, 1865-09-18
Sop11YSTIfY IN 1siGII PLACES,

When Stephen a. Douglas mounted Ills
Popular Sovereignty hobby, contcnding that
the people of Territory should rule It, yet
That slave property could not bc kept ont OF
It, Il was apparent to every logical mind, that
hc was really astride Of two horscs headed in
opposite directions, between which he must
choose, or come to the ground. Andrew
johnson has mounted several reconstruction
eorhistries Of the samc charactcr. Thus, he
states in lis preclnmations, that the question
OF suffrage must be leit TO ''thc people Of the
Statcs, who have enjoyed that right from the
formation OF the Government But "the
people of the States" now includes the blacks
as well as the whites. Yet the former he ex-
cludes. His principle Is at war with his prac-
tice. So he says, 'the people must be trusted
with the Government" !" yet he refuses to trust
any portion Of four millions Of The people
with any thare IN the Government
So he says The military must
be subordinate to the civil power and there.
fore lie subordinates Gen. Slocnm to Gov.
Sl4arkey. But Gov. sharRey Is as purely a
military officer as Gen. slocum, appointed IN.
der thc Presidents military powers and acting
as paH Of system Of martial law It may
be That in time tho military can; be sub
ortlmated to the civil power, but to subordl.
nntc Northern military officer to Southern
military Governor in matter pertaining pure-
ly to the military forces which are 10 preserve
military order in tie State Of Mississippi Is no
step in that direction, although II is q step
Enionists 10 rebels.
So he uscs the phrase equality of States !"
10 cover q system Of reconstruction which em-
bodies the following serious inequalities be-
tween The loyal States mud those lately in
rebellion.
Maine, with population Of CT, ,959 has five
representatives, willie Alabama, with popu.
lation Of 5o6, Isl, just 1O00o less than Maine,
and which has heretofore, under the three
ftths rule, lad seven members of Congress,
will have ten members or twice rs many ~
Mime.
= Vermont, with population Of S1l,Ss has
three representatives, while South Carolina,
with white population of 231 $780, ,0M
less tlun Vermont, has heretofore had SIX re-
representatives., and must, II the Presidents Re-
construction policy be carried out, have nine
representatives or three times as many as
Vermont, though casting less than me-third
as many votes.
Pennsylvania with population Of 9, $40 ,266
has twenty -four representatives., while North
carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama,
Florida, Mississippi and Louisiana, all COM
bined, have white population Of {, So, ,7s5-
10000 less uan Pennsylvania alone, yet be-
sides their fourteen senators to Pennsylvania Is
two, which Is all right, they have heretofore
had thfr y-nlnc representatives, and must, on
President Johnson's " state equality" plan Of
reconstruction have At least fifteen more mcm-
bers, or total Of tiny-four representatives to
Pennsylvanfa's t,Scnty y-four. Now, as the In
tent Of the Constitution Is that
population shall be represented
in Congress, and that given number In uli-
nois shnll have equal representation with the
same number IN Mississippi, 1t follows that
President Johnson's policy grossly violates
the spirit Of the Constitution and operates 10
effect an aggravated and undeniable inc4uAl
ity between the stntcs-
Now IL may be tt,at the President Is wise, in
taking into his own hands to decide what class
In each State shall vote, but 10 say that that
mode OF dealing with the question Is in any
sense submission Of II to the people of the
States, is piece Of unrniti sophlasy and
dcnaeogism.
So II nay be best not To trust the cntirt
peuple of Mississippi, both black and white,
with the Government, but to cntrust the
whites who arc less thau half tho people, with
the whole Government, and to give them mill
itary forces 10 keep down the blacks, Is not
trusting q the people with the Government ~
nY,H f,n n4r+1a IL 0nw1I Yv{f
instance IN unqualified piece ofsophistry and
dcmagoeism.
80 II mry be wise to subordinate Northern
military Offices whose loyalty is undoubtcd.
and whose judgment Is experienced, to
Southern military Governors who are fresh
from aiding tic rebellion, but to style this q
enbord1nutlon Of the military 10 the civil
power Is m unqualified piece OF eophlsty
and dcmneogis1n.
So II may be wise SO to reconstruct the
Union It's 10 give South Carolina three times rs
many representatives as Vermont for the samc
number Of voters, but this should be put fairly
md squarcly on the ground that one South
Carolinian is equal TO three Ver1nonters In a1l
respects that 50 10 make up IN intelligent vo-
ter, and to pretend 10 base such policy on q
superlalirc regard for the equality Of The
States, Is, like MI The former instances, a
transparent piece of un,nitisated soplistry
and dcinagogisn. The Republican party
unanimously dfsapproves these features, and
any shufling, shambltng attempt 10 modify
the terms in which they exprrss that dIsap-
prornl Is unworthy Of the dignity, and must
be disastrous TO tile success, Of tile party.
Whatever clse In the Presidents policy they
may approve, these features they certainly
ctlnGc,nD