The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1865-04-20
president LineOln's Speech on the Recent
Victories, Reconstruction &c.

WASHINGTON. April

Presidential Mansion, were illuminated to-
night and covered with transparencies and
national flags. Thousands of persons flock
ed to the Executive Mansion. The President
in response to a unanimous call, appeared at
the upper window, and spoke as follows \
We meet this evening not in sorrow but
in gladness of heart The evacuation of Pc
tersburg and Richmond and the surrender
of the principal insurgent army give hopes
OF righteous and speedy peace, whose joyous
expression cannot be restrained. In the
midst of this, however, He from whom all
blessings How must not be forgotten. A call
for nations thanksgiving is being prepared,
aud will be duly promulgated. Nor must
those whose harder part gives US cause OF re-
joicing be overlooked. Their honors must
not be pieced with others. | 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 ex-
ecution is mine To Gen. Grant, his skillful
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 and reconstruc-
ton which has had large share of thought
from the first, is pressed much more closely
upon our attention. 1t 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 disorganized and discordant ell
ements; nor is it small additional embar-
rassment that we loyal people differ among
ourselves as to the mode, manner and meas
ure of reconstruction.
AS a general rule l abstain from reading
reports of attacks upon myself, wishing not
to be provoked by that to which | cannot
properly offer answer. In spite of this pre-
caution, however, it comes to my knowledge
that | am much censured for some supposed
agency in setting up aud seeking to sustain
the new government of louisiana In this
have done just as much and no more thar
{ the public knows. In my annual message
of December, 1868, and accompanying proc
lamation, | presented plan of reconstruc
ton, as the phrase goes, which promised
If adopted by any State would be acceptable
and sustained by the Executive Government
of the nation distinctly stated that this
was not the only plan which might possibly
be acceptable, and distinctly protested that
the Executive claimed no right to say wber
or whether members should be admitted tc
seats in Congress from such States. This
plan was in advance submitted to the Cabi-
net and approved by every member of it,
One of them suggested that | should then
and In that connection apply thessemancipa
ton proclamation, except in parts of Virgin
la and Louisiana; that l should drop the
suggestion about apprenticeship for freed
people, and that | should omit the protest
against my own power in regard to admis-
sion to members Of Congress- but even he
approved every part and parcel of the plan
which has been employed or touched by the
action OF Louisiana. The new constitution
OF Louisiana, declaring emancipation for the
whole State, practically applies the procla-
nation to the parts previously exempted. Il
does not adopt apprenticeship for freed PEG
pie, and IS silent as itcould not well be 9th
erwlse about admission of members to Con-
gress, so that, as it applied to Louisiana, ev-
cry member OF the Cabinet fully approved
the plan The message went to Congress
and received many hearty commentators
OF the plan, written and verbal;and not sin
gle objection to it from any profesed emanci-
patlonlst came to my knowledge until after
the news reached Washington that Leuisia-
ma had begun to move in accordance with
it.
From about July, 1862, l had correspon-
ded with different persons supposed to be
interested In helping the reconstruction of
the State government of Louisiana When
the message of 1868, with the plan before
mentioned, reached New Orleans, Gen.
Banks wrote that he was confident that the
people, cooperating, would reconstruct sub
stantially on that plan. | wrote to him and
some OF them to try it. They tried it and
the result is known. Such has been my
only agency In getting up the Louisiana gov
eminent.
AS to sustaining it, my promise is now as
before stated; out as bad promises are better
broken than kept, | shall keep that az bad
promise and break it whenever [ shall be
convinced that the keeping of it is adverse
to the public interes t. ; but have not been
so conveinced. have been shown letter
on this subject, supposed to be an able one
in which the writer expresses regret that
my mind has not seemed to be definitely fix
ed on the question, whether seeded States
so-called are in the Union or out of it. 1t
greet, were he to learn that since I have
found protested Union men endeavorino to
answer that question, have purposeIy fore ;
borne any public expression upon it, as it
appears to me as the question has not been,
nor yet is, practically material,
and that any discussion of it, while it thus
remains practically immaterial, could have
no effect other than mischeivously offending
our friends 2
AS yet, whatever it may become, that
question IS bad as basis of controversy :.
and good for nothing at all. We all argue
that seeded States, so called, are out of
their proper practical relation with the
Union, and that the same object of the
Government, civil and military, in regard
to those States, is to again get them up to;
that proper practical relation [ believe
that 1t is not only possible, but in fact east
er to do this without deciding or even con-S
sidering whether these States have ever{
been out OF the Union than with it. Find n
ing themselves safely at home it would bel
merely immaterial whether they had beens
abroad. Let lis all, doing acts necessary to
restore the proper practical relation betweens
these States and the Union, each forever
after innocently indulge his own opinionA
whether in doing these acts he broughtE
States from without into the Union, or onIvR
gave them proper assistance, they never
having been out of it. d;
The amount of constituency SO to speak, {,
on which the Louisiana Government rests i
would be more satisfactory to all if it con-s
tanned fifty or sixty thousand, or event
twenty thousand instead of twelve thou E
sand as it does. 81
1t is also satisfactory to some that tbeFl
elective franchise is not given to the col M
pred man. / would, myself, prefer that IT'D
were now conferred on the veTy INTELLIGENT n
md on those that serve our cause as sol-aI
Tiers. Still the question is not whether tbe3!t
-;T government, as it stands is quite,
u. J = tnat Is desirable The question is will 4,
be wiser to take it as it is and helm to4l