The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-11-04

President johnson Versus tho Radicals
and Copperhesds.
President Johnson's instructions to the Pro-
visional Governor Of Florida touching the
necessity devolving upon that State Of a ratif-
cation Of the constitutional amendment is
not satisfactory to the abolition radicals nor
to the copperheads. 1t is too little for the one
faction and too much for the other. For ex-
ample, the Independent, . leading Puritanical
radical organ, says that II the President can
require of the State of Florida the ratification
Of said amendment, he can and ought to de-
mand the concession Of equal rights, or negro
suffrage Some Of the more outspoken Of the
copperhead organs, ON the other hand, cannot
restrain their wrath at what they call the Pre-
sident's invasion Of State rights, and they sug-
gest that if his policy is to restore the Southern
States under Executive dictation, it would be
better to declare them at once in the condition
Of Territories.
Now, it is somewhat remarkable that neither
the radicals nor copperheads can bemade to
understand or recognise the simple facts and
purposes of President Johnson's restoration
policy. he holds, first, that the late rebellious
States have not been destroyed and were not
carried out of the Union by the rebellion !;
secondly, that they have been left in chaotic
condition, which, in consequence Of the
overthrow of slavery with their rebel
confederacy, requires thorough-going reor-
ganization. The rebellion is down, slavery
is extinguished, and, though the States con-
cerned remain, they are in chaos, for all their
Confederate and local, military and civil, rebel
laws and authorities are gone What, then, is
President Johnson to do? Under the war pow
ers with which Congress has invested him he
may hold the States wrested from the rebellion
subject to the action of Congress- under the
most rigid military despotism But he adopts
q different policy. He proceeds to put the
work of reorganization into the hands Of the
people of said States, conforming, as far as
compatible with the paramount interests of
the Union, to their State laws and usages in
force just before they went into the rebellion.
Thus, in the exercise Of q wise discretion he
the other day informed his Provisional Cover
nor Of North Carolina that secession and his
rebel State debts and doings must be declared
null and void; and next, the same information
was given to the Provisional Governor of
Georgia Lastly, the Provisional Governor of
Florida is notified that another condition pre-
cedent of restoration is the legislative ratifca-
ton of the constitutional amendment abolish
ing and prohibiting slavery throughout the
United States. On the other hand, in the exer-
else OF his discretion, the President declines to
enforce negro suffrage as condition of resto-
ration, but leaves this matter to the future con-
sideration of each of the States directly con-
cerned, believing this the best and safest course
The difficulty with the copperheads is this:
they seem to think that if South Carolina has
never been out of the Union the President has
no right whatever to interfere in her State
affairs; while the abolition radicals contend
that If he can dictate one condition of recon-
struction he can dictate another, and is play
ing false in failing to enforce negro suffrage.
But President johnson, pursuing his course be-
tween these rash extremes, aims, by ENGRAVING
the prohibition of slavery upon the supreme
law Of the land" to cut OF any possibility of
It's revival in any State hereafter; and next, in
declining to enforce negro suffrage, he believes
he is avoiding that bloody war Of races which
the too sudden trial Of the experiment of"equal
rights" In the transition from slavery and its
teachings to universal liberty would be apt to
bring about
The policy Of President Johnson thus COM
mends itself to sensible and patriotic men of all
parties. 1t was and Is within his discretion to
60 with the radicals or the copperheads; but
in disregarding the clamors of both these
revolutionary factions he has won the appro-
baton and confidence of the masses of the
people, North and South.