The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1865-04-26

THE GATE CIEl..l'
.lvEnNssDAYsAlRlR rc-ss
mn. LrrCoLa's Last sFEECH.
HE views On Psacs, Rscenstruettsn,
ana 1naneiasttsasls .a@
WAsn1Horon, April II
The Executive departments. including
the Presidents Mansion, we're iliumi.
mated tonight. and adoraed With tsans-
parsncies and National Gags. THOUSANDS
Of persons Rocked to the Executive MAN
sion. The President, in response 70 an
unanimous call, appeared ct an upper
window and spoke d follows:
FELIow- CYr1xEzs /: We meet this eve.
ming. not in sorrow, but in gladness Of
heart. The evacuation Of Petersbuse |
and Richmond, and the surrender OF the
principal insurgens army, give hopes Of
righteous and speedy peace. whose Joy
Gus expression cannot be restrained. In
the midst of this, however, He from
whom all blessings flow must not be for.
gotten.
A call for National thanksgiving 10
being prepared and viii be duly promul-
gated. Nor must those whose harder part
gives us the cause Of rejoicing be over
looked. Their honors must not be par
cellea out with others. myself was near
the front, and had the pleasure Of trans
mitting much Of the good news to you
But no part Of the honor for plan or ex-
ecutiou is mine. To General Grant, his
skillful officers and brave men, all be-
longs. 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. II il
fraupht with great difficulty. Unless
case of war between independent nations,
there is no authorized agent for Us to
treat with-no one man has authority to
give up the rebellion for any other man.
We simply must begin with, and mould
FROM, disorgsnized and dlscordant e!e-
ments. Nor is it small additional EN-
bsrrassment that we, the loyal people,
differ among ourselves as TO the mode,
manner and measure of reconstruction. -
Asa general rule, abstain from reading
the reports of attacks upon myself, wish.
ing not to be provoked by that to which
| cannot properly offer an answer. In
spite of this precaution, however, it comes
to my knowledge that | am much cen
sured for some supposed agency in set
ting up, and seeking to sustain, the new
State Government Of Louisiana. In this
I have done SO much as, and no more
than, the public knows. In the annual
message of December, 1868, and the ac-
companyiug proclamation, presented a
plan Of reconstruction. as the phrase goes,
which promised, if adopted By any State,
would be acceptable to, and sustained By,
the Executive Government of the ration.
| distinctly stated that this was not the
only plan which might possibly be accept
able, and | also distinctly protested that
the Executive claimed no right to say
when or whether members should be ad
mitted to seats in Congress from such
S.stes. This plan was in advance submit
ted to the then Cabinet, and approved BY
every member of it. One OF them sug
sesIed that should then and in that con
nection apply the emancipation prcclama
ton to the heretofore excepted parts O
Virginia and Louisiana that l should
drop the suggestion about apprenticeship
for freed people, and that should omi
the protest against my own power 10 re
gard to the admission of members OF Con
gress.
But even he approved every part ant
parcel of the plan which has since beef
employed or touched by the action o
Louisiana. The new Constitution o
Louisiana, declaring emancipation for tn
whole State, practically applies the pro
clamation to the part previously excepted
1t does not adopt apprenticeship for free,
people, and is silent, az it could not vel
be otherwise, about the admission of mem
bers to Congress. So that as it apple,
to Louisiana every member of the Cabips
fully approved the plan. The messag
went to Congress, and l received man,
concentrations of the plan, written an,
verbal and not single objection to
from any professed emancipationiss cam
to my knowledge until after the new
reached Washington that the people o
Louisiana had begun to move in accord
ance with it. From about July, 1869, | la,
corresponded with different persons sup
posed TO pc interested in seeking recon
struction ola State government for Lou
isiana. When the message Of l863, viii
the plan before mentioned. reached Nes
Orleans General Binks wrote me that b
was confident that tho people, with hi
military cooperation, would reconstruc
substantially on that plan. l wrote L
him and some of them to try it. The
tried it, and the result il known. Sucl
has been my only agency in getting Vi
ti,a Louisiana rovernmenf AZ 10 ne