M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1865-04-20

Ohe OF them suggested that should
then, and in that correction, apply
the Emancipation Proclamation 10
the heretofore excepted UarIs OF Vir
ginia and Louisiana. That shoulI
Irop suggestions abont apprentice =
ship Tor lreud people, and thar | shouI
omit the protest against my own
power in regard to the adnnission
'tof-members Of Congress. But even
he approved every part and parcel Of
the plan which has since been EN- =
ploYed or touched by the action OF
the new Constitution oi Louisiana. -
Tue new Constitution declaring eman
clpatiou for the whole State, practic-
ally applied the proclamation to the
part previously excepted. 1t does
adopt apprintlceship for the freed peo
pie, and is silent, as it could rot be
otherwise, about the admission OF
members OF Congress, 50 that as it
applies to Louisiana, every member
approved OF the plan, The mess =
age went ID Congress and received
many Communications OF the plan ,
written and vcrba: and not single
objection to It from any protested
emancipatiJnist camo to my knowl-
edge until alter news was received at
Washington that the people Of Louis
ianna had begun to move 10 accord>
auco with it From about July, 1862,
had correspOnded with different
persons supposed to he interested in
seeking reconstruction of a State
Government for louisiana. When
tue message Of 1868, with the plan
before mentioned, reached New Or
leans, General Banks wrote me that
he was conf lent the people, with his
military CO operation, would con-
struct substantially on that plan.
wrote him, and some OF them, to try
it. They tried it, and the result is
known.
Such has been my only agency in
getting Lou slana, and the move
ment as 10 sustaining it. My PROM
ise is out, as before stated, but as bad
promises are better broken than kept
| shall treat this Gs a bad promise
ard break it whenever sha' be con
vinced that keeping it is adverse tc
public interest. But have not yet
been so convinced. | have been
shown letters on this subject supposed
to be able ones, in which a writer
expresses regret that my mind had
not seemed to bu definitely fixed ou
The question whether the seeded
States. 80 called, are in the Union o.
Iut OF it. 1t would, perhaps, have
,ddeJ astonishn ent to his regret
we're he to learn that since | have
ound prOiesseG Union men endeav
oring to answer that question. have
purpOseIy lorborne any public expres
son upon it, as it appears to me thai
The question has not been, nor yet il
practically material one, and tha
the discdsSioE Of it while it remains
practically .immSterial, could have
no effect other thar the mischievOu,
one OF dividing our friends. As vet
whatever it mav become, that ques
tiOn is bad az a basis OF controversy
and good for nothing. We all agre,
that the sece,led States, so called, ar,
ont OF their proper particular relation
with the Union, and that the sole ob
iect OF the Govern nent, civil an
military, ih regard to those States, il
to again get them into that prope
relation. | believe that it is not onl,
possible, but in facts easier to do thi;
without declaring or even considering
whether those States have ever beer
ont Of the JniOn than with it. Fin.
ding themselves safely at home, i
would be utterly immaterIal whethe
they had been abroad. Let us al
join in 1olng acts necessary to restore
the proper particular relations between
these states and the Union, and eacI
forever after innoceutIy indulge in hi,
own opinion whether in doing sucl
acts he brought STATES from withou
into the Union, or only gave theu
proper assistance, they never having
been out OF it.
The amount ofthe constituency, 81
to speak, on which the Louisiana Gov
ernment rests, would be more salts
factory to all, if it contained 50, 900
80, 900 or even 100000, instead o
1900 as it does. 1t is also satisfac
DRY to some, that the elective fran
chise is not given to colored men.
would myselfprefer that it now con
ferred on the very intelligent, and OF
those who serve our cause as soldiers
Still the question is not whether To
Louisiana Government as it stands
quite AL that is desirable. The ques
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