Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1866-09-20
RUTLAND HERALD.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER Il, 1866.
The Direction of the Current.

herelCe 10 any hOuCSL OI uAtu plluClp4Oo'
1t does not even make any claim TO con-
sistency in its political course. Freed
from all restraints of the Kind which are
supposed to regulate in some measure at
least the course OF ordinary mortals, the
conductors of that paper only strive to
find the political current and swim with
it. In this they are usually successful,
particularly when the current is r@y
strong and therefore not difficult to dis,
cover.
The Herald has just taken one Of its
sudden turns. 1t has discovered since
the Vermont and Maine elections, that it
must either undertake to breast great
and overwhelming popular current, or
turn about. II accordingly turns sud-
denly and completely. All which is Of
no particular Importance except as an
unmistakabl sign to such as have
hitherto remained blind to the fact, that
the current is set irresistibly and over-
whelmingly against my policy" and in
favor Of the Constitutional amendment
proposed by Congress. But as such a
sign. the Herald's course is important
and worthy Of note.
In it's issue OF the 18th inst, the
Herald says -
From the elections which have oc-
Cured since the constitutional amend
ment was adopted by Congress for the
reconstruction Of the Southern States,
we are satisfied that that amendment is
to become the basis of Southern restora-
t.on-that it will carry and be carried
by all the Northern State elections yet to
come. and that with with New Jersey
leading off it will be ratified by them all,
and become part and parcel Of the su-
preme law of the land. Nor have we
any fear of the consequences. There is
nothing, after all so very Objectionable
in this Notwithstanding which
President Johnson himself has not, at
one time or another, recommended to
some Southern State or to Congress, and
nothing upon which there should have
been a disagreement between the Presi-
dent and Congress. 1t provides:
Frst-That all persons born or natur-
allied in the United States are citizens
thereof and OF the States in which
they reside, and on footing Of equality
in regard to their civil rights.
Secoad-That the enumeration OF the
people for representation in Congress
shall be abridged in proportion to the
abridgement OF the right Of suffrage
males above the age Of twenty-one
years-in any State on account Of race
or color.
Thjrd-That a large schedule Of per-
sons. civil and military engaged in the
late rebellion, shall be ineligible to any
federal off ce hereafter until absolved by
a two-thirds vote of each House Of Con-
gress.
Fomth-That the national war debt
shall be held sacred, and that all rebel
debts and obligations shall be utterly
repudiated and held illegal and void.
Fjfth-That Congress shall have pow
er to enforce the provisions OF this
article.
This amendment is the reconstruction
plan and platform of Congress, and there
is no good reason, we say, why it should
not have been adopted also by the Presi-
dent, inasmuCh as he stands committed
in some shape to all its provisions.
The Presidents quarrel and rup-
ture with Congress was an unfortunate
mistake. From recent events, South and
North, it is clear that it will prove
fatal blunder to his administration un-
less he abandons it as the issue before
the people. The old contests in England
between King and Parliament are full OF
instruction on this subject"
Again, in its issue of last Saturday,
the Herald continues on the same sub
iect -
The fogs and cloudsin which the great
question of Southern restoration have
been covered up since the adjournment
of Congress are at length breaking
away. We know now what to do.
We have been taught by the famous
mariner Daniel Webster, after drifting
about for many days in thick weather
and in an unknown sea, to avail our
selves of the first glimpse of the sun for
an observation and reckoning, in order
to ascertain how far the winds and the
waves have driven us from our true
course. We thus find from the bearings
Of the Maine election that the true
course for the Southern States and the
administration is laid down in the con-
stitutional amendment of Congress. In
other words, we are convinced from the
significant results of the Maine election
that this amendment will carry all the
Northern States yet to come, and that
against the solid North any further re-
Sistance from the administration or the
excluded Southern States will be waste
of time, foolish and suicidal to all con-
cerned.
We would therefore urge upon Presi-
dent Johnson the statesmanlike policy
of truce with Congress, and an active
cooperation with the fixed and predomi-
nant public opinion Of the North, in be-
half of the immediate restoration of the
South on the basis of this constitutional
amendment. We have shown that there
is nothing in it which the President has
not himself at one time or another re-
commended as essential to the security
Of the Union. 1t is not the radical plan;
If iS cn, So ,af To no al a l;e