, 1866-02-15
SENATOR HENDERsoN.

senator Henderson, OF Missouri, il the au-
lnof Of the constitutional amendment abolish
ing slavery, and has recently introduced IN
amendment to the Constitution extending the
suffrage to all male adult citizens without ro-
gard 10 color. In his recent speech on The
Presideat's policy, be uttered some sound and
statesmau1ik views which Indicate that he Is
disposed to make thorough work OF the qucs-
tions now before Congress.
He repudfated the Presidents rcconstruc-
tion proclamat'ons from first to last; contend
Ing that he had no right to prescribe the quail.
ncations Of voters rs be Ind done in each Of
them. &c also advocated an entire 1eorsanl-
zation Of the State Governments Ia each Of
tue reconstructing States, and demanded
that cyen the rebels, to whom
the President had granted amnesty,
should be deprived OF the elective franchise II
Congress had the power to do SO. He showed
that recent rebels Of the most malignant
type were assuming to advise the President
on the subject Of reconstruction, and that
thcir advice was listened to with respect,
while those loyal men Who had stood by the
country at all times were stigmatized by the
President As "the most dangerous men he
knew of." In view Of the leanings Of the
President, Congress hive plaiu duty before
them, to rcorgauizc the rebel States and fn-
rest their territorial governments with such
laws that tie Presidents so called Npolicy''
will be at an end. The time for debating
the Presidents. policy Is past No
body who has been loyal during
the war Is satisfied with II. and the moro tha
country has Of 1t the less 1t ukesit. Even the
conservative Republicans are only acting as
friendly committee to keep the President
from making oEcr his Office with all Its emo
luments to Coppcrheads and rcbals. They are
controlled By their fears, not led by their in
clinatious, to talk softly about the President.
But the position for Congress to assumc.t h,
! that if tho President can afford to commit
Jelo de &c, thcy can afford to let him. One
Thing Is certain-the Northern people will
not consent to the Presidents plan Of recon.
| strnction, excluding the colored people of
the south from citizenship. It is po1iti-
cian's trick to gain the Presidency by rebel
votes, and Is rank with present Injustice and
future trouble.
Let Congress abolish the whole plan at once
by rcorganiztng the rebel States under pro-
yisional or territorial governments, which
will afford m assurance Of equal rights aud
universal freedom.
The pretence that State cannot be de-
stroyed or taken out Of the Union is wholly
irrelevant to the question whether another
State government can bc substituted for the
one now existing. The doctrine that State
could not commit suicide was jnst as good
when President johnson came into office a.
II Is tc-day. Yet he ignored the Constitutions
and NIL the officers Of eight State Governments
and proclaimed eight new ones in their
stead. Then, If at all, was the time
when the doctrine of the immortality
and lndcstructfbl1ity Of State would have
been relevant. Congress has At least as much
right to improve on the reorganization Of the
zeconstructing States US the Prssident had
then, unless, indeed, the President has be-
come the lawmaking and treaty making pow
or, which VIC believe be is not Let the ma
tion's representatives carry out the views Of
their constituents, and let the Presidents re-
construction, or rather his reelection, policy,
to use Johnsonian expression, "get ont Of
the way" We trust Senator Henderson's
policy will prevail, and that the rebel State
Governments Will he reorganized, and that In
reoiganlzing them, the voting basis will be
such as to conform TO the genius Of freedom,
instead Of to fl,e phopf Of slavery.