Smyrna times., 1865-12-20
MIS- CELLAN EOUS.
Two Remaining Obstacles to Recon.
struCtion.

The Southern conventions and Legislatures
have cOntOrmed, in the main. to the declared
pohcy and wishes of the government. Their
Shortcomings have been on minor points and
withOut doubt will be promptly enough made
good II the government asks. So far as re-
lateS to the Presidents action in the premises
There Is no serious obstacle left to a speedy re-
construction. There are two things only thar
can De converted into serious hindranceS. and
bcth OF these depend upon the action of Com
RreSs, not upon that ct the Executive We
mean the establishment of the negro franchise
- condition precedent to reetOration and the
INSISTING upon the test oath of lo62 as a sine
qAb non OF admission into any seat of the SEN
ace or the House Of Re pre,entatives.
th regard 70 negro suffrage, the President
mas stated IN his Message that 81 it is not com
petent tor the General Government to ext md
sae elective franchise in the several States
iIS objection to any such requirements from
nc south rests on constitutional pr.unds -
There IS class Of extremist, who contend tLo,
ne PRESIDENT can obtain suffrage for the freed.
men through the war power. 1t is an absurd
Feteh>Ion. A war power has no existence but
AZ thc necessity of prosecuting the war eff.ctu
nily, and securing its ends The war has now
eiosed- All war powers have ceased. save tLo.n
indispensable to the transition from thr militia
- k2.erIlhent OF the war TO the normal civil
f,. -. IN I@Ce IEeatre OF the rebellion
EreSldent johnson $ authority tn ar,o;r,t D.
vlsiOnal Governors for the insnrront;c,i,. w.
States originally rested only on the war MOVE;
Ills continuance Of those government of6c;,i
is-limlted to the period when they can p;ve
place to the elect Of the people safely To the
government. This time he believes cannot
betar distant at farthest. But the extension
OF franchise to the negroes cannot be authori-
ssd by the war power, because it Is purely
elVil measure, having no relation to the prose
cution OF the war or to the exceptional neccs-
sities IN the transitional stage from war to
solid peace. 1t is a measure designed to be of
permanent civil application, affecting the or
ganIc systems OF States for all time; and there
iore 1t IS entirely beyond the range of the war
power of the President. Those who find fault
With the President for not undertaking. under
the war power, to secure to the freedmen the
IrSnchise, which is purely political possession,
~, without regard to law or reason.
lie only power which Congress has upon
1hi' matter OF securing freedmen suffrage is
ne power OF proposing AN amendment to the
: Constitution to that end. We doubt whether
We're Is a member in either branch, visionary
shough to Imagine it to be possible TO obtain
sne ratlhcatlOn Ofany such amendment by three
syurths OF the States Not one iof the late
save STATES would ratify it Of their own ac-
sord nor would One-quarter Of the other States,
ior the simple reason that more than three
iourths OIL them exclude eolored men from their
own ballot-boxes, and it would be monstrously
unJust for such States TO compel the Southern
states to an electoral system they themselves
are unwilling 20 adopt If the Northern ne
gro, who has always been free, ard had oppOr
funltles for mental improvement. is deemed
untt to vote by the Northern States. thew are
IN no posluon to insist that the Southern negro.
whose faculties have been kept dwarfed and
benlghted by lifelong slavery. shall he admit
ted to the Southern polls The abstract onns-
ts0n whether the black man ouohf 10 he atlow.
81 to vote has nothing to do with the case
Ihe point is, that until we of the North cstab-
hsh that suffrage for ourselves we have No
rsght to force it upon Others The divine an.
othegin, Physician heal thyscf," would con.
feund rs the very first instant we should under
sake 70 deal with 8 constitutional amendment
os this subject, relating to the late insurrec-
ucnary States. There is no way but to leave
Ihis matter where the Constitution left it, TO
VIC discretion of each individual State. No
sctlon by Congress upon the subject of freed
hlsn suffrage can have any practical result All
s'ik aah0ut It Is unwarrantabe, because 1t IS
nloraly certain that nothing substantial can
eoule from it, and it is only calculated to delay
'ccohstruetlon unnecessarily s s@ a.
As relates to the test oath. perhaps there
pay be more room for rational doube. Posi-
!! py u may be possible for Congress to maintain
~ dignity By holding TO that oath, which makes
~ impossible for any man who ever has been a
traitor y SIT 10 the national connc;I, RIt Il
p ntsfs eiE thaH q pvut gf axuity. NO pracr