East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1865-04-19
The Presidents Speech.

ding the Gresidents mansion, Were
illuminated last night, adorned with
transparencies and national flags, and
thousands of persons flocked, to the
Executive mansion. The President,
in response to a unanimous all, APP
peared at the upper window and spoke
as follows i
We meet this evening, notin sor-
row, but in gladness of heart, at the
evacuation of Petersburg and Rich
mond, and the surrender of the prin-
cipal insurgent army. 1t gives hopes
of righteous and speedy peace, whose
Joyous expression cannot be restrain
ed. In the midst OF these, howeyor,
He from whom all blessings flow
must not be forgotten. A call for a
National Thanksgiving is being pre-
pared and will duly be promulgated.
Nor must those whose hardships hare
given us cause for rejoicing be oves-
looked; their honors must not lie
pierced out with. others. i myself
was near the front and had the high
pleasure of transmitting much Of the
good news to you, but no part of the
honor for the plan or execution is
mino. To Gen. Grant, his skillful
officers and brave men belongs all the
praise. The gallant navy stood ready,
but was not in reach to take active
part in these recent successes and re-
Inauguration of national authority
Reconstruction which has had large
share of thought from the first, is
pressed much more closely upon our
attention; it is fraught with great
difficulty. Unlike case Of war be-
tween independant nations, there is
no organized organ for us to treat
with-no one man has authority to
give up rebellion for airy other man.
We simply must begin again and
mould from disorganized and discord-
ant elements, nor is it small addi-
tional embarrassment that we loya.
people differ among ourselves as to
the mode, manner and measure Of re-
construction. As general rule, l
abstain from reading reports Of attacks
upon myself, wishing not to be pro-
voked by that to which cannot prop
erly answer. In spite of this precau-
ton, however, it comes to my knowl-
edge that l am much censured for
some supposed agency in setting up
and seeking TO sustain the new gov
eminent Of Louisiana. In this | have
done Just so much and no moro than
tho public knows. In my annual
message of Dec. 1868, and accompa-
nying proclamation, l presented a
plan of reconstruction, as the phrase
goes, which promised, if adopted by
any State, would be acceptable and
sustained by tho Executive Govern
mont Of the nation.
/ distinctly stated that this was not
the only plan which might possibly be
acceptable, and l also distinctly pro-
tested that the Executive claimed no
right to say wheMor whether mem
bers should be admitted to seats in
Congress, from such States. This
plan was in advance submitted TO the
Cabinet, and approved by every mem
Der of it. One of them suggested
that / should then, and in that con-
nection, apply the emancipation proc
lamation thereto, and except in parts
of Virginia and Louisiana, that L
should then drop the suggestion
about apprenticeship for free peo-
pie, and that / should omit the pro-
test against my own power in re-
gard to admission Of members of Con-
grees. But even he approved every
part and parcel of the plan which has
since been employed or touched by
the action of Louisiana. !. The new
Constitution of Louisiana declaring
emancipation for the whole State,
practically applies the proclamation
to parts previously exempted. 1t does
not adopt the apprenticeship for freed
people, and is silent--as it could not
we'll be otherwise--about admission
Of members to Congress, so that, as it
applied to Louisiana, every member
of the Cabinet approved of the plan.
The message went to Congress, and i
received many concentrations Of plans
written and verbal and not single
objection to it from any professed
emancipationist came to my knowl-
edge until after the news reached
Washington that had began TO move
in accordance with it. From about
July, 1862, / had correspondence with
different persons, supposed to be in
terested in keeping reconstructions OF
the State Government for Louisiana,
and when the message Of 1868, with
the plan before mentioned, reached
New Orleans. Gen. Banks wrote me
that he was confident the people, with
his military corporation, would re-
construct substantially on that plan
L wrote to him and some of them tc
try it. They tried it and the result il
known. Such has been my only agen.
cy in getting up the Louisiana Gov
eminent. As TO sustaining it, my
promise is out, as before stated, bu
as bad as promises are, it is better
broken than kept. 1 shall treat this
as bad promise and break it, when
ever / shall be convinced that keeping
it is adverse to the public interests
but have not been so convinced.
/. have been shown q letter on this sub
jert, supposed TO be an able one, il
which the writer expresses a regre
that my mind has not seemed TO b
definitely fixed on the question wheth