Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1865-11-24

vuvI0n III 0cJUmpI1SntU. IHsss /" se'' ~"s
The standpoint from which tie President
discussed the question Of reconstruction f'r |
more ahep - hour. and answered sUgges |
tive Sbise4ion6 Ut times with 9eeafnestaess |
that demonstrated boz ardently hs b work
ING 10 give succcsA 70 his po.tcy. j could |
moi remiad him tat his thsolt stNtped all |
traitors Of the protection they nigh claim !
- public enemies, that it would stamp q |
guilty VI treason. within the law, every
man who aided the rebellion, and Of neces-
sity demand at his hands commensurate |
punis1ment for what he must hold ~ IN I
mittiga,ed crime, as appalling murds and |
dcsolation, for which there is no extenu- |
alton to be plead. You have" I added,
given us on every hand the nations mon
nrncsNs Of Hsrcy-where will be its monu
lNsnts Of justice, Davis is a proclaimed
assassin, As well as a traitor-his agents
have died, another (Wirz) will follow-how |
are the principals TO atone to people so
doubly bereaved in their homes and In their !
sanctuary -
10 thus the President answered with
much animation that the measure e, and
the time for atOnmement, we're yet for the
future TO determine. ] shall not soon for
get the emphasis with which he declared |
that the South must come back and be
part Of rs, "and," he added, ut must
come back in all its manhood. | don't
want il TO come ev iscerAted Of its manhood T.
Il this proposition abstractly there could
be no o lection made We want the South
with all its manhood. which | would con-
ccive to be the Southern people with all
their TREASON abandoned and their crimes
-
in imitation of thr gullo,ine OF France. or
the inquh ition Of SPAN; but by making
The leaders who cOnsplred to overthrow the
Governinei I, strangers to its honOrs, and
It's citizenship. and thus through lie tn,
monuments Of the power, the justice and
the Inagimni,nity of the mi shtiest nation Of
the earth. The President aid that such
may be the measure Of punishment, that he
had pardoned but few that would come un
Ter such rule that there are exceptions
to all rules, and there were both c,v, lnnc
tionaiics and army officers who might be
pardoned with pr ,priety. lie said that he
mad not yet gone as far in his amnest, 4,
either general or special, as Mr.. Lincoln
proposed. lie explained what is not gcner-
alIv known, that his pardons are mainly OF
business men, many Of whom were Union
men, who must have pardons 10 enable
them to sell or mortgage their lands, or to
,,ct credit in their business Operations, and
added that he had not yet reached the con-
sde,a,lon Of such cases rs Lee. Stephens,
Longstreet, Bcauregard, and others Of that
class.
.'Hc spoke freely Of the proposed trial Of
Davis, and said that as yet the Government
had not taken any steps in the matter II
he ~ to be tired IN Richmond, the trial must
necessarily be postponed until the civil au
thorltv has been fully restored, ard then it
will he II question Of affair, which may 1t
any time exist. As Virginia is still practi
cally under martial law, certainly wholly
under military rule, | Judge that many
moons may wax and wane before can
have great state trial. do not question |
the wisdom of this delay, for it is certainly
better for the govern to avoid the dan
ger of defeat in attempting to convict Of
constructive treason in Washington, ;hau
10 force trial which might afford a tcchm
cal escape for Davis, and leave the great
question undetermined. II were going to
.ucss on the suhjc I, ! would say that Da
Wis is more likely to be parpcd during the
next year than to he tried and II he is ever
hanged. he must do it himself.
"Thc President is clearly avcrse to con
liSca,ion. and that question Is practically |
sr,tiei. Whatever might he the views OF
Congress- conflscation Is not possible with |
an Executive tictermnedlv hostile to it, and
with the pardonng power IN his hands.
infer, however, that on this point Congress
will harmonize with the Executive, as "A
number Of even the Radical leaders, such
As Greeley and Sumner, openly oppose II
II our credit .an be sustained otherwise, |
am content Five years hence we shall all
| be wiser on that point than row.
| 81 believe that the President will WELD
| all his power to Effect the admission Of the
representatives Of the rehcll,ous States into
| Congress during the next session. he
Senate being organized, the questl II can..ot
come up there until it s brought up III or
Ter; but there will b. a strong pressure to
| force the admission of the Southern mem
bcrs, nv placing their names on the roll
| when the House meets. This Mr.. Mrlhcr-
| son will mt do, md on all votes of instruc
| tons he will call only those who are return
| I'd from states clearly entitled to represen-
| tation. The law forbllS him u do other
wise and he will be faithful to IT. The
question Of their admission will then al
| tatc the House, and, | fear, make sad
breach between the President and Con
| yress. The South is encouraged by the 70
Sition Of the Administration. to be importu
| nate in the demand for admission, and it is
not improbable that they will, in the end,
he admitted. | have seldom seen Congress
| struggle against power and hold out to the
end. The history Of such conflicts is al
ways dotted with frail ones who fall by the
way. have ever felt that the revolted
states should take no part in the Govern
,nent they ya'nly sought to destroy until
all it's issues, arising from the war, and al
it's logical results should be settled by faith
ful men To the victors. not the vanquish-
rd-to the friends, not to the foes of the
Government, does this duty bclorg; and, If
it shall be otherwise, there are many who
will trembic for the safety Of the Kcpub
lie
ION the future of the freedmen the Pres
ident talks well. lie displays moie sense
than sentiment on the question, and means
to solve the irontm fairly as demanded by
civilization and humanity. of their ability
TO win position that will enable them to
be inc rporatetl into our sy stem Of govern
ment rs citizens, he is not emnenty hope
full. but feels that it must be fairly tried
with no open field for the negro. That
failing. h, looks upon colonization as the
only alternative.
IL would be foolish to disguise the fact
that the President, both by word and deed.
di>claims the position Of a partisan cxecu
tive. and that he is not insensible to the
tiattering ap' roval Of his administration bv
the Democratic party. do not mean by
this that he is in sym a!hy and fellowship
with them hut do mean that he is not
wholly In sympathy against them; aud he
will, feel warranted III saving, adhere to
| the Political fortunes of tie Southern States
without regard to political consequences
This may or may not sever him from the
party that sustained and cherished him in
the darkest days through which he passed,
and that won him the highest honors of the
nation through flood Of obloquy but lift
does infer that he will accent thu stnatinn