The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1863-12-26
'.RE.lDENriLlNCoLN,s AMNESTY.

RE$IDENE'II AAN h>e ~
We said. in our last, that the radical
,bolitionis;s were quiet it regard to the
recent amnesty proclamation of the Presi.
dent only because they had confidence
that congress would 20 nullify its milder
features by the passage of-stringent laws
Oh the same subject. as to leave it without
any real force or effect. 1t appears, how
ever, the radical press are too impatient
to await the slow action of congress, The
Boston Commonwealth aud the Big Tribune
haye already opened thsir batteries on thu
Presidents plan,-the latter in this style
"The President, IN his message, declares
that to abandon the laws and proclamations
made during the rebellion in regard to
slavery would be q cruel and astounding
breach of faith And yet the President
proposes to reinstate in all their rights the
rebels against whom those laws were en-
acted, if they will only swear to support
those laws and proclamatlons until Congress
or the Supreme Court sets them ASIDE or declares
them void
1--WE have probably a majority OF ten OF
twenty now in Congress who would vote
to sustain those laws aud proclamations.
What would there be troublesome to the
conscience of any pro slavery community
in swearing to sustain those laws until Con
gress set them aside, if the privilege is at the
same time given to them to send twenty
five or fifty men of their own stamp to
take seats in Congress and vote to repeal
every one of those laws, and denounce and
nullify the preclanIations And what is
there in the Presidents proposition that
would prevent those oath taking menfrom
electing, in conjunction with Northern
copperheads, q successor to Abraham, Lin
coin, who would be man after their own
heart?
1T seems to me that rejecting men who,
after taking time to consider, still approve
of the Presidents plan, must be willing
to see re established the good old times OF
Southern lords and Northern doughfaces
Time and events will prove that Southern
society must be recognized, and peace
and freedom must be secured by some
very different process from that PROFOUND
ed by the President. But this subject Will
be handled as it ought to be before the
winter Is over. l only suggest delibers
ton"
There can be no doubt, we take it, but
the plan does open the door to this con-
tingency; but instead of charging it as a
defect Of the plan, should not Greedy rath-
er charge it - an evil incidental 10 popular
government, to be remedied only by deny.
ing the constitutional right of republican
form of government to the southern states
for all time to come? The radical remedy
for the defect, as suggested by the Tribune
Is, by the adoption of the Simmer Whiting
theory, to place it out of the power of the
nine tenths ever to wrest the power from
the hands Of the one tehtb, ana this is
what Congress is expected to do. Duran
teeinS the southern states a republican
form of government, then, means, to give
them government in which ons-tenth
rule the other nineteenth
Undoubtedly, if GreeIsy's objection to
the Presidents plan is W ell taken, it would,
In our view, be so much in its favor. We
noud rs Be- s6wsa e hah turn
did it threaten to do so, the radicals would
give the President TO rest Unit! he issued
another proclamation multiplying the
preoept one.
The Presidents plan, however, in any
view, IS liable to one or two objections
which we should liked to see answered.
The Union is made up of States, and
the right of suffrage (by Art I, Sec. . Of
the Constitution Is made ibe czciusive
matter of State regulation b ~hat au-
tboriiy does the President, then, in ms
proclamation, prescribe the qualifications
Of State voters?
The President proposes to establish cioil
government in the rebel states under the
control of one-tenth of its voters Who
is to protect this one tenth against the
other nine tsnths? The President says
the army. Is 1t consistent with republl.
can form of government to employ the
army to enable onetenth to govern nine.
tenths of the voters of a State-and that,
too, after the nine tenths shall have laid
down their arms, and in all things proved
their willingness to obey the constitution
and laws of The U. s., only that they Ie-
fuse to take the Presidents extra constitu
tional oath?