The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1863-12-10
THE PACIFIC
Commercial Advertiser.
Reconstruction of the
Union.
How il will be Accomplished.

cisco Bulletin has written one of the most inter
esring papers on the subject of the return of the
reyoIted States to their former situation that we
have seen. 1t is important that correct ideas
regarding this subject should only be given. and
the following contains go many well stated iacts'
barring on it, that we reprint 1t entire
NEW YORK, August -, 1868.
Since the recent triumphs of our arms, the
lull in active military operations and the ne"
DEVELOPMENTS of loyal sentiment IN various sec
tions of the seeded States, the question whlch
attracts most universal interest anu uIScuSsloh' Is
that of the mode by which the Government
sbouId proceed in the political re-lncOrpOratIOn
of the seeded communities, and the terms under
which they should again be permitted to resume
their position as parts OF the national polIticaI
fabric. Shall they be required To remodel their
a. social Institutions and abolish or modify the
system of slavery? Is the Emancipation Pro-
clamation absolute and final in its terms, and
must tee whole population of the South accede
to il before they can enjoy the constitutional
~francbisas of the citizen? Will the policy Of
confscation be universally enforced? Or, may
a State, by simply repeating Its ordinance OF
secession, and renewing its fealty TO the Union,
restore itself and all its citizens 70 the status quO
ante beEuUn2 If the latter plan were adopted,
what constitutes the State? Must the acting
authorities be regular in line of descent and
order from the pTe-secessIOn authOrItIes-or,
seeing that secession interrupted the Legitimate
order Of State Government, may the loyal citi-
zens of any State, meeting in their primary
capacity and in convention, assume to he the
State, and act in its behalf in the way Of restOr-
ing il to the Union? In the latter case, would
the Goyernnent-Sh0ud the Government impose
any terms other than the Constitution? These
various questions represent the chief shapes
which the discussion has assumed and upon the
answer 20 each public sentiment is widely divided
though probably there will be little real divi-
sion when the questions are practically applied
to the various States.
The matter is even now not an entirely thco-
retical one, nor is there q total lack of presidents
by which we may be guided, advised or warned.
There are now three Southern States, lying at
our feet, which have been thrown into disinte-
grafton and chaos by the rebellion, but which
are ready to be rebuilt by the hand of the master
builder and statesmen, upon Union foundations.
| refer to Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana.
Before winter comes, or at all events, before
1t is over, their number will be increased by the
addition of Alabama, Arkansas and Texas. These
certainly-and it may be that before next spring
We shall also have to deal politically with Virgil
MIA ana North Carolina, if not, in short, with
the whole of the States Of the South. But, at all
events, at this moment our military line includes
all of the State of Tennessee. We have also ex-
PEELED the rebel armies from Mississippi, and
command that State and the same may be said
Of Louisiana, where only q few gangs OF bandits
oppose the authority of the Government. Now,
l suppose that In dealing with these States, and
with the question of their re-admission into the
Union, the Government will DE guided very much
by events a. they may arise. and by the develop
ments of time. 1t is not necessary or we. for
the Government OF us to conJure up imaginary
difficulties. to legIslate for hypothetical cases, or
to establish u policy impossible OF application
In regard to the establishment in these
States, OF over the South, of the precise social
and political condition which existed ante 6elIIH1
it can't be done. 1t can't be done by the
people of those States, nor OF the South, nor OF
the North, nor by the Government, nor by any
power under Heaven. The whole social and
political organism that existed before the war in
the three States | have named, rs well as else
where in the South, has been changed. There is
in them no recognized civil authority, no estab-
lIshed domestic order, no enforced law The
able-bOdied whites-the strength and flower OF
the communicative fled OF been killed. or, as
Mr.. Lincoln SAYS, have been driven by the rebel
conscription into the ranks - very much Us a
butcher drives bullOcks into n slaughter-pen,"
and sent of TO other States. Houses and towns
have been ruined, property has been destroyed,
trade has been annihilated, production has been
stopped, by the ravages of the successive armies
that have fought in these States and devastated
them. Slavery, the great social, economical and
political mainstay of the South, the backbone OF
the rebellion, and the cornerstone of the South
ern COnfederacy, has been broken down. torn up,
shattered and rent into a myriad fragments.
Not To speak ut all of the Emancipation Procla-
nation, thousands upon thousands OF tES slaves
IN the three States i have named have been dis
enthralled by their OWN act thousands OF them
have been forced by their owners eastward aid
southwark to save them from the cveradvancing
=. Abolitionists - nearly twice ten thousand are
soldiers in our army while thrice ten thousand
are employed in various ~semi-miiitary service by
our generals-ROsecrans, Grant and Banks.
Does any enc suppose that with this state OF
things among the negroes, slavery and the slave
system can ever be reconstructed as they former
Iy existed? If so, he knows less than nothing
about slavery, its nature, its character, Its neces-
sites and its conditions. Does any one suppose
that, with the whole face of society changed IN
the South, among both whites and blacks, with
the political order overthrown, with the interests,
pursuits and affections Of the people reversed,
with all old parties, old associations and old
affiliations broken UPS there 4 single man
who supposes that the conditions ante 6eium ever
can be or ever will be resumed? IS easy 1t were
to clothe with living flesh the dry bones of the
rebel dead, rs to effect this thing. Those who
believe il possible are vain dreamers and tine
will yet prove it to them without argument.
Those, again, who imagine that the State au-
thorities, as at present constituted in any rebel
State, will formally apply for the readmission OF
their State into the Union, are laborIng under 4
delusion which facts and experience ought by
this time TO have utterly Overthrown. These
State authorities-these Governors and Legisla-
tures-have not in any one case, for 4 single
instant since the rebellion commenced, shown
the least solitary sign, or shadow of L sign, indi-
cative of q desire for reconstruction or reunion
IN any event. When Grant, after capturing
Fort DOnelson, advanced upon Nashville, the
Legislature of Tennessee was In session but,
instead of even whispering of reunion, or pro-
posing submission To the conqueror, they passed
the most defiant resolutions, and fled to Memphis,
from whence they subsequently broke up and