The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-09-12

Lard and tallow were active and higher whiskey
rather frmer.
Thaddsus Stevens ON Southern Recon.
struotfon-A Sweeping COnfseation or
Reputation.
The speech Of the Hon. Thaddeus Stevens, Of
Pennsylvania, which We publish to-day, IL q
most important one, as 1t may be accepted as an
authoritative exposition of the Southern recon-
| struction policy Of the abolition Jacobin Club.
| AS chairman Of the House Committee of Ways
| and Means Of the late Congress, as leader In
| all the confscation acts and other pains and
penalties against rebels passed by that and the
preceding Congress, and as the recognized
oracle Of the Pennsylvania radicals, Thaddeus
Stevens, it may be fairly assumed, has in this
speech declared the programme Of the impla-
cable revolutionary abolition school to which
| he belongs.
| The Jacobin programme, from first to last, Is
one Of unqualified hostility to the Southern
policy of President Johnson. He proposes the
restoration Of rebel property as fast and as far
as possible; Stevens proposes William the Con-
| queror's " Domesday Book Of coniscation, or
the alternative Of reputation and universal
bankruptcy. The President is treating the late
| insurgent States as States that have never been
out Of the Union; Stevens accepts them " in the
position in which they placed themselves-as
severed from the Union, an independent gov
eminent de .facto, an alien enemy, to be dealt
with according to the laws of war;" Upon any
other basis, he contends, jeff Davis cannot be
convicted of treason, and that the same diff
culties will exist in attempt ting forfeitures, which
can only follow conviction in States protected
by the constitution; and then, it is said, only
for the life Ct the malefactor." In short, ac-
cording to Stevens, the rebel States must be
treated to the fullest extent of the powers Of
the conqueror as subjugated alien enemies; for
| that otherwise in the work Of reconstruction
| we are only planting the seeds of another
| rebellion.
His programme therefore, is that of Senator
Sumner-to hold said States Sin a territorial
condition until they are fit TO form State consti-
tutions republican in fact, not in form only,
and ask admission into the Union az new States"
He does not touch on the question Of negro
suffrage. He is dealing with the subject in
broader view. Congress may prescribe the
qualifications of voters in a Territory, but no
where else; but 'the President" he maintains,
has not even this or any other power to med
die in the subject except by advice of Congress"
But here Mr.. Stevens forgets the almost unlim-
tied discretionary war powers conferred upon
the President by Congress for the suppression
of the rebellion, and that the powers thus con-
ferred have not been recalled. but are still in
force. All this, however, goes for nothing
with this Jacobin reconstruction, who insists
upon treating our late rebellious Southern
brethren assubjugated alien enemies.
He accordingly proposes the forfeiture of the
estates of the leading rebels, to the extent Of
394 900 acres the distribution of 40, 900, 900
acres of these lands to the emancipated blacks,
and the devotion Of the remainder, $4,000, 900
acres, to the redemption of the national debt
This debt, he maintains, will be over four
thousand millions of dollars, when it ia all
| funded, and then we shall have TO raise an
nually, by taxation, $47OOOO,OOO to meet the
interest and current expenses, burden which
he holds the people cannot bear. Like Wen
| dell Phillips, therefore, Thaddeus Stevens pre-
sents his plan of reconstruction, or the alterna-
tive of reputation, financial chaos and univer-
sal anarchy.
The new platform of Thaddeus Stevens and
his Jacobin associate leaders and their fol-
lowers, in his own words, Is this:-"The broad
platform of reconstructing the government out
of the conquered Territory of the South, con-
verted into new and free States, and admitted
into the Union by the sovereign power of Con-
gross, with another plank-the property Of
the rebels should pay our national debt and
indemnity freedmen and loyal sufferers, and
that under no circumstances will we permit the
national debt to be repudiated or the interest
scaled below tho contract rates, or any part
Of the rebel debt to be assumed by the nation |"
Still, If this national war debt cannot be
redeemed without the sweeping Southern con-
fiscations proposed they must be adopted,
according to Stevens, or reputation must fol-
| low, with all Its fearful consequences.
Will Congress adopt this Jscobin pro-
grammes Will either house attempt 1t against
the numerous manifestations from all parties
In the loyal States In favor Of the restoration
policy of President Johnsonf We should
think such an attempt out Of the question II
experience had not taught us that the threats
of these abolition Jacobins are invariably fol-
lowed up by action. We may look, therefore,
for violent and persistent effort on tho part
Of - radicals in the coming Congress to upset
the conservative restoration policy Of the Pre-
sldent, and to enforce the revolutionary Jaco-
bin policy Of Stevens, Sumner, Chase, Wendell
Phillips and their followers. Hence the duty
devolving upon the people Of the loyal
States In the approaching elections Of manifest
ing their approval Of President Johnson's