Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1865-07-08
THE PREsIDE~T AND NEGRO s1F
FHAGE.

voting population. not the entire population as
nov. the basis Of representation. upon The ground
that Il would result necessarily 10 negro suffrage.
winds up lie review OF the question SO follows:
I'VE are not disposed to pronounce President
Johnson's scheme Of reconstruction failure In
advance. and until We see more solid reasons for
opposing him than have yet been presented. We
propose 10 give him and his Administration an
unhinchng support"
What Is President JoHssox's scheme OF recon
ssraesionf The Chicago Republican. a decided
supporter OF the Administration, gives the fol
loving key TO the Presidents policy. II remarks
that oD the day Of the assembling of the recent
State Convention Of Ohio. there appeared in the
State Journal. Of Columbus. a letter written by
promitsn, delegate to that Convention. and
which. in the elesrest and most direct language,
sets forth the policies OF President JOHNSON on
the question Of rehabilitation in the South The
Louisville Journal IL directly and reliably in.
formed that the letter fully embraces the views Of
President JOHNSON, and that it is in truth semi
Official expression from the President himself"
Whether the latter part Of the Journals infor
nation IL correct or not. there can be no doub,
a. to the former for the deductions OF the writer
are logically necessary from the language Of the
President The writer says:
THE true KEY to the PRESIDENT proclam nation
is that he holds the doctrine that the so called
acts Of State secession are pull and void. and all
acts done in pursuance thereof. and hence that
all Offices held under rebel authority can be de-
clared vacant by the military authority OF the
President OF the United States on the luelching
Of the rebellion.
Further, that the State Constitutions and laws
in force at the date of the pretended secession
having been held 10 allegiance during the war. re
main in full force and effect. "a they originally
stood before they were changed. and subjected
&c recognize rebel authority. Therefore, his
proclamation recites. That. whereas, the fourth
Section Of the fourth Article Of the Constitution
OF the United States shall guarantee to every
State 10 the Union a republican form OF govern
ment." therefore. he. "a President of the United
States, proceeds TO put in motion the machinery
that may enable the legal val voters the State
to set in operation again tho civil government,
referring back TO the date OF the so called ord-
nance of secession. to ascertain who the legal
voters of the State However, by his authority
as Commander in Chief of the army he pre-
vents the rebel legal voters from exercising the
right Of suffrage by requiring the test oath set
forth in the Amnesty Proclamation of May 90,
1865. BY this action he eniranchises no one,
but. by virtue OF his pardoning power. prescribes
the condition on which legal loyal voter Of the
State may exercise his pre- existing right of suf-
frsge. by acknowledging the authority of the
Government Of the United States. without which
oath he is no voter under the Constitution and
laws.
President johnson believes that neither him
self nor Congress has any constitutional right 20
create voter: but that power the people OF the
several States composing the Federal Union have
- -
eminent 10 tho present time. (See proclsma-
tom
at by no means follows, as some argue, that
il the States are they were, ante bsllum. that
the officers whom President Johnson has dis.
placed. are the legitimate State Government. be
cause there can be no legitimate State Govern
1aent that ack now lcdged rebel authority and re-
sst the paramount authority OF the Constitution
OF the United States by armed rebellion; which
forfeits the right of these officers to hold office.
but not the right of the legal loyal voters Of the
State to choose other officers who may bring
their State again into proper practical rela-
tons to the Government of the Union. In tho
beginning Of the war. this principle was fully re-
cognifed by every department of the Govern
ment in reference to Virginia. when Pierpont was
elected Governor by the legal loyal voters, and
Mcssrs. Carlisle and Wiley admitted as United
States Senators. long before West Virginia was
separated from the balance of the State
% President johnson, ia his proclamatons, has
not wiped out any State constitution OF laws that
the United States ever recognized; he has merely
elected the rebel usurpers Of Office, ackno wlcdg
ing nothing that did not exist previous 10 the
so-csllsd secession. Taking up the old State
constitution and laws rs they existed then. he
gives the loyal people. an opportunity OF filling
the offices with loyal mon. Slavery fell with the
operations Of the laws Of war. and the people are
duiy notified that IL cannot be resutrected: bu,
tbs President had no more power to confer the
right OF suffrage on negroes than TO prescribe that
minors Of eighteen or women should vote. con
tsry to the old State constitution aud laws.
But what effect would the Journals scheme
have upon direct taxation Would il not 70
isve the States which prohibit negro suffrage
from fair apportionment OF direct taxes And
would not the States which enlarged their basis
OF representation have imposed upon them q
larger share OF the burdens for the support OF Oh,
Government than those which eiresmseribed 10
by excluding the negro from votingf And Ia
case Of call upon the States for troops would
not the effect OF the Journals Constitutions
amendment be 20 make an unfair aud unequal
sppor,ionment Of that burden
The Journal SAYS IL sees no solid reasona YET
Tor opposing the recone,ruction plan Of President
Jonssos. aud !, propose. to give him and hs all
ninistrstiou au = unHinchipg supper, The
Vices aud policy OF The President are IN dlfec
variance viih those advocated by the Journal
The Journal Il ia favor OF such All amendment
Of the fundamental lsw "a would settle the qass-
Too Of extending the elective franchise TO III,
blacks. but President JOHNSON believes that III,
p,wsr OF the people OF the several States. 10 make
or dshns voter. has been r,gArsiiy exercised BY
them from The origin ~ the Government 10 III.
present time. std that be has no more power &c
confer the rga, Of suffrage on negroes THAI Il
prescribe tia, minors OF eighteen OF womer
should vote. contrary 20 the old State consti,a
ton and lave Nor does tho rsesIden. seek 10
accomplish bv iadlfectlon a measure rspugpsnl
20 the citizens Of State. and which they should
slghtfaiiy control. unlnaaenoed b, intervening
laws Of Congress
Bu, the Journal esnaot consistently give ,hs
Administration Of Pfesident jonSsos al "un
ainohng support and a. The same time advo
cate measures which are Inconsistent with his
policy he recognizes the fact tia, slavery foil
by the operations Of The var aud that IL L. not "a
be rssafrec,sd but IN al other respects he ha,