The weekly pioneer and Democrat., 1865-04-21
LAST PUBLIC SPEECH
OF MIR. LINCOLN.
His Views on the Question
III II +. Of Reconstruction.
The Course Adopted in Louisiana
Applicable to all States.

departments, including the Presidents
mansion, were Illuminated tonight and
adorned with transparencies and national
flags. Thousands of persons focked to
the executive mansion. The President, in
response to unanimous call, appeared at
an upper window. His speech was as fol-
lows:
We meet this evening, not in sorrow,
but in gladness Of heart. The occupation
of Petersburg and Richmond, and the sur
render of the principal insurgent army,
give hopes of righteous and speedy peace,
whose joyous expression cannot be re-
strained. In the midst of this, however.
he from whom all blessings flow must not
be forgotten. A call for national thanks
giving is being proposed and will be duly
promulgated. Nor must those whose
harder part gives US cause of rejoicing be
overlooked. I myself was near the front,
and had the high pleasure of transmitting
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 reinaugu-
ration of the national authority,-recon-
struction, 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 between two independent ma
tions, 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 mold from dis
organized and discordant elements. Nor
is it small additional embarrassment that
we loyal people differ among ourselves as
to the mode, manner and measure of re.
construction.
As general rule, ]. abstain from read
ing reports of attacks upon myself, wish
ing not to be provoked by that to which 1
cannot properly offer answer. In spite of
the precaution, however, it comes to my
knowledge that I ana much censured for
some supposed agency in settling up and
seeking to sustain the new government of
Louisiana. In this I have done Just 90
much and no more than the public knows.
In my annual message of December, 1853,
and accompanying proclamation, I pre-
sented plan of reconstruction, as the
phrase goes, which l promised, if adopted
by any State, would be accepted and sus-
tanned by the executive government Of the
nation. distinctly stated that this was
not the only plan which might possibly be
acceptable, and I distinctly protested that
the executive claimed no right to say when
or whether members should be admitted
to seats in Congress from such States.
This plan was, in advance, submitted to
the cabinet, and approved by every men,
Der of it. One of them suggested that
should then, and in that connection, apply
the emancipation proclamation to thereto
fore excepted parts of Virginia and Louis
lana; that I should drop suggestion about
apprenticeship for the freed people and
that I should omit the protest against my
own power in regard to admission of mem
bers of Congress. But even be approved
every part and parcel of the plan which
has been employed or touched by the ac-
tior of Louisiana. The new constitution
of Louisiana declaring emancipation for
the whole State practically applies the
proclamation to the part exempted. It
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 is applied
to Louisiana. Every member of the cabi.
net fully approved the plan. The message
went to Congress, and received many COM
mendations of the plan, written and ver-
bal; and not a single objection to it from
any professed emancipationist came to my
knowledge until after news reached Wash
ington that Louisiana had begun to move
in accordance with it.
From about July, 1862, had CORE
sponded with different persons supposed to
be interested in the reconstruction of the
State Government of Louisiana. When
the message of 1868, with the plan before
mentioned, reached New Orleans, Gen.
Banks wrote me that he was confident that
the people, with bis military cooperation,
would reconstruct substantially on that
plan. 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 government.
AS to sustaining it, my promise is now as