The West Virginia journal. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1864-1877, 1866-03-28

universally. known as the restoration
policy Of the President. For it is wide.
Iiy misunderstood, at least strangely mis-.
rcpresented. We iu Tennessee, friends
and foes, can hardly fail to comprehend
lit. As the Military Governor of our
State, he adopted it with admitted snc.
cess. All remember his scheme for tho
county elections in March, 1864, the
Presidential election in November, and
the Constitutional election in February
following. They were all hold upon the
simple priacip!c that the political power
Of the State and the control Of the Gov
ernmcnt belong r;ghtfully to the loyal
people and to them a.onc. y rcpcrusal
Of his several rroc!amations would he
instructive. From his repeated utter
!anccs Of this seminal principle ofpoliical
growth, We may $e!cc; almost at random
/" In calling a ronvcn'icn to restore the
State, who shall restore and establish it :
Shall the man who gavc his means aud
Influence to destroy the Government
/ l. he ,c participate in the great work OF
re"r.anixr r:ion? Shall lie who brought
this risrry upon the State lie permitted
TO control its lrs'mies? Again, lie
asks. why all this blood AMI garbage
1t was that treason might be put down
aud traitors punished; therefore, say,
that traitors Shnmd take Il ha.k sea. j.,
the work Of restoration. If there should
! be but Gyc thousand men loyal to the
; ;Consliu,ion. loyal TO trcednm, loyal to
| Justice. these true and faithful men shall
control the work Q. reorganization and
reformation Absolutely Sill more eia
}ha,ir. if possible, are his declarations
ma,!c this very day to Committee from
the Legislature Of Virginia. "Thc rep.
rescutaliyes Of the >taies and Of the pco.
pic should have the qualifications pre-
<criLcl by thc Constitution Of the United
! States, and those qualifications most IN.
quesI;oanbly imply loyalty. lie who
cones as representative, having the
qua!idra,i"gs prescribed by the ConS'i'
tutinn, To fit them TO tai kr a seat in either
Of the dclihr:aiivc bodies which con
Ni;utc the National Legislature, must
nccc> >-ariiy, according TO the in'cndimca'
! of the Constitution, be loyal man
wi!Iiu- to abide and lie devoted to the
! union and The Constitution Of the intel
Sr.,re' :; :" " i :
SIN .Gia" ia'o the recent rebellion OF
resurrection against the Government OF
the United States, We erred and IN re
turning and rcsumiug our relations wit'
The Federal Govcrnm"nt, am.trre tl
say. tha; all the cc@rnn>ih!c portions and
places ought to lie contdcd distinctly
and clearly to men who are loyal. II
there were only five thousand loyal men
in u state, or Il irs, number, bu, sufficient
to take charge Of :he political machinery
OF a State, those five thousand men, or a
! less number, arc entitled to it. if all the
rest should he otherwise inclircl. |
! look upon i, as trias fundamental, M"'
, III" rr,rri;Sc Of p"i!'irnt porrr Sh""h' IN
cpnfn"d 10 "yni m"n.' After this, there
can he no dispute as to what the, Pres
idru,'S policy reai!y is.
, His language is neither amhlgnou:
nor obscure. 1t is in fact the same r'''
lev adopted ty the North CA"olinn
/ Glihcr> at the close Of the revolutionary
war. Wkile they were enaetinS " that
all marncr Of ucasOnS, mi$prS'n Of
treason, felony or misdcmeanor commit
ted or ,!ou" since he fourth day ofJuEy
in the wear of our Lord, seventeen hun
drcd and seventy six, by any person "I
persons whatsoever, be Prrdoncd
released and IN, in total Oblivion )
they at the sane time "frovl"ca, also
that nothing herein coutainSi shall en-
/ title any per>oa hy his 'nw to be
received, M,i.r nr L4 rIrr',t To any oil: I
or trust in the State. or to h"ii any
office, civil or miIi,ary.'; Nary!nHi
and pryhrp> S,mc others oF the old thi"
teen. dealt ont similarly restricted gen
erc>i,y 20 their tories.
The p9i,cy las been fairly tested ii
j Maryland, lir.inia. West Elr2inia
Kentucky, T.n~c>:>e, Missouri an|
Arkau<a>-i; has worked we'll. Wher,
it has been ahanl3ned, or even rcin%c!
and traitors re cnIranchiscl, a' in Er
yiuia, kentucky and Louisiana, there
trouble aud disorder prevail.
The condition Of the loyal Union peo
pie is little better than un'icr the d.s
no;i.m 0: the Southern CoH!rdcracy
What that was, =" Ask our friends il
!..as: Tennessee Fist Tennessee, Illus
,rioas in her sorrow and the blood O
her martyrs. Go 10 the prison Gel!
where hundreds pinel in wfctchclncss
father ,haa poliuta ,Eclr souls by swear
ins allegiance to i po"er they con
dcmned. Go to the :ibbct5 where th>
patriots llaun, and Harmon, the fa;hc
and the son, and llcn5ie and Fry, passc,
upward alons the Shining pathway t
glory. There see what treason did il
The p!eu,i;udc ori,s power; and what
wants but the opportunity to do again
Yes. by all means. let Us heart;ly. an
without question. inlvrs? the PresiIsn,'
policy, and repeat his funlamcn;a
axium that the exercise Of political pow
cr should bc couineI 10 loyal men natl
the sounding words shall be echoed from
: every Union mans hearth stone ans
l,,I ,I,,