The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-09-10
a Few Questions for A. John.on.

~ rev &GtteStlOuA IOF ~ bOunhOus
10 the Editor ofthc Detroit Post:
SIR-Accor1ing to the published pro-
grnmme OF Mr.. Johnson's electioneer-
ing tour, he is to be in this city to-day,
and will undoubtedly repeat one of his
selt-glOrihcation speeches, and his
charge of trensOn against the loyal peo-
pie OF the nation because the Y refuse to
sustain his reconstruction policy. IbeR
leave, therefore, with all the respect to
which he Is entitled, to request that af-
ter he shall have exhausted his rhetoric
on these points, and proved that the ex-
istence of the nation depends upon the
defeat OF the party which carried it safe
~ through its four years struggle with
his present rebel and copperhend sup
pOrters and their restoration to power,
he will answer the following questions:
,FTrSt-.W1s tho appointment of Pro-
visiOnal Governors for the rebel
"Stntes," and tho dictation of certain
conditions which they must adopt be-
fore their forfeited rights could be re-
stored, consistent with your present
theory that these States were never out
OF me Union. and that the moment the
rebels laid down their arms, they were
entitled to nll the rights and privileges
under the Constitution that they pos
sessed before their revoltH
SecOnd-Do you believe now, az you
so emphatically declared you did du-
ring tho rebellion, that treason was the
greatest and most infamous of all
crimes, and that it must bo made OdiOus
aud traitors punished7
Ihlrd-Dou you believe now as YOU did
then, that il there were but Rve thousand
loyal men In u rebel State, they should
possess the power to organize and con-
trOL new State government
EOHTki-DO you believe now, as you
did then, that portion. of the freed
mon, possessing certain qualifications,
should posses tho rightto voter If YOU
hnV0 changed your views on these
points, is 1t asking too much that you
should give us tho reasons for such
changer
F'Vth-In which way has Congress
forfeited tho right which you declared
it pos sessed In AN official dispatch to
one of your Provisional Governors, to
decide the whole question of recon-
struCtiOn? And in what part OF the
Constitution do you now find provis-
ion giving you authority for taking this
right from the peoples lawfully elected
representative?
SiTth-DO you believe any justice is
dOno to the rebel States by the Com
gressiOnal Amendment to the COnstitu-
ton requiring them 10 accept the same
bnSis of representation AS the loyal
Statos,-or in other words, arc you in
hIvOr of giving them thirteen additional
Representatives In Congress as re-
ward for their treason, and taking them
from tho loyal North and after the
next census thiTty-tLOO more represen-
tAtives than the same number of loyal
Northern people will be entitled to?
!SeTenLh-lf Congress is an illegal and
unconstitutional body, whose acts are
entitled to our respect, and are of no
binding force. why have you opposed
so many of the measures it has passed,
and how do you reconcile with duty
and honesty your vigorous enforcement
of all such as happen to meet your
present views, or can be made to sub
serve your present purposes
EIghth-lf Louisiana was "A constitu
tiOnNlly reconstructed State, as YOU
have so often proclaimed all the rebel
States to be, where did you get the au-
thority to forbid her loyal peOJ rom
penceably assembling to consL lpon
public affairs, to remove by military
force her lawfully elected Governor, to
proclaim martial law, and above all, to
encourage n system of measures which
you knew would lead to an indiscrimi-
nate massacre of these loyal citizens?
Ninth, and JfMdLLy-WaS II an act wor-
thy the President of the United States.
and consistent with ordinary decency
and honesty to garble some, and sup
press others ofGeneral Sheridan's ofii-
ciRl dispatches in regard to this wicked
and unprovoked massacre in order to
screen the real authors, and throw the
responsibility upon the innocent VIC
Tins?
Ifthe President will satisfactorily an
swcr these questions, he will do much
to remove the impression that now OK
lists in the minds of the loyal people in
Michigan that he is not only traitor
to his purity and the country, but a
moan and vulgar political trfckster.
We do not ask him to spare us the
gross insult OF repeating his Infamous
charge of disunionism and treason
against tho $4,000 of brave men who
aided and volunteered from this State
to aid his illustriOus predecessor to save
the nation, and tho fathers, and brothers
and sons ofthose whose bones are now
bleaching on rebel soil. That is part of
his programme, and is necessary to se-
cure and retain the confidence and APP
proval OF rebels and copperheads. But
we hnve right to ask him for the rea-
sons which have induced him to turn
his back upon all his professions, and
violate all his pledges before demand
ing over tho surrender OF our princi
plcS and convictions.
HlGH PRIVATE.