Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1865-12-28

An independent journal Is a good thI

IA most excellent thing. A short time
nee the Columbus Morning Journal told It's
readers that q was an Independent journal.
y Its idea Of Independence must be decidedly
. peculiar. a'At this time there is no subject
4 IL which the people Of this country are SO
deeply interested as nithe question Of Re-
Organization or ri.Reconstruction," as some
Tare pleased TO call it. The President Of the
4 ~United States has pursued certain policy,
/ (which he has undertaken to justify to the
i Npeople of the United States through his
. Manual Message, and subsequently In his
7Mii Message to the Senate, communicating to
. y that body the report of General GRANT on
or,the condition of the South, he expressed the
..oplnion that all that isnOw needed to COM
Bpletely and permanently restore the old
! " time relations between the Southern States
and the Federal Government, is Represen-
y. tation and properly adjusted system OF
"a, taxation. Acting in conformity with, this
nos belief, the President has withdrawn the
provisional Governors from nearly
all the Southern States, and remit
ted the custody 2 OF their internal
ssafiairs to the constitutional officers
iraot those States elected by the people there
Slot. To this proceeding there Is very
u. strong feeling OF opposition in the ranks OF
Nlthe Republican party. STEVENS, SUMNER
rri;,,and host of followers oppose it bitterly
Coand inveterately; and in the course of the
manifestation Of this opposition, General
,,,GRANT's credibilty is assailed in such a
4 ~. .
Emanner as to convey to the public the idea
that he could be induced to frame report
to odelade them into believing a falsehOod in
Mrelation to the feeling and disposition of the
ASouthern people toward the Federal Gov
ernment and the Union; and the attempt
Mlto impeach the credibility of General
/ FsGRANT necessarily reflects discredit upon
!: the President for accepting his report as
entitled more especially to his confidence
q than the report of CARL ScHURz, who went
to the South determined to frame report
PRthat should exalt the Negro aud debase the
/ 4 White man in that section.
The President may or he may not
3, have acted improperly in not accepting
\ for his guide the report that CARL
X RScHURz had made up for him, and
II accepting instead the report of General
Il GRANT. Political affairs, therefore, are in
4 that condition that independent journalism
n should boldly discuss them, to the end that
the people and their Senators and Repre-
sentatives in Congress, should be intelligent
Il ly advised. 1t is point that does not admit
of controversy, that either President JOHN
EsoN is right in his views, or THAD. STEVENS
Eand CHARLES SUMNER are right in their
4 ,views; and it is further beyond the reach
4 of controversy that either General GRANTS
CrepOrt as to the condition of the South is
correct, or the report of CARL SCHURz is
! the report entitled to acceptance at the
Ihands of the public. And yet the CoEum-
G6Us Journal stands as mute as milestone
Cwith no inscription on it. Its readers can
Cnot gather from its editorial columns an
COpinion as to which is right-the President |
IOr STEVENS, SUMNER and their Radical |
sbackers-Or whether the report of General |
JGRANT or the report of CARL SCHURZ is the |
gone they should adopt as true. 1t plucks
courage enough to talk "about marrying |
Negroes" just as though this were ques-
tiOn that was engaging the special atten-
tion Of the public. If it means to be indie
pendent-if it really thinks itself indepen-
Glent and believes it is scourageously discuss
ing questions in which the public are inter-
-ested-either through stupidity or igno-
rance, It does not comprehend the question
sthat is now agitating the country and with
which is inseparably connected the welfare
9f the country, and hence its proper deter
ninatiOn is of vital Importance. win not
che Journal, in view of this fact, undertake
o give to its readers an Independent opinion
rs to the Presidents, work of reorganiza-
iiOn--whether it is right as far as he has
gOnewith it, and whether his conclusion is
correct, that all that Is now needed to per-
ect the work, is Representation and prop
srly adjusted system of taxation. s
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