The Sun.
London, England, 1867-02-16 00:00:00

LONDON, SA7 URDAY, FEB. 16, 1867.

The arrival of the Cuba with six days later news
from New York brings us intelligence respecting
the new plan of reconstruction now being talked
about. As yet all is uncertain and depends on
rumour, whose assertions are never very reliable,
and cannot certainly be often trusted in American

politics. The substance of the report is, however,
in harmony with probabilities, and should the pro-
posed scheme prove to be bona fdi, it will have a
fair chance of success if moderate counsels prevail.
President JOHNSON and the members of his
Cabinet have, it is said, held consultations with
the Governors of several Southern States, and
have resolved upon a new plan of reconstruction.
The right of secession is to be renounced ; Con-
gress is to have no right to expel a State from the
Union ; the national debt is to be held sacred ; and
the rebel debt repudiated. All males of legal age,
whether native or naturalised, are to be allowed to
vote for the State elections if able to read and write,
or if holding taxable property worth $250, the
sole exception being untaxed Indians. These pro-
positions are, it will be seen, pretty fairly balanced
between the rival parties. The two first clauses,
the renunciation of the right of secession,
and the denial of the right of Congress
to expel States, are about evenly matched.
The provisions respecting the debts are not equally
just, since the repudiation of the Southern debt is
insisted on, while the Northern faith is kept invio-
late. The difficulty about the suffrage is ingeni-
ously got over, since no distinction of race is made,
while the stipulation as to some amount of property
or education will prevent the immediate introduc-
tion of the whole negro element. The educational
clause is fully in accordance with American views
in general, as they boast with reason of the
great extent to which the rudiments at least
of learning are diffused among their peo-
ple. The theory of such a stipulation
should commend itself to the Radicals, since it by
no means forbids the negro suffrage which they
profess to desire, while in practice it will at least
allow some years to elapse, and the passions of the
moment to die away before the right to vote is
absolutely unrestricted. The Government, should
they bring forward this scheme, will have at least
the advantage of a clear stage before them. The
Radicals, notwithstanding their predominance in
Congress, have failed to propose a successful
scheme, while had they even succeeded in getting
either of their bills through the Houses, and
in carrying it over the PRESIDENT'S inevitable
veto, they would have scarcely been able to force it
upon the country. Mr...ASHLEY'S bill, indeed, would
very likely have been the signal for a fresh out-
break of civil war; while Mr. STEVENS'S, though
rejected partly for its moderation, would have been
too intolerable to be long submitted to. The
Southern States could not be expected to sign their
own political death-warrant, and if they had been
forcibly reduced from States of the Union to Terri-
tories, governed by martial law, it is not likely
that even outward order, much less internal
tranquillity, could have been maintained. The
Radicals are certain to oppose the new
scheme, whatever its merits, more particularly if it
be introduced by the PRESIDENT or his advisers. It
is possible, however, that their day of power is on
the wane. Should the new Tariff effect a breach,
as it most likely will do, between the represen-
tatives of the Western States and the New Eng-
landers, the South may find some powerful and
unexpected allies. The Southern representatives,
who would be mostly of the Democratic party,
would of course support the Western men in their
opposition to this ruinous and oppressive measure,
and they would have the common sense of
the country at large with them. The new
scheme being planned with a view to conciliate
both parties may be accepted by all sides as a wel-
come compromise, for men who are not hurried away
by political passions are beginning to realise that
the present state of affairs cannot be continued
without seriously affecting the national welfare.
Nothing can be hoped from the Congress. The last
news from the House of Representatives is that they
have passed a bill making the removal of Cabinet
officers subject to the approval of the Senate, thus
increasing their power of patronage and political
influence. America boasts of having set the Old
World some notable examples, and she may also
claim to have started a new theory of constitu
tional government—the concentration of the Le
gislature and the Executive.

An animated discussion took place last night in
the House of Lords, on the subject of the duty of
thg Volunteers, which was suggested by the recent
occurrences in Chester. Lord VIVIAN referred to
the answer of the Home Secretary to the applica-
tion made by the Mayor of that town on the occa-
sion of the disturbances'that took place, and the re-
quest to learn if the Volunteer Corps could act in
their military capacity under the direction of the
civil authorities; and the noble lord remarked, with
great justice, that it might be the law that Volun-
teers, if called out to assist in the preservation of
the public peace, should only act as special con-
stables; but he thought that such a state of the
law was very much to be deprecated. Ho asked
if Government had any proposal to amend the law,
so that the Volunteers might act like the yeomanry

if called upon. He suggested that the Voluntcrs
should be "placed in precisely the same position as
the yeomanry, who were liable to be called upon to

suppress an outbreak such as that which had
recently occurred at Chester." We think that this
is a very wise proposition, for it is evident that they

would be of much greater efficiency if they wore
thus empowered to act in cases of emergency, and
a far more powerful influence would be exercised
upon the minds of the lawless in time of need.
Lord BELMORE explained that the only occasion in
which the Volunteer corps can be called out for
military service by law is in case of actual and
apprehended invasion of the United Kingdom.
Lord DE GREY AND RIPON said that the state of
the law in respect to the duty of Volunteers was in
a very unsatisfactory condition.
The Volunteer Act contained a clause at first
which gave civil authorities the same power over

the Volunteers as over the yeomanry, but unfortu-
nately the House of Commons struck this out, and
hence there is now no power to call them out in the
event of tumult at home. The Duke of CAMBRIDGE
said that it was of the greatest possible consequence
to the railroads of the country that this subject
should be properly understood. The military autho-
rities themselves are in difficulty from the matter
not being clearly defined and distinctly understood.
The situation of the officer stationed at Chester the
other day described by the illustrious Duke was one
of great perplexity and awkwardness. While lie
would have been glad to receive what assistance the
Volunteers could have afforded him, he might by
Ell doing have committed an illegal act, " have made
himself amenable to the laws of his country, and
might possibly have been tried for his life." We
entirely concur in the opinion of the Duke of CAM-
BRIDGE that the present state is one of perplexity,
and that this question ought to be cleared from
" every shadow of ambiguity, and that the authori-
ties should distinctly understand how they are to act
should occasion require." Lord MALMESBURT said
that he also thought some clear understanding should
be come to on this point, and so far as the Govern-
ment could deal with it he should see that this
should be done. We hope that before long a defi-
nite notion will be come to, but at the same time we
cannot see any harm could arise from the Volun-
teers being called out in their military capacity,