The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-05-07
SHAH the south Desert the Presidentp
yr,ssvinr. his evidence before the Recon-


IrTving his evidence before the Recon
s.raosion Committee, Mr.. STEPHENS, Of
Georgia, took pains to impress upon the
minds Of the members Of that secret con-
clare the fact that he was fully Of the be-
lief that, being already in the Union, and
having never, according to the Federal
authorities on the subject, been able to Sc
cede, the Southern States would be want
ing in dignity should they agree to any
conditions as necessarily precedent to their
restoration to all their rights as States.
Mr.. STEPHENS might have added that TO
make such terms would be to desert the
President. The Radicals, in proposing
terms to the South, arc either anxious to
have them accepted and the Presidents
theory repudiatcd, or they desire 10 IN
duce the South to reject their proposal
that they may have an excuse for per-
petuating their own asccndancy. Now, the
people of the South have certainly no idea
of rcpudiating the Presidents theory or
his policy. Neither do they desire to as
sist the Radicals in their effort to retain
power in their own hands. And yet it
would seem that they will be compelled to
do one or the other. Fortunately for us,
the Radicals have proposed terms of so
degrading nature that they have not
thrown in our way even temptation to
desert the President. When they ask us,
among other things, to ostracise the men
who have only exceeded ourselves in the
sin Of rebellion because we asked them to
lead US, the Radicals propose condition
which no man Of Southern feelings will
be disposed to accept, and therefore we
are not likely to be called on to decide
upon the question whether an opportunity
to procure liberal terms would justify us
in rejecting the Presidents idea that We
are already in the Union.
These reflections are INDUCED in apropoS
of hint thrown out by FoRNEY that Con-
gress may perhaps relent and allow us
better terms than those proposed, as he
does in the following words in late letter
to the Philadelphia Press:
"Suppose, however, that Congress, sa-
"tisfied that the Southern people are will
ling, in good faith, to accept the other
"portions of this comprehensive pro.
"gramme, should consent to allow these
"classes to vote, and should follow this by
"granting every Southern State that rati,
"fies the new article Of the Constitution
immediate representation"
We will suppose another case: In Vir,
GINA, the State Constitution already for,
bids any debt contracted in aid of the re-
bellion to be paid, whether the contract
was made by the State itself or by any
corporation within its limits; and vet il
the Radicals were to do what We have just
said they will not do, and were, for the
purpose Of oyer-reaching Mr.. rysoN,
make it the sole condition of Oh, Admis-
sion that we were to agree to insert this
very provision in the Federal Constitution,
we should not even in that case be justified
in closing in with their offer; for the prin-
-ciple is the same, whether compliance with
one condition or dozen be required. The
point for which the President contends,
and which we must not yield, is that we
are already in the Union, and are, as a
matter of right, entitled to representation.
To abandon this principle would be to give
up the whole contest. We have disowned
the debt, and have no idea of paying it :;
but, then, that is matter which has no
thing to do with our rights as State.
These we are entitled to under the Consti-
tuition of the United States, or had before
there was such Constitution in existence,
and we have no idea of acknowledging that
they may be purchased from THAD. STE
VEINS and his followers.