Nebraska advertiser. [volume] (Brownville, Nemaha County, N.T. [Neb.]) 1856-1882, 1865-04-27
The lasI Speeeh Of President Lln.
cOln.
WAsAINGT6N,

w AsAINGToN, APrll lZ--
The Executive departments, including
the Presidents mansion. were ilIumIna-
ted tonight. and adorned with transpar-
encies and National flags.
Thousands of persons Aocked to the
Executive mansion. The President, in
response 10 a unonimous cali, appeared
at an upper window and spoke as fol-
lows:
We meet this evening, not in sorrow.
but in gladness of the heart. Tie evac-
uarion OF Petersburg and Richmond and
the surrender Of the principal insurgent
army, gives hopes of righteous and spec
dy peace. whose joyous expression can
not be restrained In the midss Of This,
however. He from whom all blessings
flow must not be forgotten.
A call for National Thanksgiving is
being prepared and will be duly promul-
gated Nor must those whose harder
part, gives US The cause of rejoicing be
ov srlooked Their honors must not be
paralyzed but with the others. myself
was near the front, aud had the high
pleasure of transmitting much of the good
news 10 you tut 10 part Of the honor
tor lhe plan OF execution Is mdne. To
General C. ant, his skiiiful cfficers and
brave men, all belongs. The gallant ma
Wy stood ready. but was not IN reach to
take an active part.
! By these recent successes-the rein
augeratIon OF National authority--re-
construction, which has had a large share
of thought from the first. is pressed much
more closely upon our attention. Il is
fraught with great difficulty, unlike the
case of war between independent nations.
There IS no authorized organ for US to
;reat with no one man has authority TO
give up the rebellion for any other man.
We must simply begin with, and mould
from the discordant and disorganized ell
emeuts. Nor is il a small additional en.-
barraSsmenl mode, manner, aud measure
of RECONSTRUCTION.
AS a general rule abstain from reac.
ing potts of attacks upon myself; not
to btProvoked by that TO whIeh ] cannot
properly ofgr an. answer : in spite Of
his prtcauton. howeFer, il-comes TO my
knowledge lhat ain much censured for
some supposed agency in setting up and
seeking TO sustain the new government
of Louisiana.
In this have done just SO much and
n more than the public knows. In the
annual message Of Dec, 1866 aud the
accompanying proclamation, presented
"a plan of reconstruction as the phrase
gors, which ! promised, if adopted by
any State. would be acceptable and sus-
ralned by the Executive.
! / distinctly s,aJed that this was not the
only plan which might possibly BE- ac-
ceprabIe, and | also distinctly protested
lhat the Execu We claiultd no right to
say when or whether members should
1 be admllred TO seats in Congress from
such States.
This plan was in advance submitted 10
the Cabinet and proved by every mem.
Der of it. One of them suggested thar
I,hould then and in that conjunction apply
the emancipation to the except parts
of Virginia and Louisiana that should
drop the suggestion about apprentice
ship for freed people, and thatI should
omit The protest against my own power
in regard to the admission of members of
Congress.
But even he approved every part and
parcel # the plsn which has since been
employed or touched by the acton Of
Louisiana.
The new Constitution of Louisiana. de-
claring ,iPation for the-wbole State,
pracucally applies the proclamation to
lhe part previously exempted. Ii does
not adopt tie apprenticeship for freed
people, and is silent-as it could not be
otherwise-about the admission of mem
hers to Congress, so that it Is applied 10
! Louisiana.
Every member of the Cabinet fully
approved the plan. The message went to
Congress. / received many commeDda-
iions of the plan. written and verbal and
not single objection to 1t from any un-
til after the news was received at Wash
ington that the people of Louisiana had
begun a move in accordance with it.
had correspondent with different per-
sons supposed to be interested in seek.
lug the reconstruction OF the State gov
ernment of Louisiana. When this mes.
sage of 1868, with the plan before men
toned, reached New Orleans, General.
Banks wrote me that he was confident
that the people, with the aid of bis miIl-
tary cooperation, would construct spb-
tantially on that plan. wrets him and