The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1865-04-22

s 5noinas : Gordon, C. slightly in right eve.
Steph zen Wharton. e, severely in mouth. =
CaPi N . Parmley, B, slightly.
Corp Abram Day, F, slightly in foot
Colp Dingleman, &, slightly in face
Mafun Walraven, g, slightly in right arm
J Jo metz, Il, severe In left shoulder.
James DUNCAN, G, severely.
Capt George r Leiyard. G. sliphltv in 70 no
deo W Long, B, slightly in right leg.
The Presidents Speech.
NJ, WASHINGTON, April r.
l1e executive Department, including
me PRESIDENTIAL Mansion, were Illuminated
Tonight and covered with ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ana national flags. Thousands Of persons
i1ockea 70 the Executive Mansion. The
resident In response to u unanimous call.
appeared at the upper window, and spoke
as follows:
We meet this evening not in SORROW. hnt
IN giadness of heart. The evacuation Of
petersburg aud Richmond and the surren.
der of the principal insurgent armv gives
hopes OF righteous and speedy peace. whose
!nsoos eA preston cannot be restrained. In
tue midst OF this, how ever, He from whom
all blessings flow, must not be forgotten.
A call for nations thanksgiving is being
prepared, and will be duly promulgated
Nor must those whose harder part gives us
cause Of rejoicing he overlooked. Their
honors must not be pisced out with others.
myself was near the front, and had the
nlgl pleasure of transmitting much Of the
good news to you, but no part Of the honor
for the plan or execution il mine. To Gen.
Grant, his skiilful officers and brave men.
all belongs. The gallant navy stood ready.
but was not in reach to take an active part.
BY these recent successes the re-inaugu.
ration of national authority aud recon.
str0ction 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 the
case of war between independent nations
there is no authorized organ for US to treat
with. No one man has authority to give
up the rebellion for any other man. We
simply must begin and mould from l1isor-
ganized and discordaut elements: nor is il
2 small additional embarrassment that We
loyal people differ among ourselves as to
the mode, manner and measure of recon.
StrNctiOu.
As general rule abstain from reading
reports Of attacks upon myself, wishing
not to be provoked by that to which can
not properly answer. In spite OF this pre-
caution, however, it comes to my know
ledge that am much censured for some
supposed agency in setting up and seeking
to sustain the new government Of Louis
lana. In this have done just SO much and
no more than tho public knows. In NV
annual message OF December, 1863, and
accompanying proclamation, presented
plan OF reconstruction, as the phrasel
goes. which promised if adopted by any
state would be acceptable and sustained
10y the Executive Government of the ma
ton. distinctly stated that this was mott
the only plan which might possibly be &C
ceptable, and l distinctly protested thai
the Executive claimed no right to sayI
when or whether members should be adj
mitted to seats in Congress from SUCH
States. This plan Was in advance submit.
ted to the Cabinet and approved by every
member Oft. One OF them suggested that
should then and in that connection APP
3ply the emancipation proclamation, except
lin parts OF Virginia and Louisiana; that II
should drop the suggestion about appren-
ticeship for freed people, and that should
'osnit tue protest agOinst my own power mi
regard to admission to members Of Conf
gress, but he approved every part and
parcel Of the plan which has been employ
ed or touched by the action OF Louisiana.
The new constitution of Louisiana, declar-
Ing emancipation for the whole State, prac-
ideally applies the proclamation to theI
parts previously exempted. 1t does mott
adopt apprenticeship for freed people, audi
10 silent as it could not we'll be otherwiseI
about admission of members to Congress, !
30 that, as 1t applied 10 Louisiana. every
member of the Cabine; fully approved theI
plan. The message went to Congress and
received many hearty Communications of
the plan, written aud verbal, and not al
single objection to it from any professedI
until after the news reached Washington
that Louisiana had begun TO move in ac-|
|cOrdance with il.
From about July, 1862, had correspon-I
ded with different persons supposed to bel
interested in helping the reconstruction of
the State governmentfor Louisiana. WhenI
the message of 1863, with the plan beforeI
mentioned, reached New Orleans, Gen.
Banks wrote me that he was confident that
the people, with his military c6-operation,|
would reconstruct substantially on that
plan. wrote to him and some Ofthem toI
kry it. They tried it and the result isI
known. such has been my only agency
bin getting up the Louisiana government.
As TO sustaining 1t, my promise is now|
better broken than kept, I shall keep that,
~ bad promise and break it whenever q
shall be convinced that the keeping of it is
adverse to the public interest; but have,
mot been convinced. I have been shown q,
letter on this subject, supposed to be AMI
able one, in which the writer expresses
regret that my mind has not seemed to bel
secetled States so-called are In the UnionI
|or out of it. It would perhaps add sston-i
ishment, to bis regret, were he to learn
that since / have found professed Uniony
men endeavoring to answer that question:
& have purposely foreborne any public ex.
pression upon it, al it appears to me that.
The question has not been, nor yet is, prac-I
ideally material, and that any discussion
of it, while it thus remains practically i'm
material, could have no effect other than
mischievously offending our friends:
Al vet, whatever 1t may become thatl
nuestion is bad as q basis Of controversy,
land good for nothing at all. We all argue|
|that seeded States, so-called,. are out oil
their proper practical relation with theI
Union. and that the same object ct the gov
ernment, civil and military, in regard toi
those states, is to again get them up to that
! nroper practical relation. ! believe THAT