The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1865-12-04
TILE PRESIDENTS POLICY.

Undressing chapter ofali. hi4u
|ttr-It5-t'4 -1--t--- ~frF7TTvT H.ui
,ita THE PRESIDENTS POLICY.
The Proclamation Of the President, in
which he excerpts the states of Virginia,
Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carol'na'
South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Ala
bama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas,
and Texas, the District of Columbia,
and 1.-the territories of New Mexico and
Arizona from tile privileges of the writ
of habeas corpus, is Interpreted in GER
tain quarters to mean that a more, riSor-
Gus policy is to be pursued hereafter to-
wards the states recently in rebellion.
We think. this Interpretation is admissa-
BILE. n The very strong feeling OF dlssatls-
faction which has found utterance jim
Northern and Western Journals, in re-
gard to what was supposed to be the
leniency,and ,clemeney of the president,
coupled with the hawant,-in many
instances good faith, on the part of
several of the legislatures ofthe southern
states, --these two causes combined, have
moved Mr.. johnson to u more deter
mined policy. He has had much cause
to complain that states77to whose citi-
zens pardons had been freely granted
and every encouragement had been
pledged had fallen short of coming
up to the, liberal requirements of
his conditions of reconstruction. In
his letter to Governor Holden, the other
day, he utters all that he feels in regard
to the conduct not only of North Caro-
lima, but of all the states, which have,
so far, hesitated or refused to come to
the conditions laid down for theirre adj
mission TO the Union, The results, of
the recent elections in North Carolina
he says, .lfave greatly damaged the
prospects of the state in the restoration
of its governmental relations, Should
the action and the spirit of the Legisla-
ture be in the same direction, 1t will
greatly increase the mischief already
done, and might be fatal" This Ian
guage, we have no doubt, was intended
as a general expression of disappoint-
ment, aud is addressed to ''w HON it may
concern, throughout the entire South.
The Washington correspondent of the
Baltimore Transcript, justifies the view
we have taken Of these recent events.
He states what we have known for sew
eral weeks to have been the exact con
ditioneof President Johnson's mind. VI
to within a few weeks, the President
supposed that the South fully appreciat-
ed the fact that it had been thoroughly
defeated in the recent contest in the
field; that it knew that the Congress
about to meet was composed in large
part of men who had been elected dur
ing the wal, who were pledged to its
vigorous prosecution, and who had been
borne into places of power upon the cur
rent which then swept over all the
northern states that it must have been
satisfied that he 1.-THE Presiden0 was far
more leniently disposed to them than
the radical Congressional majority, and
had,offended many of his original sup
porters by the Manifestation Of his leni-
ency, and that, therefore, whenhe made
suggestions in spirit of kindness, he
expected the southern people to cor
daily accept terms which the visiting
delegations, s.and the press of the South
generally had pronounced liberal and
satisfactory. Hell in fact, at much risk to
himself undertook to stand between
the South and the extremists, and that
if the former did not see fit to aid him
by adopting a course of policy which
would Justify his action in the opinion
of the people, he became deprived OF the
power to render the South service, and
to secure to the states their speedy re-
turn to the Union. The hardness with
which many of the states, South, have
responded to his suggestions; the pres
sure which was found necessary to ac
complish that which it was hoped would
be done Voluntarily; the election to Con
gress of men who openly avowed that
they could not take the test oath over
those whom it was known could do so
the evident preference exhibited by the
electors for men5who had been Seces-
sohists per Sc and more particularly the
tone of the press, have all conduced to
weakenthe Presidents position, to east
doubt upon the good faith of southern
men and, to arm their. opponents with
arguments against the immediate ad-
mission of the Southern representatives
II is not worth while now, perhaps, to
speculate upon questions of a future
policy, wbleh are so soon to be expIained
to the whole country, in the message
which will go to Congress to-day or to-
morrow .4sa'.. .''. ',' -, =, \
Il. 4. LET MACMILLAN GO HOME $3.50
Wetbink there are reasons of state to
justify the immediate expulsion of Max
imflian from Mexico; and if there be
any real nlrDOSe or mon nipg Ia ~ 4