The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-04-18
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1s, 1866.
RecOnstTuctiOn-PTO Probable Action OF the
Joint Committee.

Joint Committee.
THE problem OF reconstruction continues to
be the vital question before the country. 1t
must be so until it shall finally be solved.
There are rumors that the Reconstruction
Committee in Congress is about to report.
What will be the character OF that report
what its recommendations its policy
we are not informed. That some conditions,
as a prerequisite to the admission Of repre-
sentatives from the Rebel communities, will
be required, may be assumed as certain. The
idea that they are to walk in and take their
seats, as a matter OF right. from the mere fact
hat their communities inhablC portion of
the country which constitutes the United
States of America, is now pretty generally
abandoned.
Some propositions have been reported lately
to the Reconstruction Committee, which pos
sibly foreshadow some OF the features of the
policy to be proposed. Among them is the
following, which is said te be the suggestion
of Hon. ROBERT DALE OWEN. 1t is in
tended as an amendment to the Constitu
tom
Section one provides that on and after the4th
OIL July, 1916, tnerO snail De no INSTRUMENTATION Ill
the United states on account OF color; but tnat
all male citizens OF the age OF II years shall be
legal vO,ers at all elecuous, Federal and State.
Section two provides that Tor the period OF ten
years from the 4th oil July next representa- Ol
in Congress and Electoral votes for President
and ViCe.President shall be apportIoned accord
ing 10 the numb OF legal voters IN the respec-
tive States and after that period by population,
aS at DteSeW.
Section three declares that there shall be 20
discrimination OF civil rights from and after the
passage of this amendment, affirming in effect
the COnStitutlonalty OF the Civil Rights bill.
Section four provides that 40 obligations for
liabilities incurred in aid OF the Rebellion, Or
compensation for slaves emancipated by military
authority, shall be paid by the United States or
any State
To the foregoing is attached an enabling
act, which provides that when any one OF the
States lately in insurrection shall have rati-
fed The foregoing amendments ard changed
its Constitution and laws to correspond
Herewith, it shall be allowed to partici-
pate in legislation, and its Representatives
be allowed to take their seats in Congress,
without any other terms or provisions.
This plan, it will be seen, while going fur
ther, IS of the same general character as that
proposed by Senator STEWART, of Nevada,
and has some features in common with that
recently presented by Senator LANE, of
Kansas, and which he declared to be in ac-
cordance with the views OF President JoHN-
SON. 1t covers, first, the question OF suf-
frage by a universal rule, applying North
and South alike, but not to take effect until
1875; secondly. it meets the veXed question
Of the basis of representation in an equita-
BILE manner thirdly, it establishes the princi-
pie OF civil equality throughout the country !;
lastly, it guards against any payment by the
United States, or by any State, OF Rebel obli-
cations or of compensation for slaves.
That some or all of these points must be
met in any proposed plan of reconstruction is
quite evident, as they really cover the only
matters in dispute. 1t is possible that less
sweeping measure may be decided upon.
Nor do we consider it as at all impossible,
that Congress and the President may
yet harmonize upon substantially the same
plan OF action. Their differences hitherto go
rather to matters of detail than to principles.
The President himself has eXacted important
guarantees from the Rebel communities
Congress merely proposes to go still further
in the same direction. There must, there
fore, be some common ground upon which
they can stand. For the good OF the coun.
try, as well as for the continued unity and
power Of the great party which by its intelli-
gence and patriotism, has so far conducted
this struggle towards its ultimate triumph
we trust that this common ground may be
found and occupied.