New Orleans is the
| course which the people have resolved td
adopt all through the unreconstructed
South? When Congress met three weeks
ago, it was TO give expression to the pop


ular determination on this very point
When they resolutely refused to consider
less important matters, it was to give
emphasis to their conclusions on this SUBJ


ject. When they passed by the Presi-


dents objections to their supplementary
bill, they were only uttering the popular
verdict that Mr.. Johnson's theory was


not the theory upon which the nation
had resolved to act, but that Phil. Sher-
| idan's theory was. 1t remains now to


be seen whether Mr.. Johnson will de-
spise the judgment OF the tribunal to


which he has so often appealed whether
he will set the United States at defiance


by removing their most trusty and favor
ite commander, or whether he will do
what little still lies within him to redeem


his fading name, and if not to achieve
measure of popularity, at least to retain
some character for common sense and


consistency. But he may be sure of one


thing: he cannot remove Gen. Sheridan


without arousing storm Of Indignation


which he will never forget till his last


hour.