The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-05-09

They insist upon negro suffrage as the condi.
ton precedcI' o. reGdnissiOn to Congress: and
The committee no only tails to demand this
concession, but explicitly tolerates the denial of
IT, 70 the States CHOOSE to submit to "a diminished
''pics2ntatior. And so runs the conflict al
~ cry point: there Is no. one upon which the
C umiitee Is in harmony With the principles
pg. forward by the Sevens section of the party.
The immediate practical results OF both are the
- ne: both the Committee and the politicians of
the Stevens school postpone indefinitely the
accompaniment Of reconstruction. but beyOnd
this fact they have absolutely nothing in
G. mmop.
Eut though the Committee has not gore far
cHot Oh to luItl the expectations of the radicals
u has gone much too lar according to the iudg-
ment OF the conservatives. The latter arc
anxious Tor nothing so much as Tor the res ora
ION OF harmony TO the entire Union: and the
Commltlee rostpones even the pretense OF har-
mony until 1870. They hold, in the words o
Mr.. DNons proposition, 'tha the interests of
peace and the interests Oi the Union require the
atmlssion OF every State tn its share IN public
legislation, whenever it pre- aCnts itself not only
IN an attitude OF loyalty ana harmony. but in
the persons Of representatives whose LOYALTY
cannot be questioned under any constitutional
OF legal test;' and the Committee stipulates for
conditions not known to the Constitution to
which conditions the South never will accede
They maintain that the Southern peopIe as
clllZens OF the United states, are entitled 10
forthwith participate in Federal as well as i'm State
elections; and the Committee seeks to disfran.
y
Dental election. Here, therefore, as In the
case Ct the radicals. TreConCilable differences
arc everywhere apparent Between the Com.
mlltee and the conservatives, represented by Mr..
Dixon, the antag Dism is as marked as is the
antagcnisn between the Committee and the eX-
meme radicals, represented by Mr.. eypns.
hcs1lngto ConcIliate both. the Committee has
itil'd to obtain the approval Of either
lbe effect Of these considerations is visible
throughout the coun ry. The plan Of the Com.
mitoc encounters decided opposition from all
who would invest the Union With the full mea-
sure OF constitutional vitality; while those who
90 not actually oppose it, accord to it only luke
warm support.
From The action of the Committee in discard
ing the ultra dOgmas of Mr. Stevens and his ad-
herents, the inference is fair, that the Commit
tee has felt the necessity OF compromise in one
shape or another. The eNpedlcncy OF some sort
OF compromise is virtually admitted. A few
steps further in the same direction would NOT
involve, then. any violation OF the principle
ulon which The extreme radical demands have
been rejected. And there are two reasons whv
the plan which has been submitted, and which
IS coniessedly failure, should be amended by
the adoption OF so much more in the way of
compromise as Is needed to render any plan
practical. One of these reasons is that the South
VIII not accept the conditions proposed, now or
al any time: ana, therefore, unless the Commit.
tee is prepared Tor the consequences of an lnde
fin te exclusion OF the South from Congress- it
should abandon the idea o Constitutional amend
mcnts which cannot possibly receive the appro-
val OF tie requisite number OF States The
other reason is. that to attempt TO exclude the
Southern people from all part and lot IN the
Presidential contest OF 1865 viii assuredly be to
provoke trouble ana strife of nature pregnant
with disaster to the country.
The deslrableness OF such q compromise as
shall enable Congress practically to aid the WORK
OF reconstruction is rendered further aDparpnt
by The silent but steady effectiveness of the
policy maugurated by President Lincoln and
carried forward by his successor The Union
panty IN Congress cannot afford to carry the
stigma which Will attach to il it the session
close without some substantial and successful
enort 10 meet the expectations of the country in
reference TO the restoration of harmony as be-
tween the South and the North. Just now, the
merit OF whatever has been done belongs eX-
clusively to the Executive. All that Congress-
has done has been TO thwart-not to aid-the
policy under which reconstruction has been
bought to its present point. Shall there not he
a compromise, obviating further waste of time
and temper, and providing for sectional recon.
citation III Congress on a basis somewhat like
that which is indicated in the resolution OF
Senator Dixon?