The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1865-12-29
59aahrille @Gluiou.
WIN. CAMERON q CO.. Publishers.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER %, 1855.
The Restoration PrOblem-COngress
and the PresihRnf.


and the President.
Itseems TO have escaped attention
both at Washington and throughout tbs
, country, that while Congress is debating
} the subject Of restoration, the process,
itself is going on with the utmost stead
iness and success. Since Congress met,
the President has withdrawn the Pro-
I visioual Governors from Alabama, Geor-
gia, and North and South Carolina, and
handed over the internal government
Of those States to the officers elected
by their respective inhabitants. Each
one of them is now at liberty TO make
its own laws. In each the execution of
those laws is in the hands of Cover
nor chosen by its own people, and
through subordinate functionaries of
their own appointment Every officer
b in each Of the States thus restored
takes an oath Of allegiance TO the Con-
stitution of the United States the
laws of Congress are again the supreme
law of the land in every one of them,
and, in all substantial respects, the con
3 troll over their own domestic affairs is
precisely what it was before the rebel
lion. The only exception is, that the
national authority is still exercised by
the Freedmen's Bureau in projecting
the civil and personal rights of she en-
frsnchlsed slaves, and this will un-
doubtedly be sustained, as it certainly
ought to be, until full and satisfactory
provision has been made by the States
themselves for securing that important
and indispensable object
Four of the rebel States have thus
been restored by the President to that
control of their own affairs which they
enjoyed before the rebellion Their
State governments have been 'srecon-
structed, and have gone into practical
operation, with the assent and by the
aid of the Executive Department of the
Federal Government The military
authority under which they were held
has been Withdrawn; the facilities of
the Post-ofice have been extended
throughout their limits; revenue agents
and custom-honse officials have re-
sumed their active enforcement of the
national laws over all heir territory;
and their status as States still within
the Union, and their full capacity to
act as States have been most solemnly
recognized by the Government in pro
claiming their ratification of the
amendment by which slavery is for
ever prohibited, as having aided to give
that amendment all the validity and
binding obligation of the fundamental
law of the land
It is impossible not to see that this Is
really the most important part of the
work Reconstruction The admission
of their members into Congress is q
matter of great interest and concern
both to them and the whole country
but it is a secondary matter, neverthe-
lees To them it is much less essential
that they should share in making laws
for the nation than that they should
have full power to make their own;
while to the loyal States the concession
to those lately in rebellion of the form.
er prerOgatiYe is of much the most di-
rect conern. It is perfectly natural
and proper that those who have given
their money to the prosecution of this |
war should hesitate about placing in
rebel hands the power to repudiate the |
/ debts thus incurred, and it is equally /
proper that they should demand eyi |
| dence that the recent rebels are pre- I
pared to act in loyal temper and a !
1 national spirit, before they re admit /
them to seats of power in the councils !
Of the nation. We see no occasion for /
surprise, therefore, and unless it de. ,
generates into bitterness and faction,
none for regret, in the caution with |
which Congress approaches the question |
of admitting Southern members to
their seats in either house Their de-
lay in doing this by no means warrants
| the inference that the extreme theories
| of Messrs. Sumner and Stevens are &C
cepted by Congress or the country.
1t is well to bear in mind, moreover,
that this action of the President is, SO
far as it goes, practically final We see
no way of reversing it. The States
thus restored, thus readmitted TO the
Union, as the phrase is, must remain
there. They will retain the control
over their own affairs which has lust
been restored to them. How can Con
gress reverse this action, even if it were
disposed to do SO? ltcannot direct the
President to send back his Provisional
Governor, to depose the State officers
he has just restored to power, to put
these States again under the control of
military law Nor can it take these
steps of its own authority. II can do
nothing whatever in the premises, ex-
| cept by the enactment of law, and to
such law the signature of the Presi-
dent will be indispensable Even if
any conflict of opinion or Of purpose, /
therefore, should exist or arise between /
the President and Congress on this sub
ject, the President is clearly master of |
the situation" He has taken action |
already, which restores four or five of |
the most important Of the States lately |
in rebellion to their old prerogatiVes |
and while it still remains for each |
House of Congress to decide when their |
Representatives should take their seats. j
by far the most important part of the /
work Of restoration has already been
accomplished.
Meantime the differences between
the President and Congress are greatly
exaggerated Both agree that the res
toration of the Union is greatly to be
desiredi both agree that it ought to be
effected at the earliest possible moment
consistent with the public safety, and
both agree that members from the
rebel States should not be admitted to
Congress except upon conditions which
will be satisfactory as guarantees for
their future loyalty and the permanent
peace and integrity of the Union.
The only difference between them Is
as TO the extent of these guarantees.
and that is purely difference of de.
grees. The President believes that
when we have secured from the rebel
States the abandonment Of the right
Of secession, the reputation Of the
rebel debts, and the ratification of the
Constitutional Amendment prohibits
ing slavery, we have abundant guaFan-
tees for the public peace and for the
integrity of the Union. Many mem
bers Of Congress in both Houses are of
opinion that other conditions ought TO
be required-some going farther than
others IN this direction But it will !
prove grave mistake to assume that
these differences cannot be adjusted, or
that they are in the least likely to oc-
cEsion any serious Observation-Disclosures.
still less any serious conflict Of action
between Congress and the President of
the United Ststes Nor Will they. in
our Judgment, delay for any consider
able time the admission TO their seats
Of such members Of Congress as may
prove, upon inquiry, 10 be loyal them
selves and 70 have been duly elected as
the representatives Of loyal constitu-
encies N T. TTmes.
THs PRESIDENT GAINING STRKSGrH-The
Washington correspondent Of theN. Y.
Commercial Advertiser, writing on the
2lst, says
That the number of Senators and
Represer s ltives who Will cO-ooerafe f