Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1866-04-25

Of Government, hospitals and ships, there
are rdings in our telegraphic dispatches
from the East, Of last nights date.
CONGRESS had INDICATED NO
POLICY.
A point which the people will not lose
sigh, of was recently made BY Senator
Sherman, to wit: the President was COM
PEELED to construct his own policy virtual
ly tmaiGsd by Congress, which had by no
act Of legislation defined any policy Of re-
construction in the States lately in rebel
lion. When the war ended, and Mr..
Johnson came into power, Congress had
made no declaration Of policy for the
guidance Of the Executive. Such legisla-
ton as there was really recognized the
Southern States-that is, the situation up
70 the present hour. In the absence OF
any formal declaration of policy BY Con-
gress, the Executive adopted the general
outline of the policy embraced by his pre-
decessor, and it is for doing this, in &C
co,dance with his sincere convictions, that
Sumner began the war of personality, by
publicly declaring the Presidents a white
washing policy, and that Stevens accused
him of ~usurpation such as would have
cost q British King his head two hundred
years ago!
The President himself stated this point
in the case in q conversation with Gov.
Cox. Of Ohio, which that gentleman re-
duced TO writing, and has communicated
to the public thus: He said his policy
had simply aimed at the earliest possible
restoration of peace, on the basis OF loyal
~. No Congressional policy had ever
been adopted, and, therefore, when he en-
tered upon the duties of his office, he was
obliged to adopt n Of his own. He had
in some sense inherited that Of Mr.. Lin
coin, with which he thought he agreed
and tina, was substantially the n which
he had carried out. Congress had no just
ground of complaint that he had done so,
for they had not seen fit TO declare their
views or adopt any measures ~embodying
what could be called a policy Of ressora-
ton. He was satisfied that no long con-
,inuanee Of military government could be
tolerated, that the whole country would
properly demand the restoration Of a civil
government, and not TO give 1t to the
lately rebellious States would be an ad-
mission of the failure Of the Administra-
ton and Of the party which had carried
through the war, to prove themselves
equal 10 the exigency, now the work
of destruction was over and rebuild
ing had begun. Military Government,
alone, would no, pscify the South. At
the end of a long period Of such gov
eminent we would be nc nearer, and
probably not so near the end as now,
and would have the same work 10 do.
Hence there is a real necessity Of adopting
a policy which should restore civil gov
eminent fully just as soon as the rebellion
would b thoroughly ended and those
conditions accepted by the South which
were to be regarded as absolutely neces-
sary to the peace of the country. One
central idea had controlled him in the
whole matter, and this was that the proper
system of paci6cation would be one which
tended everywhere TO stimulate the loyalty
of the people Of the South themselves, and
make it the spring of loyal conduct and
proper legislation rather than TO impose
upon them laws and conditions by direct
external force.
He ills,rated this policy reference to his
position with regard to the Freedmen's
Bureau bill. He was not against a bill of
that character in toto. He was using the
Bureau now, and expected to use it still
further /; but he wished to make it the in
terest of the Southern States themselves to
provide proper protection for the freed
men by making them understand hat in
tina, way they could effect its discontinue
ance. Thus the hope Of getting nd of the
institution would stimulate them TO do
wha, is right, whilst they are not discour-
aged by the idea that there is no hope Of
an end to what they regard as a sort Of
military government. In the same way
the President has sought to stimulate
Southern loyalty by increasing or lessen
ing the rigors of martial law in various
districts, just as the people by their ocn
conduct showed themselves worthy or I'M
worthy Of trust.