Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1865-04-22
A SPEECH By THE PRESIDENT
Compliments Gen. Grant and his Army.
Views Respecting Demonstration. >

On the evening of the 18th the Presidents
mansion and other public buildings in Wash
ington were illuminated in honor of General
GRANTS final victory. Thousands of persons
focked to the Executive mansion. Mr.. LIN
coin appeared at an upper window and adj
dressed them as follows;
"We meet this evening, not in sorrow, but
| in gladness of heart. The occupation of Pc
tersburg and Richmond, and the surrender of
the principal insurgent army, give hopes of
righteous and speedy peace, whose joyous
expression cannot be restrained. In the
| midst of this, however, He from whom all
blessings flow must not be forgotten. A call
for national thanksgiving is being proposed,
and will be duly promulgated. Nor must
those whose harder part gives us cause of re-
ioicing be overlooked. | myself was near
| the front, and had the high pleasure of trans
hitting much of the good news to you, but
no part of the honor for plan or execution is
mine, To Gen. Grant, his skillful officers and
brave men, all belongs. The gallant navy
stood ready, but was not in reach to take an
active part.
"By these recent successes, the re-inaugura-
ton Of the national authogity-reeonstruc
tion-which has had large share of thought
from the first, is pressed much more closely
upon our attention. 1t is fraught with great
difficulty. Unlike the case Of war with two
independent nations, there is no authorized
organ for us to treat with. No one man has
authority to give up the rebellion for any
other man. We simply must begin and mould
from disorganized and disDordant elements.
Nor is it a small additional embarrassment
that we loyal people differ among ourselves
as to the mode, manner, and measure of re-
construction.
GAS general rule, abstain from reading
reports of attacks upon myself, wishing not to
be provoked by that to which cannot prop
erly offer answer. In spite of the precau-
tion, however, it comes to my knowledge
that am much censured for some supposed
agency in setting up and seeking to sustain
the new government of Louisiana. In this /
have done Just so much and no more than
the public knows. In my annual message of
December, 1868, and accompanying procla-
nation, presented plan of reconstruction,
as the phrase goes, which l promised, if
adopted by any state, would be accepted and
sustained by the executive government of the
nation. distinctly stated that this was not
the only plan which might possibly be accept
able, and distinctly protested that the Exec
utive claimed no right to say when or wheth-
er members should be admitted to seats in
Congress from such states. This plan was,
in advance, submitted to the cabinet, and
approved by every member of it. One of
them suggested that | should then, and in
that connection, apply the emancipation pro-
clamation to heretofore excepted parts of
Virginia and Louisiana that should drop
suggestion about apprenticeship for the freed
people and that should omit the protest
against my own power in regard to the ad-
mission of members of Congress. But even
he approved every part and parcel of the
plan which has been employed or touched by
the action of Louisiana. The new constitu-
ton of Louisiana declaring emancipation for
the whole state practically applies the proc
lamation to the parts previously exempted;
1t does not adopt apprenticeship for the freed
people. and is silent, as it could not well be
otherwise, about the admission of members
to Congress. So that, as it applied to Louisia-
ma. every member of the cabinet fully APP
proyed the plan. The message went to Con-
gress. and received many concentrations OF
the plan. written and verbal and not single
objection to it from any professed emancipa
ZIONIST came to my knowledge until after
news reached Washington that Louisiana had
begun to move In accordance with it.
"From about July, 1862, had correspond
ed with different persons supposed to be in
befeSbeu IN TeOOistTuCtlOH VI Tie etdbt gov
eminent of Louisiana. When the message
of 1868, with the plan before mentioned,
reached New Orleans, Gen. Banks wrete me
that he was confident that the people, with
military cooperation, would reconstruct SUBJ
on that plan. l wrote to him and
some of them to try it. They tried it, and the
result is known. Such, has been my only
agency in getting up the Louisiana govern |
ment As to sustaining il. INV promise is now
as before stated but, as bad promises are
better broken than kept, shall treat this as
a bad promise, and breakit whenever l shall
be convinced that keeping it is adverse to the |
public interest But have not been so con-
vinced. have been shown letter on this
subject, supposed to be an able one, in which
the writer expresses regret that my mind has
not seemed to be definitely fixed on the ques-
ton whether the seeded states, so called,
are in the Union or out of it. 1t would, per-
haps, add establishment to his regret were he
to learn that, since have found Irofessed
Union men endeavoring to answer that ques-
lion, have purposely foreborne any public ex-