The Black Republican., 1865-04-22
PRESIDENT LINCOLN ON RECONSTRUCTION
He Strongly Fayors the Louisiana Plan
HE OPPOSES MR.. SUMMERS VIEWS "
THE VOTE NECESSARY TO ADOPT
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS.

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENIe M
The Executive Departments at Washing
ton were brilliantly illuminated on the night
of the 18th inst. Thousands OF personsS
Aocked to the Executive mansion. TheA
President. in response to a unanimous call, II
'appeared at an upper window and spoke ash
Follows: i
The Speech of the President.
We meet this evening, not in sorrow, Dutt
lin oladnpss of the heart. The eVacuatlons
sof Petersburg and Richmond, and the SURF
srender of the principal lnsurgent arny,E
spives hOpes of righteous and speedy peace I
awhose joyous expression cannot pe tfa
sstrained. In the midst of this, however, del
sfrom whom all blessings flow must not beI
/ call for National Thanksgiving is bel
Zinc nrenared and will be duly promulgated
kN0r mrst those whose harder part gives uSl
ztho cause of rejoicing be overlooked. IhGlr,
sh0nors must not be paralyZed but with the
sothers. l myself was near the 1rolt, allh
Shad the high pleasure of transmitting nluch
Eof the GOOD news to you; but no part OF me
Shonor for the plan or execution Is niue. ~
4GAn Grant his skillful officers and brave
1man AN belongs. The gallant navy stood
%readv. but was not in reach TO take an ac-
Itive part. ~. i,,o,,r,,,
81 By these recent successes the re-naugu-
ssration of National authority - /.
sz+ion. which has had a large share OF th0u9nt
from the first, is pressed much more closely
Hunon our attention. 1t is traught WIN great
4dtfficulty, unlike the case of war between
atindnnendent nations. There is no author
NiZed organ for us to treat with, no one man
Nhas authority to give up the rebellion tol
5anv other man. We must Simply gl5 oegl55
SSswith and mould from the dlscofodit a1 alIT
~ .gldisorganized elements. Nor Is II a slnal
!gEadditional embarrassment that we loya
EsnooDle differ among ourselves as TO Inc
sss33mode. manner, and measure OF recOnsTnc
;Etion. e.,, ,.oo1;ne
sNreports of attacks upon myseI, hOl " ~ y
Mprovoked by that to which cannot pfopeIIy
offer an answer III slte Vi nIIS nja tbt
AhoWeVer it comes TO MY KhOWleuSe tlaC
III am much censured for some supposed a9ehc!
sglin setting llp and seeking to sustain the heV
!NGOycrnment of Louisiana.
aa In this have done just so much ana ~
Mmore than the public knows. In the hnnu'
fsmc,saee Of December 1863, and the accom-
mananvinr proclamation, | presented plan Q
as the phrase goes, Whlc4
i5promised. if adopted by any State, would
and sustained by the EXecutlEe
Hs T distinctly stated that this was not tn
eKonly plan which might possibly be accepta
Fsble. and ! also distinctly protested that ~
ssFxecutive claimed no right to say Whe4 Q
,Rwhether members should De adlhl1IeN !
Nseats in Congress from such states.
-A This plan was in advance submitted Z
kathe Cabinet and approved by every mempe
3a of it. One Of them suggested that
fa should then and in that conjunction appl
sEthe emancipation proclamation to the "
's3excpnt parts of Virginia and LOUISIANA tila
sashould drop the suggestion ABOUT aplFel
f ticeship for freed people, ana tllat sIloui
t#omit the protest against my own power
sssregard to the admission of members Of CoI
But even he approved every part and pa
Feel Of the plan which has since 9een en-
45ploved or touched by the action OF LOUIS
81 The new Constitution of Louisiana. d
: IS claring emancipation for the whole Stat'
iHpractically applies the proclamau0n " q
Apart previously exempted. IT does nc
Madopt the apprenticeship for freed peoph
land is silent-as it could not be otherwise
Eabout the admission of members 10 Col
Mgress, so that it is applied to Louisiana.
IA Every member of the Cabinet TulIy ~
Wproved the plan. The message went TO Col
d eMgress. received many commentators
3 e&3the plan, written and verbal, ana not
4 Single objection to it from any protesse
q Neutrality-suspicious. came to my knoWIede
Runtil after the news was received AT was
f #ington that the people of Louisiana had o
81 Hgun move in accordance with IL.
II | mad corresponded with different person
n supposed to be interested in seeking the
e construction of the State Government
8 Louisiana. When this message OF 1868, WIT
f2the plan before mentioned, reached Ne
Il Orleans. Gen. Banks wrote me that ne Ws
: confident that the people, with the aid Oh n
j military cooperation, would construct sul
d WstantiaIly on that plan. ] wrote him an
} some of them to try it. They tr1ed IL an
V the result is known.
~ Such has been my only agency in th
a louisiana movement. My promise is mad
Fl as have previously stated; but as bad pr
3 mises are better broken than kept, / sha
> treat this as a bad promise, and break
f. whenever shall be convinced that keepln
l 1t is adverse to the public interest; but
have not yet been so convinced. ! haE
heen shown letters on this subject, suppose
n Ito he able ones, in which the writer e.
presses a regret that my mind has nc
&seemed to be definitely fixed on the questlo
e Wwhether seeded States, so called, are III u
81 sMTJnion or out OF 1t.
+ II would have added astonishment 10 n
!. Mrepret. were he to learn that since / nay
n &fonnd professed Union men endeaYOrlnB
. n2answer that question, have purposely 10
Hborn any public expression upon It. IL a
& Hpears to me tnaJ the question mas Hoe 49, D
i. .Nand is not yet, practically national one
# End the discussion of it, while it remain
n @practically unnational, could have no enec me.
! # other than the mischievious one OF dlVldlf
d aour friends. ,o
"a As vet. whatever may become the que
e M+ion i a bad base Of dispute, and good i
= t@notbino at all. We all agree that the sece
- ~ states so-called, are out Of their prop
. Enractical relation with the Union, and TIL
81 sole object Of the Government, civil an
r EmiIitarv. in regard to those States isto aga
!, oct them into their proper relation.
n I believe that it Is not only possible, q
= In fact easier to do this without declar1I
10 D. even considering whether these stat
,e #have ever been out of the Union, or Wheth
m Nfndinp themselves safely at home, it won
arMbe utterly immaterial whether they hi
;n # #been abroad or not.
- Let's Join in doing acts necessary 70 resto
o Athe proper practical relation between the
10 II States and the Union to each other foreye
leHafter innocently indulging his own opini
neWwhether, in doing acts, he brought I
ne# Estates from without into the Union, or Oh
er# #gave them proper assistance, they neV
~ having been ont of 1t.
az The amount of constancy so TO speak
hex which the Louisiana Government re-