East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1866-11-01
LINcoLy,s LAST SPEECH.

On the evening of the 18th day of
April, 1865, the people in Washing
ton called on masse upon President
Lincoln to congratulate him on the
success of our armies. This was
three days before his death, and the
speech he then uttered was the last
speech of his life. Let his old friends
read it. He said:
ave meet this evening, not in sor-
row, but in gladness of heert. The
evacuation of Petersburg and Rich
mond, and the surrender of the prin-
cipal insurgent army gives hope of a
righteous and speedy peace whose
Joyous expression cannot DO restrain
ed. In tho midst Of this. however.
He from whom oil blessings flow must
not be forgotten.
"By these recent successes, tho re-
inangllration of the national authori-
large share of thought from the first,
is pressed much more closely upon
our attention. II is fraught with
great difficulty. Unlike the case of a
war between independent NATIONS,
there is no authorized organ for us to
treat with. No one man has author
ity to give up the rebellion for any
other man. We simply must begin
with and mould from disorganized
and discordant elements. Nor is il
small additional embarrassment that
we, the loyal people, differ among
ourselves as to the mode, manner, and
measures of reconstruction. SSg
GAS general rule, abstain from
reading the reports of attacks upon
myself, wishing not to be provoked
by that to which / cannot properly
offer an answer. In spite of this pre-
caution, however, it comes to my
knowledge that am much censured
from some supposed agency in setting
UP and seeking to sustain the new
State government Of Louisiana. In
this have done just so much and no
more than the public knows. In the
annual message Of December, 1868,
and accompanying proclamation, i
presented plan OF reconstruction las
the phrase goes) which / promised, if
adopted by any State, should be ac-
ceptable to and sustained by the Ex-
ecutive Government of the nation.
l distinctly stated that this was not
the only plan which might possibly
be acceptable; and 1 also distinctly
protested that the Executive claimed
no right to say when or whether
members should be admitted to. seats
in Congress from such States. This
plan was, in advance, submitted to
the Cabinet, and distinctly approved
by every member of it, One of them
suggested that should then, and in
that connection, apply the emancipa-
ton proclamation TO the heretofore ex-
cepted parts of Virginia and Louisi-
ana; that should drop the suggestion
about apprenticeship for freed people,
and that L should omit the protest
against my own power, in regard to
the admission of members of Con-
gress; but even he approved every
part and parcel of the plan which has
since been employed or touched by
the action of Louisiana. The new
Of Louisiana, declaring
emancipation for the whole State.
applies the proclamation to
the part previously excepted. 1t
does not adopt apprenticeship for
freed people, and it is silent, as it
could not be otherwise, about the ad-
mission of members of Congress.
So that as it applies to Louisiana, ev-
cry member of the Cabinet fully APP
proved the plan. The message went
to Congress, and i received many
concentrations of the plan, written
and verbal; and not single objection
10 it, from any professed emancipa-
ZIONIST, came to my knowledge, until
after the news reached Washington
hat the people of louisiana had be-
gun to move in accordance with it.
From about July, 1862, had CORES
pended with different persons, sup
posed to be interested, seeking a re-
of State government
for Louisiana. When the message Of
1868, with the plan before mentioned
reached New Orleans, General Banks
wrote me that he was confident the
people, with his military cooperation
would reconstruct substantially on
bok ,,1au ~roto b,v,, A., bav oonos