The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-03-08
A Test Case for the President.

A Test Case for the President.
From the Tribune
Whether the Rebel States shall be admitted
promiscuously, or whether each shall be heart
on its own merits, are questions upon whiol
Congress and the President differ. Congress
proposes to consider each application. TIL,
President insists that all the States are recon
structed according to his method, and should
be admitted. he could not, therefore, iustl,
object 90 having the whole question tried OF
the evidence in any one Of his eleven cases
Suppose Congress should adopt his view, anC
agree to examine the credentials Of Louisiana
as specimen State. She is dodbly fortunate IL
having sent not only Senators and Represents
tives to Washington but also q Delegate. claim
ing to represent The Territory of Louisiana. The
latter, the Hon. II. @, Wmmoth, has collected
In pamphlet of great ability, the leading facts
and arguments on the general question.
IL appears there are two Constitutions of Loui
siana in existence. One is the amended Con-
stltution OF 1861, which requires the officers of
the State Government to swear allegiance to the
Confederate States Probably that instrument
VIII be admitted to be somewhat imperfect
basis tor the Congressional representation OF the
State. The other Ia the Constitution framed by
convention called under a military order,
known as General Order No. 36, dated at the
headquarters of General Banks, March II, 1864.
In this order, no respect was paid to any previ-
Gus organic law. 1t was based on the supre-
macy OF military law, carried by military
force, temporarily sustained by the same means,
and ever since, down to this day, has been
upheld, overridden, or disregarded at the discre.
tion OF the military authorities. 1t was ratified
by 6S36 votes to 1865 against it; the whole being
cast in twenty parishes, while in twenty-eight
parishes no elections were held. In 1860 the
vote in these twenty parishes was 26,694; the
whole vote OF the State, 50,5lO. So much for
the popular" character OF the Constitution on
which the existing State Government is or
ganized.
There are three parties in Louisiana The
Democratic" party, which at the last election
cast 23, 600 votes, denounces in its platform the
government under which it voted as the .'crea-
Iion OF maud, violence, and corruption" The
Repuoncan party, casting 10, 600 votes white
ana black, ignores the Constitution wholly, de.
clarlng There has been no State Government
here save that which the Governor tempered
Dy the mllltaIy authorities, saw fit to give u.s."
There is third party, calling itself Conserya.
tive, and which naturally omts to have any
opinions IN its platform; but its leaders, one or
whom was claimant Tor a seat in the last Con-
Sgress, are sending letters to Washington urging
congress 10 protect them from the very Govern
ment IN virtue OF whose title they before asserted
the right oil the State TO representation.
=, we turn from an inquiry into the origin of
TINS Government to an inquiry into ITS charac.
ter, we find that it is to-day nothing but a ma.
chime for restoring 10 political DO wer the Rebels
who, in 1861 against the kno 1n majority of the
people, engineered the State out of the Union
composed almost exclusively of persons lately
In lnsurrectlon against the Government The
courts charge the grand iuries that it is treason
TO advocate equal suffrage. The Executive is a
RENEGADE radical, who has abandoned the party
which originally elected him LieutenantGov-
ernor, gone clean over to the Rebels, proclaims
the dlsorganlzation OF ''the Abolition party
spite OF It's apparent success in the wal, - and
predicts its death as a result Of an attempt to
enforce taxation for the maintenance of
the pubho credit. He has organized militia
to protect Rebels and harass loyalists.
General John Scott, of the late insurpent
forces, is General John Scott of the Louisiana
militia; Colonel Louis Bush, of the c.. S, A,
forces, is low Colonel Louis Bush of the Louisi.
ara militia. Soft is over the whole State of
Louisiana. Rebel soldiers otfcered by Rebel
officers, with Federal arms, are to be- the mill
tary questloners of the rights liberties and
property OF Union men. These are to have no
voice at the ballotbox which will be heard and
they have no arms given them to protect thom-
selves against outrage and oppression, The
Legislature backs up the Governor with a
law prohibiting "any person or persons to
carry firearms on the premises or plantations
OF any citizen, without the consent of the
owner or proprietor, other than in lawful dis
charge OF civil or military order under
penalty OF fine and Imprisonment In pursuit
OF Inc same policy, the schools tor the freedmen
have been discontinued all over the State while
the freedmen are heavily taxed to support
schools from which they are excluded Cases
OF indictment by tue grand jury, mock trial be-
loIc u heOel court, ana imprisonment t0f the
otense of loyalty, are perfectly well authenti.
Gated. That sort of law is mercifully reserved
for the whites. For the blacks we find code of
laws establishing system oil serfdom, forbdding
the Tree passage OF blacks from one plantation
TO another, and under the form of apprenticeship
and yagrant laws, re-enacting slavery in fact
The details OF these statutes we have heretofore
explained, and need not repeat.
Such is iaint and imperfect picture of one
State that by the mouth OF the President pre-.
sents itself as member of the Union, and de.
mands immediate admission to Congress. Its
claim has no single element of legality or of
loyalty. The Government OF the State is re-
publican neither in form nor IN substance. The
commonest rights not merely OF the freedmen
but OF the wnlte Unlonists OF the State, are con-
temptuously denied. There may, or may not
be, any other State which presents In any re.
spect better record, or better evidence of
loyalty to-day But what we say is, that this IS
one of the eleven States the immediate admis-
sion of all of which IS urged by the President as
not merely advisable but imperative; and the
merits his advice must be Judged oy its effect
in This one instance. If it be del led that the
test is a fair one, we revert Immediately to the
theory of Congress, that the claims OF each State
shall be considered separately; and each ad-
mit'ed OF rejected on its merits. Which alter
native VIII the friends OF the Presidents
Policy" accept?
The Canadian Ministers on the Reciprocity
Negotiations.
Frf0 fbe TifnsR