Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1865-04-19
THE QUESTION OF THE DAY,
PLAN OF REcoNsTRUcrIc
Speech by President Lincoln.
rhe Action of the Loyal People-of Seeded
States to be Recognized.

0taLeS 10 De hec0Sn1zeQ.
The speech of President Lincoln atthe
White House on Tuesday evening, April
l1th, on the so-called question of reconstruc-
ton. we give entire below 1t is of the
ahlghest interest, treating, as it does, the
most vital question of the day. No intelli-
! gent reader will fail to give it an attentive
perusal to the end:
The Presidents Speech.
We meet this evening, not in sorrow, but
I in gladness of heart The evacuation of
j Petersburg and Richmond, and the surrend-
Ter of the principal insurgent army, gave
i hope of a righteous and speedy peace,
4 Whose joyous expression cannot be restrain
zed. In the midst Of this, however, He
3from whom all blessing flow must not be
forgotten A call for national thanksgiv-
alng is being prepared, and will be duly pro-
aniulgated. Nor must those whose harder
4 part gives us the cause of rejoicing be over
Hooked. Their honors must not be parcel
lied out with others. | myself was near the
4 front, and had the high pleasure of trans
amitting much of the good news to you; but
sno part of the honor for plan or execution,
lis mine. To General Grant, his skillful Off
scers and brave men, all belongs The gal
liant navy stood ready, but was not in reach
ITO take an active part. a-
4 BY these recent successes the renaugura-
stion of the national authority-reconstruc
ition-which has had a large share OF thought
sfrom the first, is pressed much more closely
aupon our attention. 1t is fraught with
ggreat difficulty Unlike the case Of war be-
stween independent nations, there is no 9th
Ger organized organ for us to treat with.
! No one man has the authority to giye-up
3the rebellion for any other man. We. sim
aply must begin with, and mould from, disor.
sganized and discordant elements. Nor is 1t
Ia small additional embarrassment that we,
1.-THE loyal people, differ among ourselves as
5to the mode, manner, and measure OF re-
acOnStruction.
As general rule, [ abstain from reading
4 he reports OF attacks upon myself wishing
not to be provoked by that to which | can
snot properly offer an answer. In spite OF
sthis precaution,. however, 1t comes to my
knowledge that [ am much censured from
some supposed agency in setting up and
iseeking to sustain the new State Govern
1 snent of Louisiana. Ia this L have done
J Just so much, and no more than the public
knows.
In the annual MESA ge of Decem ber 1868,
land accompanying proclamation, | present.
fed flag of reconstruction, as the phrase
sgoes,l which promised, If adopted by anyi
Estate, should be acceptable to and sustained
iby the Executive Government Of the nation
i distinctly stated that this was not the onlyi
splan which might possibly be acceptable i
land | also distinctly protested that the Ex-
:ecutive claimed no right TO say when orr
whether members should be admitted tos
iseats III Cong ess from such States. This!
plan was, In advance, submitted to the then:
3Ca5inet, and distinctly approved by everyI
member of It. One of them suggested thatS
/ should then, and in that connection ap-s
.ply the Emancipation Proclamation to thei
itheretotore excepted parts of Nirginia andi
louisiana that lshould drop the suggestioni
!about apprenticeship for freed people, ands
THAT | should omit the protest against my;
Town power in regard to the admission of
.members Of Congress; but even he approx
led every part and parcel of the plan which
has since been employed or touched by thes
faction Of Louisiana
The new Constitution of Louisiana, de-l
claring emancipation for the whole State,
practically applies the proclamation to thef
part previously excepted 1t does not adopt
apprenticeship for freed people, and it is ST. !
lent, as it could not well be otherwise, about
the admission of members to Congress So:
that, as it applies to Louisiana, every mem
ber Of the Cabinet fully approved the plan.
The message went to Congress, and | re-
ceived many concentrations of the plan,
written and verbal, and not single objec-
tion to it from professed Emancipation
lists came to my knowledge until after the
news reached Washington that the people
Of Louisiana had begun to move IN accor-
dance with it. From July, 1862, [ had
with different persons suppos-
ed to be interested, seeking Il reconstruction
of State Government for Louisiana.
When the message of 1868, with the plan
before mentioned, reached New Orleans,
: feueral Banks wrote me he was confident
that the people, with his military co-opera-
ton, would reconstruct, substantially on
that plan. | wrote him and some of them
to try it. They tried it, and the result is
known. 3
Such only has been my agency in getting
up the Louisiana government. As to sus-
tanning it. my promise is out, as before stat
ed But as bad promises are better brok- /
en- than kept, | shall treat this as a bad
promise, and break it whenever | shall be
that keeping it is adverse to the
public interest; but | have not yet been so
s
| have been shown letter on this subject,
supposed to be an able one, In which the
writer expresses his regret that my mind
does not seem to be detinately fixed on the
question whether the seceeded States, so
called, are in the Union or out of it /
would perhaps, add astonishment to his re
gret were he to learn that since | have found
professed Union men endeavoring to make
that question, have pu5posely forborne any
puDlic expression upon it. As appears to
me, that question has not been, nor yet is, /
a practically material one, and that any dis
cussion of it, while it thus remains practi-
cally iInmateriaI. could b We no effect other