The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-10-15


in many Of the Streets after raging for eight hou Tho
loss Il estimated at about two hundred and atty
thousand dollars only -nth Of which II covered BY
insurance.
Tho stock market was arm. and prices advanced yes
terday. Governments were dull Gold was heavy and
closed At ll4x.
Commercial ahirs remained In sotu quo on Saturday
prices Of merchandise In the absence Of gold huctua-
tons remaining without perceptbe change. except In
rare Imported merchandise was quiet. Domestic
produce was in moderate movement, and values were
substantially the same ~ on Friday. Cotton was nrm
Groceries were steady. Petroleum was dull, but un.
changed. On Change there were few changes Bread
stuns were without change. Pork opened dull but
closed Armsr Lard was lower. and whiskey was nrm
President johnson I'm Another Plain
Talk ON the Negro Question-The True
NPolicy or the Southern states.
President johnson is one OF those men who
are prepared for any emergency, and know
how to meet it The other day regiment Of
Union soldiers, black men, called on him, and
he made them familiar speech on the present
condition, rights, duties and prospects Of their
race, which has commanded the admiration Of
all honest and reasonable men. A day or two
later he is visited by white delegation rom
South Carolina in behalf of JEFF. Davis, and his
plain talk to this delegation still brings the
man of the people into holder relief as. q
patriot, philosopher and statesman.
In his speech to the blacks he enlarged upon
their duties to themselves, and upon his hopes
of harmonious association Of both races for
the future in his conversation with the
South Carolina whites he more pointedly
touched upon their duties to the blacks
Judge Wardlaw spoke Of "the great Difficult
ties Of regulating labor and depressing
vagrancy," &c. The President, in reply,
"thought that many of these evils would dis
appear if they inaugurated the right system.
Pass laws protecting the colored man in his
person and property, and he can collect his
debts. He knew how it was in the South. The
question, when first presented, of putting
colored man on the witness stand made them
shrug their shoulders. But the col0red mans
testimony was to be taken for what it is worth
by those who examine him and the jury who
hear it. After all, there was not so much danger
as was supposed" The necessity for work
would bring about an understanding between
the two races and "then," continued the Pre-
sident, "when we come to the period to feel
that men must work or starve, the country will
be prepared to receive system applicable to
both white and black. Get the public mind
right, and you can treat both alike. Let us get
the general principles, and the details and
collatcrals will follow"
These are the views Of q political philoso-
pher, and they cover the policy of sound
craftsmanship. President Johnson, in reor-
ganizing the relations between Southern whites
and blacks on the basis OF universal liberty,
does not wish 10 do anything rashly or too
rapidly. His plan is, to be sure Of the ground
on which he stands, step by step. We see,
however, that his mind is made up and his
course is fixed in reference to the civil rights
Of the emancipated blacks. They must be adj
mitted as witnesses in the civil courts. Their
rights of person and property must find pro-
lection in the laws 10 which they are subject.
This talk to the South Carolinians will set the
people and reconstructing Southern conven-
tions and Legislatures right upon subject
regarding which some of them seem to need a
little special instruction.
On this account these hints OF President
johnson to the South Carolina JEFF Davis dele
cation are in the nick of time. They will show
to the Mississippians, for example, that Gov
ernor Sharkey speaks by authority in his clear
decision that the abolition Of slavery carries
away all the slave codes of the South, and
opens the courts to the testimony of the eman-
cipated blacks, and that Governor Marvin, OF
Florida, on the same subject, only discloses the
views and policy of the President himself This
must be so. The Southern black, released from
slavery, becomes at least a man. If not in
vested with those political rights which are
subject to State legislation, he is at least under
that common protection OF the laws from which
even the alien Is not excluded. An emigrant
from Europe on landing on our shores may
give testimony in court Of justice, though he
cannot vote; and with the abolition Of slavery
the emancipated negro must have this common
right of all other men in this country, suffrage
or no suffrage.
Governor Sharkey, however, distinguished
as jurist, learned and sound, has, in his judg-
ment touching the civil rights Of the blacks re-
sulting from the abolition of slavery, disclosed
the true policy Of the Southern States in their
work of reconstruction. His decision will
stand; and as it rests upon the abolition Of
slavery, the ratification of the constitutional
amendment which clinches this abolition be-
comes the one thing needful. The act of Con-
gress in which this amendment was adopteda and
submitted to the States requires ratification
by threefourths Of the Legislatures thereof
That is the plan adopted. A conventional rati-
hcation does not meet the case. The State
Legislature must do the work. We still want
three States to complete the ratification, and