Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1865-08-03

with THIS line or road the Lehlgh coal
would 60 east without opposing grades
the Wyoming coal north to the Lake with
no opposing grade of over thirty feet, and
that only about twelve miles long. But we
suppose the canal men would not consent
at present to such an arrangement. there
fore let us turn our whole attention to the
road from this point north 20 Ithica, and
thence to Lake Ontario.
THE PRESIDENTS RECONSTRUCTION pol
ICY AS ILLUSTRATED. BN THE WASH
INGTON CHRONICLE.
The Washington Chronicle (in article
which we published in our issue Of 29ih
! June) has undertaken an exposition of the
Presidents reconstruction policy, which,
in our way of thinking, is not calculated
to give very exalted idea of the theory
upon which the reconstruction measures
are based That we may not misunder-
stand, or misrepresent what the Chronicle
says on this subjective give entire the sec
ond paragraph, which, among a multitude
of words, sets forth in full the Presidents
position on this subject 1t runs as fol-
lows
As we understand his (the Presidents )theory on
this subject it is simply this He holds that the
treason and rebellion of portion of the citizens
of State, though constituting large major
ity, cannot destroy the political rights under the
Constitution, of those who remain loyal. He holds
that ordinances of secession, and all State laws in
violation of the Constitution, and hostile to the
Federal Government are simply void and can af-
feet the rights of no one who has neither aided in
their enactment maintenance, nor voluntarily
assented thereto. He holds, with the early ex-
Founders of the onstituton-Hanilton,M Madison,
and Jay-that State in it's corporate capacity is
incapable of committing treason, and hence can
not be punished for that crime that those who
have voluntarily participated in the rebellion are
personally guilty Of treason, and personally response
bic therefor, but that the treason of A, b, and G
cannot be imputed to d, who has not participated
therein, and destroy any of his rights under the
Constitution simply because he may happen to be
a citizen of the same State
The plain English Of this, Invested of
verbosity is, that President johnson be-
lieves that the treason of rebel does not
destroy loyal mans political rights, nor
that secession ordinances can effect this,
and that State cannot commit treason,
but its citizens may. That jeff Davis
treason does not now destroy Andrew John
sons political rights, it was hardly neces-
sary to tell, and people may wonder how
the President can believe any thing else.-
But the reason why the secession Ordinan-
ces of the rebellious States do not affect
the rights of those in them who were loyal
to the Union is because the rebellion was
a failure. For no other reason Whilst
the power which the ordinances of secession
called into being was in force, it did affect
seriously the rights of those living under
them, as many can but too well attest, and
so it would have continued had that power
remained The singular part however, of
this exposition, is in the assertion that
a State cannot commit treason, but its
citizens may What does State con-
sist of? 1t is made up of the peo-
pie. There can be no State without
them. And to assume that a State in it's
corporate capacity can not be punished for
treason, is calling up dead spirit of legal
fiction, to prove an absurdity. 1t is the
old exploded theory that the king can do
no wrong" We know that the king has
done wrong, and the American people will
not believe any thing else on that score. So
of the rebel States. No one has assumed
that these States il their corporate capacity
could, or should be punished. and why i'm
ply such an absurdity? Nor has any one
urged the general punishment of the peo-
pie of the rebel States, except the disfran-
chiscment of those who bore arms against
the government. Let us illustrate. Sup
pose the Baltimore d Ohio Railroad had
conveyed Lee and his army from Harper's
Ferry to Baltimore in one of that Generals
raids northward. This would have been
clear treason, for which the managers could
have been punished, and the road with its
entire assets confscated This is a corpor-
alton, but can have no being without stock
holders and officers and in bar of iudg-
ment suppose this company should plead
that IN its corporate capacity it can do no
wrong and can not be punished If this be
true, the legal consequence must be that
the individuals who make up this company,
can do no wrong, and can not be punished.
And how would such a theory and such
logic be received by the American people
Now, we take President Johnson to be a
man of good common sense, who cannot be
led astray by such vagaries as the Chroai-
Gle sets up for him, and is the last man to
offer them as an apology for any public
measure he may see proper to adopt We
are inclined to the opinion that the Presi-
dent started out on the reconstruction meas
ures without any speculative theory on the
subject 1t was forced on him from outside
pressure, and he yielded to this more from
necessity than any theoretical convictions.
He was the President, the chief officer of
the government, and to him appeals were
made by interested men, who were seeking
places and notoriety, from the subdued, re-
volted and now distracted States. These
appeals, ,and the surrounding circumstances,
combined tO DurSuada tho praUidan+ +ho+ :.