Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1865-11-14
Gtt RaiIu Sulsu 4
TuEsDAY......-......NovEMBER IA
The Great Experiment..

reinstating in power the men who had
brought all the suffering and distress
upon the country; that it was exempting
the guilty from punishment, and afford
ing no relief to the true Union men OF
the South, who had been robbed OF
everything By those toawhom the Presi-
dent was restoring all their wealth;
whenahe was urged to change his plan
of operations, because it was disheart-
ening his political friends and encourg-
ing his political opponents; to all his
reply has ever been, My plan is but an
experiment; if it works badly, we will
have to adopt another If kindness and
Cancellation fail to soften the hearts and
reform the lives of our rebel brethren,
we are Jeff free 70 fry more vigorous
policy. We may stiil be able to "make
treason odioas and punish traitors.
Bya special telegram TO the Cincin-
natl Gazette, which we print in another
place, it win be seen that the President
is not altogether satisfied with the pro-
ceedings of the Constitutional ConYen-
lions and Legislatures in the States of
North and South Carolina. He has no.
tilted the Provisional Governors of those
States to retain their positions and dis
charge the duties imposed upon them
until they are relieved by a special Or
der from himself. He reminds the Com
mittee of North Carolinians, who waited
upon him with advice and suggestions,
that while their State Convention did
much that was creditable and important
in the work of restoration, they over
looked entirely the Constitutional
Amendment abolishing slavery through
out the United States This their State
must endorse. 1t was essential to re-
steration. He also read to the Com
nittee dispatch to Gov. Perry Of
South Carolina, calling the attention of
the people of that State to several i'm
portant matters which were entirely
overlooked by tie representative bodies.
They forgot to repudiate the rebel war
debt, and their Legislature seemed slow
to endorse the Constitutional Amend
ment.
We presume the interview between the
President and the North Carolina gem
tIemen will convince all the people that
Congress is not to be disgraced this win.
ter by the temperance of arrogant and
incorporating rebels upon its aoors.
Loyal citizens are not to be insulted by
being compelled to read, every day, in
the Congressional proceedings, long
speeches about the gallantry, chivalry,
and unconquerable spirit of the South
ern people, such as have been staple
commodity in their recent State Conven-
tions and Legislatures. While we are
willing to admit they fought bravely and
desperately, the badness of their cause
80 vitiated their heroism, that we cannot
bear to hear the latter spoken of except
in terms of reprobation. The courage
of pirate like Kidd, or the tact and
ingenuity of house breaker like Jack
Sheppard, or the audacity and daring of
q cold blooded murderer like John A.
Murrell, are not the qualities that we
like to have Haunted in our faces daily,
and our admiration challenged in their
-beh8lf Yet what were the crimes of
these outlaws. compared with the atroei-
ties practiced by the rebel authorities
upon defenseless prisoners2 The blood
of our gallant boys is still cry
ing from the ground. How long shall
its pleading voice be unheard or un,
heededp 1t is true that Wirz, the viii
famous tool of the rebel authorities, has
been hung; but that comes as far short
of answering the ends of Justice as
would the simple burning and destruc.
ton of the prison pens in which the
noble martyrs were confined. The
prime movers-the originators-of the
system of fendish cruelty which put
our soldiers in premature graves by
thousands, are the individuals at whom
the shafts of justice should be aimed.
While we rejoice in the fact that
President johnson is resolved that no
halfway measures shall be accepted
prior to the reconstruction of the rebel
State Governments, and the admission
of rebels to all the rights and privileges
of loyal ciiz ms, We cannot avoid regret
that his experiment has been tried at
all 1t has resulted as we supposed it
would 1t had the effect to make the
rebels believe that they were not to be
punished, but that, even while they glo-
ried in their treason, they might be re.
stored to their former relations to the
General Government, and regain their
ascendancy in the same. Men who, in
other years, coolly took the oath of ALA
glance to the Constitution of the United
States, while, at the same time, they
were daily plotting to destroy it
and overthrow the Government es-
tablished upon it, have too long prac-
ticed the sin of oath-breaking to be
trusted, however strong their professions
of subjugation and loyalty. The absolute
Acknowledgement of every Influential
rebel leader, seems to US the only meas
ure of safety. If enough men canno
now be found in the rebel States to or
ganize a truly and sincerely loyal State
government, let the States operate under
Provisional Governors until immigra-
ton and the natural increase of popula-
ton furnish sufficient material that is
not in the least tainted with treason. We
dislike to see even the form of elections
brought into reproach, or the veneration
in which they were held in the early days
of the Republic, so entirely obliterated.
Yet such must be the effect where the
people hold elections, vote their senti-
ments and elect representative men, and
then see the whole proceeding set aside
by Provisional Governor, or even the
President. IF the people of the South
are not repentant at heart, and submits
aive to the rules and regulations for
their government which have grown out
Of the war, it is folly, worse than folly
wrong, to attempt to make them vote