Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1864-08-18
Reconstruction Of the Rebel States.
The Protest of uessrs. Wade and Davis.
From the Albany Evening Journal

! Lass than one hour previous 70 the sine die
! adjournment Of Congress, the President hat
placed in bis hands bill u to guaranty t
certain States whose Governments have beer
usurped, Republican form of government
/ This bill he considered of such an importan
! character that he withheld his signature TEN
porarilv for mature examination, and finally
altogether, for reasons given In his proclama
ton of July sth, 1864. In order that his rea
sons may be fully understood, we give the
material portions of that proclamation:
Now, therefore, I, Abraham Lincoln, President
of the United States, do proclaim, declare anc
make known that while / am Gas l was in Dscem
Der last, when by proclamation l propouuded q
plan for rpstoration) unprepared by a formal an.
prevail of this Lii to be iuhcxbly committed tc
any single plan Of restoration; and, while 7 am
also unprepared to declare that the Free Stat,
Constitution and governments already adopted
aud installed in Arkansas and Louisiana shall he
set aside aud held for naught, thereby repelling
and disco uragng the loyal citizens who have set
up the TO further effort, to declare a
constit utional comp etency in Con ress to abolish
slavery in the states, but at the same time sin.
cerely hoping and expecting that constitutional
amendment abosLing slavery throughout the Ma
ton may be adopted; neyert heless fully salts
fed with the system for restoration coutaine d in
the bi as ore very proper plan for the loyal peo-
pie of any state choosing to adopt it, and that
am, anG al all times shall be, prepared to give the
Executive aid and assistance to any such people
so the military resistance to the United
State, aud the people thereof shall have sufc Gent
| ly returned their obedience the Constitution
and the laws of the United states, in which cases
military governors will be appoint ed, with direc-
| tons to proceed according to the bill.
1t appears from this that the following
were the reasons which actuated the Presi.
dent:
First. He was unwilling to commit himself
infexlbly to any single plan of restoration.
| Second. He was unprepared to set aside
the Constitutions Of Arkansas and louisiana
! Third. He was not ready to declare Con
j stitutional competency in Congress to abolish
slavery in the States.
1t also further appears that he was in favor
| of an amendment to the Constitution abolish
| ing slavery, and that he was fully satisfied
with the system of restoration contained in
the bill as one very proper plan for the loyal
| people of any State choosing to adopt it," in
which case he would carry out the provisions
of the bill.
Two individuals, prominent in the passage
! of the bill, have taken umbrage with the
President, because he did not approve the
bill absolutely, and affix his signature to it,
and have addressed a communication "to
| the supporters of the Government relative
| thereto.
| One great burden of their complaint is,
that the President deemed it best to issue
the proclamation above given. Common peo-
| pie will consider the President justified in
giving to the country his views on a question
/ of such grave moment, especially with the
| evidence now before them that designing
persons stood ready to misrepresent his re-
tusal to sign the bill.
But Messrs Wade and Davis are also dis
satisfied that the President does not deem
| their bill the embodiment Of all the wisdom
! Of the country on the question of reconstruct
ton. They dismiss the very strong point first
made by the President in the following
| words -
| That is to say, the PRESIDENT is resolved that
people shall OF by law take any securities rom
the Rebel States against renewal of therebelion
| before restoring their power to govern
His wisdom and prudence to be our suf-
| fcient guarantees!
This extract alone is sufficient to show the
animus Of the worthy couple who have seen
| fit to depart from all precedent, and in grave
violation Of propriety to commit an uncalled
for attack on the President for exercising his
constitutional right They entirely misrep-
resent the position of the President He
does not say the people shall not g by law
take any securities ;" but that he is unwilling
to commit himself infexibly to any single
plan, whether through legislation, or by viz
tue Of his powers as Commander-in-C Chief
He does not intimate that CHS wisdom and
prudence are to be our sufficient guarantees"
but that he does not wish to be infe xibly
committed to the plan which the 'wisdom
and prudence" of Messrs. Wade and Davis
have devised, and to make that our only and
sufficient guaranty. He holds himself open
to take counsel of any one in the Repub-
lie, and does not propose to be confined to
the narrow road marked out for him by our
offended couple. And herein is the cause of
their grief. Let them mourn, and let the
President hold himself at all times ready to
take advantage Of any ext gency that may
arise, and to adopt any pan that may give
good reason for belief that it will result in
a speedy and permanent restoration of the
State to which it is applied.
These embodiments of all wisdom and pru-
dence next proceed to misrepresent the posi-
ton Of the President regarding the States of
Arkansas and Louisiana, of which the follow
ing is the key note:-
The President, by preventing this bill from be-
coming law, holds the electoral votes of the rebel
States at the dctation of his personal ambition.
A more unfounded, wicked and malevolent
charge never was made. In what manner
could the President cause the electoral votes
of those States to enure to his personal am
bition? He has nothing more to do with the
passing upon the validity Of such electoral
votes-if any should be tendered-than the
most insignificant citizen. Those votes would
be opened at the proper time by the Pres-
dent Of the Sesate, " in the presence of the
Senate and House of Representatives, and
this same Congress that passed the bill in
question, would decide upon the validity of
| the certificates so presented. The "Meal-
Tub Plot" of the President to secure his re-
election may be safely dismissed
| The worthy gentlemen next proceed to dis
cuss the third objection of the President,
and on this point they have the effrontery to
say land this, too, is the substance of their
| point:
But the bill nowhere proposes to abolish slavery
! in the States.
We submit this is knowingly false The
bill provides for sundry elections, and finally
| for Constitutional Convention. But this
| Convention is not permitted to pass or re-
| frain from passing such amendments to the
Constitution as its wisdom may direct, but the
superior wisdom and prudence" of Messrs.
Wade and Davis dictate their action, and
would, if the bill had become & law, have
| made the Convention but mere assembling OF
Secretaries, to record three DEGREES of Con-
| gress, one of which was the abolition of
| slavery. That our readers may have the full
evidence Of this fact before them, we give
entire the seventh section Of the bill:
| SEC. 7. And be it further enacted, That the Con.
yention shall declare, on behalf of the people OF
the State Their submission to the Constitution and
Laws Of the United States, and shall adopt the fol-
lowing provisions, hereby prescribed by the United
States in the execution of the Constitutional duty
| to guaranty a Republican form of Government tn
every State, and Incorporate then, IN the Constitu
tt0R Of the State, that is to say
First No person who has held exercised any
office, civil military except offices merely minis
teTial and military off ces below the de