The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-12-04


The two houses Of the Thirty ninth Congress
| (6rst SESSION. assemble in the national Capitol
at twelve o'clock to-day. As our readers will
have seen from our issue Of yesterday, the re-
publicans, in joint caucus of the House and
Senate on Saturday night, agreed upon their
programme Of organization, and this pro-
gramme will, in all probability, be put into
practice to-day. 1t involves the reelection Of
Mr.. Colfax as Speaker. and Mr.. Mcpherson as
Clerk, with the total exclusion by the latter, in
his preliminary roll, Of the members elect from
the late insurgent States, and their exclusion
by the House itself
The first proceeding Of this caucus, after the
appointment Of committee Of seven, consist
ing Of Messrs. Stevens, Of Pennsylvania; Ray
mond, Of New York; Spalding, Of Ohio; Wash
burne, of Illinois; Payne, Of Wisconsin; Bout
we'll, of Massachusetts, and Blair, of Maine-a
radical committee, from which, already cut and
dried by Thaddeus Stevens. resolution was
presented which at once, for at least twelve
month, II adopted by the two houses, disposes
of the excluded Southern States. This resolu-
ton provides that, after the organization Of the
two houses, a joint committee, Of fifteen more
members Of the House and six Of the Senate,
"shall be appointed to inquire into the condi-
ton Of the States which formed the so-cslled
Confederate States Of America, and report
whether they, or any Of them, are entitled to
be represented in either house Of Congress,
with leave to report at any time by bill or
otherwise; and until such report shall have
been made, and finally acted on by Congress,
no member shall be received into either house
from any of the so-called Confederate States,
and all papers relating to the representatives
from said States shall be referred to said COM
mittee without debate"
This is the programme, and this radical reso-
luton in the caucus was adopted without
dissenting voice. It will, we infer, unless
arrested by wiser counsels, be adopted in both
branches to-day, and in the House on motion
OF Mr.. Thaddeus Stevens, who TINS, from the
start, takes his position as leader Of the body.
His plan Of operations, therefore, is open to the
broadest radical Interpretation. First, it ex-
cludcs from Congress for an indefinite time
every member elected to either house from
Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia,
Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas,
Arkansas and Tcnnessce-eleven States. They
are to stay out all Of them, until this joint COM
mittee Of fifteen shall have finished Its investi-
cation, agreed upon its plan and made its
report, and thence until that report shall have
been adopted and shaped into low Of Con-
gress That this business, If entered into under
the leading OF Stevens, will occupy the two
houses for the next six months, or mere, there
Is every reason to believe.
Furthermore, to make their course Of action
decisive, no mcmber sromany Of these excluded
States elected to either house is to be admitted
while this joint committeeis engaged in Matching
its radical eggs Of reconstruction, and all papers
relating to the election Of members from the
excluded States are To- be handed over to this
joint cemoaittce, and without debate. All the
work done in the way Of reconstructioa under
the auspices Of President johnson goes for
nothing except as the work Of raw apprentices
beginning to learn their trade Eleven States
Of the Union, disorgani1ed, helpless and ex-
hausted by the war, are aBxiously awaiting
tbeir restoration to established law and order,
80 that confidence and industry may be revived
within their borders, and yet not only are the
doors Of Congress to be slust IN their faces, but
they are to be put in the exclusive keeping
Of Joint committee Of fifteen for consideration,
and with carte blanche in regard to time II
this is to be the game Of The republican party
let them look well to the ground on which they
stand.
We hold that the late rebellious States, hav-
ing laid down their arms and submitted to the
sovereign authority Of the Union, should be
readmitted into Congress without unnecessary
delay. The general government is imperfect
without them, and their restoration should
take the precedence over all other business.
The members elect presenting themselves
from the Southern States, If not admitted by
the Clerk, should be admitted by the House,
subject to an investigation Of their qualifica-
lions, as in other questionable cases. The
sweeping action Of the republican caucus evil
IDENTIFY rests upon the fundamental error that
the States directly concerned are out Of the
Union, and subject TO Congress rs Territories,
and not as States; rs Territories conquered
from q foreign enemy, not as States in the
Union oil the time, but just released from an
instruction. The republican caucus has thus
placed itself on the eide of the radical and
revolutionary programme Of Thaddcus Ste
vens and Senator Sumner, in opposition to the
wise and conservative restoration policy oil
President johnson.
What is contemplated by this programme OF
the radical Thaddeus Stevens! He has de-
clarcd himself, without reserve, in favor OF the
enforcement Of system Of considerations in the
South as sweeping as those OF William, the
Norman freebooter. His plea is, that such con.
fiscations are needed to pay of the national
debt We cannot doubt, however, that the OK
pertinent would be followed by political anar
civ financial confusion and Reputation. With