Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1865-10-27
Important Speech ofseeretarIs Seward
the p0iicy 0fthe GeYc rnmeut to ard the

y
which the Government intends pursuing to-
wards the South He showed that the Ad-
intends to set the South upon
its feet lie said:
If at airy time the american Union is frac-
tured through lesion Of one of its limbs,
that limb must be restored to soundncss be-
fore due constitutional health and vieor can
be brought back to the whole system If
one of these limbs offend, we have indeed the
power-and | will not cayil about the right
to cut it oft and cast it away from us ; but
when we should have done that, we would
have then done Just what other nations less
wise than ourselves have done, that have sub
niitted unnecessarily to am pstation and given
up material portlea Of their strength, to
save themselves from unprecedented dcstruc-
ton We knew the Inherent strength, Vi
tally and sirer of the whole American peo-
pie. We neither passionately torment any
offending ln.f,, nor consent to its being cut
off, because We know that all of our limbs
are capable Of being restored, and all are
necessary to the ,romulgaton of our nation
al life Applau.:e. You viii ask whether
a reconciliation which follows so closely upon
military coercion can be relied upon. Can it
be sincere? Can it be permanent I an
swer, DO yen admit separation to be in any
case possible? Does anybody now believe
that ii ever viii hereafter become possible?
VIII YOU yourselves now or ever consent to
it? You answer all these questions in the
negative. Is not reconciliation, then, not
only desirable, but Imperative? Is any other
reconciliation, under the circumstances, pos
sible ? Certainly you must accept this pro
posed reconciliation, or you must purpose to
delay and wait until you can procure bet
ter one. Good surgery requires that even
simple fractures, much more compound ones,
shall be healed, if possible, at the first inten-
ton. Would not delay necessarily prolonS
anarhcy? Are you sure that you can procure
a better reconciliation after prolonged an
archy, without employing force? Who will
advocate the employment of force merely to
hinder and delay, through prolonged anarchy
a reconciliation which is feasible and perfect
ly consistent with the Constitution In
what part Of the Constitution is written the
power to continue civil war against succum-
bing States for ultimate political triumph.
What would this be but, in fact, to institute
q new civil war, after one had ended with
the complete attainment Of the lawful objects
for which it was waged. Congress and the
Administration have power to levy wars
against foreign States for whatever cause they
see it, Congress and the President have
right to accept Or even make war against any
part of the people of thu United States only
under their limited power to suppress sedi-
ton and instruction, and for that purpose
only. What then? Must we give up the
hope Of further elevation Of classes in the
cyeral States without any new guarantees
for individual liberty and progress? By no
means Marching in this path of progress
and elevation Of masses is what we have been
doing always in the season of peace, and
what we have been doing still more effectu-
ally in the prosecution of the war. 1t is a
national march, as onward and irresistible as
the late conflict between free and slave labor
was vigorous and irrepressiblc. snthusias-
tic applause. The plan Of reconciliation we
are pursuing has given national advances in
this progress Of moral and political elevation,
which are now to be made fast and firmly
fixed. First-it secures a voluntary aboli-
ton of slavery by every State which has en-
gagged in instruction; and secondl UT must
secure and does secure, an etfcctnal adoption
by the hate slave States themselves of the
amendment of the Federal Constitution which
declares that neither slavery nor involuntary
servitudc except for crime, shall ever here
after exist in any part Of the United States.
[ Applause.
TIE POSITION OF TIE STATES.
He neither reads history with care nor
studies the ways of Providence with reyer-
cnce who docs not see that for the prosecu-
ton Of these double, diverse, and yet equal
ly important purposes Of war and peace, An
drew johnson was fifty appointed to be q
Provisional Governor i'll Tennessee-the first
Of series of Provisional Governors after
ward to be assigned to the insurrectonary
States, and was subsequently elected Vice
President. and, in the end, constitutional!y
inauguratcd President of the United States
| Renewed applause We are continually
hearing debates concerning the origin and
authority of the plan of restoration New
converts, North and South, call it the Pres
idcnt's plan. All speak of it as if it were a
new and recent Development On the con-
trary, we now see that it is not specially An
drew Johnson's plan, nor even "a new plan in
any respect. 1t is the plan which abruptly
yet distinctly offered itself to the last Admin
str;,tion, at the moment have before recalled
when the work Of restoration was to begin :;
at the moment when, although by the world
npcreeivcd it did begin and it is the only,
plan which thus seasonably presented itself;
and therefore is the only possible plan which
then or ever afteward could be adopted. =
Great applause. This plan, although oc-
casionally requiring variation Of details, new
the'ess admits of no substantial change or
modification. 1t could neither be enlarged
nor contracted. State conventions in loyal
States, however favorable, in disloyal States
however hostile, could not lawfully or effect
ually disaiow it =; and even the people them
selves, when amending the Constitution of
the United States, are only giving to that
plan its just and nccdful sovereign sanction.
In the meantime, the executive and legisla-
tive authorities of Congress can do no more
than discharge their proper functions of pro-
tecting the recently ll.surgcnt States from
ann rchv fl,,rints tho intr,,n,,;nr ,,or;ad Will.