The New York herald., 1864-11-05
The 6econstruction Programme OF
SOuthern Rebels and Northern Cop.

perheads.
Vallandigham, tho great apostle and leader
Of the Northern copperhead peace faction, was
the builder Of the reconstruction programme
Of the Chicago platform. What is it, 1t COM
prehends an immediate cessation Of hostili-
ties" "with view to An ultimate convention
Of all the States, or other peaceable means, to
the end that, at the earliest practicable mo-
ment, peace may be restored on the basis of
the federal Union of the States"
Nothing is here said Of the constitution Of
the United States as . basis OF reunion, and
from this careful omission, and these vague
expressions Of 'othsr peaceable MEANS" and
the "federal union Of the States," . broad
margin ia offered for . revolutionary re-
construction in the shape OF two or
three Independent coniederaeiss. The scheme
Of the Western copperheads, involved in
that stupid conspiracy Of the "Sons Of Lib
erty," was ostensibly a Northwestern con-
federaey; but their real object was fusion with
the Davis Southern confederacy. The din.
Guilty Of dividing the Mississippi river and It's
great tributaries would thus be obviated. In
fact, the new Union thus projected 1t was de-
signed should extend to and include New York;
but that the six New England States should be
left out in the cold. Under this arrangement,
and with the States and Territories west Of
the Rocky Mountains organized into Pacific
confederacy, the slave States would rule the
roast in the great central coniederacy. The
South would be relieved Of tho abolition agi-
tators and the Northwest from the tariff exac-
tions OF manufacturing New England.
This magnificent scheme was not in the
original programme Of the rebel leaders. In
the outset they struck for confederacy Of the
slaveholdlng States. But with the loss Of their
Gibraltar of Columbus, and all their protect
ing defences on the Mississippi river down.
ward to Vicksburg, and with the loss Of that
great river from its outlet up to Baton Rouge
in the spring Of 1862 the rebel chiefs began to
realize the impossibility Of dividing the Father
Of Waters,n or bis tributaries, between any two
independent nationalties. And so, whom in
the summer Of 1862 the rebel army Of Bragg
from Tennessee invaded Kentucky, he issued
his proclamation to the people Of the North
western States, announcing his purpose to visit
them with his army Of liberation, and inviting
them to join his standard, in the common cause
Of "the Confederate States" under the blessed
millennium of JEFF. Davis. Had Bragg sue
ceeded In his designs Of capturing Louisville
and Gin cinnati, and overrunning the inter
vening States to st. Louis, there is no telling
what might have happened. But In being
driven ignominiously out of Kentucky into
the mountains Of East Tennessee, his scheme
Of liberation, like that Of Lee In Maryland
about the same time, was nipped In the bud.
From the time Of that proclamation Of
Bragg, however, the idea Of carrying over
the Northwestern States into the happy sister-
hood Of JEFF Davis was seized upon BY the West
ern coppsrheads, and they have been working
upon this project like beavers ever since.
Soch, too, has been the blind obedience OF the
leading democrats Of the central States, and
even those Of New England, to their old demo-
cratic masters and spoils distributors OF the
South, that Seymour OF New York and Sey-
mour Of Connecticut have been contsnt 70
follow hlindly In the wake Of vallandighau
and Voorhees,. The leading copperheads OF
the West, and some OF the East had learned
their lessons Of democratic doctrines, constltu-
tonal principles and State rights, including
the right Of secession, at the Charleston Con-
vention, from Yancey and Slidell, and at
Washington from JEFF Davis Cobb, Jake
Thompson, Floyd, Mason and Breckenridge.
The last exhibition or this Kentucky cx-
pounder In the United States Senate before he
went of to join the rebel army was an exposi-
,tion Of constitutional principles ia support Of
JEFF Davis, and every copperhead in the coun-
try responded amen to Breckenridge. 4..k
We Wemight occupy broad side OF the HERALD
with the evidence that bas accumulated before
the public during the last two years. showing
the peace programme Of the Western copper
heads TO be q reconstruction Of the elements Of
the old Union into two or three confederacies,
embracing the fusion OF the Northw cstern
States into the Southern conledetacy on terms