The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1865-04-15
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zion uuucr ale R0tten BoF0usa sian'


The first official announcement irom MI
IrNoo1N of the manner in which he pro-
poses to reconstruct the Government Oh
the limited States, was made IN the
speech which we published yesterday,
aeliyered from the fourth story window
of the White House. The President
with commendable discretion, refused to
give his views to the country, until he
had time to deliberately consider them.
He gave the people to understand that
an outline of his policy would be found
in the speech which we refer to. We are
free to confess that we were not among
those who expected that Mr. LINCOLN
would rise to the level of the great occa-
MON which was presented to him. We did
not expect that Mr.. LINCOLN would set
an example of enlightened statesman
ship in dealing with the South, or OF a
wise and chivalrous magnanimity, in
concluding a peace with the people he
has been elected to govern. Mr.. LIN
coins admirers claim for him the credit
of understanding the public temper, and
of a willingness to act in accordance with
it. Moderation in the hour of triumph
has been so generally manifested by men
representing different parties, and who
have found themselves for the first time
in years agreeing in anything, that we
were led to expect of Mr.. LINCOLN, if
not the wisdom to lead, at least the wis
dom to follow in the wake of public opin-
ion. At time when men as radical as
Mr.. BEKCHER could throw aside parti-
sanship, and express emphatically their
desire to approach the settlement of our
troubles in a spirit of brotherhood to the
South, it was not too much to assume
that Mr.. LINCOLN, who prides himself on
taking middle course, should be found,
at least rs moderate as the leaders of
factions, whose views have hitherto been
looked upon as extreme. But even to
the negative merit of floating with the
current in the right direction, Mr.. LIN
coin can lay no claim s'
Mr.. LINCOLN had great opportunity
presented to him. He might, in few
weighty words, have told the South that
the wish nearest to the hearts of the
people of the North was the preservation
of the Union which their fathers estab-
lished, and under which the people of
both sections lived so happily together
He might have said that if the people of
the Southern States acquiesced cheerful
ly i'll this desire; the way to their former
prosperity was open to them, and that
there was no wish on the part of the
National government to throw single
obstacle in the way of IL restoration to
the whole country of days like the past
4 statesman would have taken the
first opportunity that presented itself to
address the people of both sections in
this spirit. A sagacious and honest pol
itician would not have fallen below the
wisdom manifested by the men who
guide, and control public opinion For
the first time Mr. LINCOLN discards, the
wishes of the chiefs of his own party ;
for the first time he displays an iHdepen-
dence of the wishes of his party asso-
ciates, and for the first tine he can do So
and be more mischievous than they
Mr. LINCoLN's speech is mainly RANT,
bling defense of the sO-oalled State Gov,
ernment of Louisiana, So far as 1T is
possible to get at his meaning, he con.
sders the plan of reconstruction adopt
ed in Louisiana us the hest, : and pledges
himself T." adhere t. D., in dealing r'
the other states which om military ,uc
cess have opened to our authority It is
not too much to say that the Louisiana
State government combines all that is
vicious in every plan of Reconsideration
which has found advocates within the
dominant party. 1t Is on its face ST. un-
Republican that the last Congress would
not admit its representatives; it is So OBJ
viously the mere instrument OF Execu,
tive authority, that Mr.. LINCoLN's most
jealous party adherents cried shame upon
10. and could not, even in the crisis of a
political campaign, be prevented from
denouncing it and its author, A despot
could not desire more effective means
of ruling the loyal States, against the
wishes of their people, than is presented
through bogus State governments, like
that established in Louisiana. The worst
enemy of republicanism could not devise
a more effective plan of bringing repub.
licanism into ridicule than the bogus
State government of Louisiana Offers
Men less sanguine that their fellows, but
not less devoted to their country, have
predicted that it was not within the
power of the party now in control of the
government to restore the Union and
maintain the public liberties; if we de-.
sire to make good their predictions moth.
ing ia needed but to establish State GOV
ernments which shall be mere puppets Of
the Executive and his agents ..
Here is the picture of the State yo,..