The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1866-09-27
The Radical Prsgramme--Whnt Thad.
Stevens Intends 20 do.

III Wuitn hN ANAly eA"NAC7tD 49, 1890
he intends TO pursue when Congress
re assemblies. Stevens is the unques-
toned leader Of the Radicals in Con
gress. 1t is true that he has not sue
ceeded in all that he proposed, but yet
scarcely a measure was adopted against
his advice, and his supremacy as their
leader is admitted by all.
He complains that the action Of
Congress was too moderate towards
the South, and looks TO the fall cleo
tons to bring them up to the mark.
The great influence that Stevens
possesses with his party in and out OF
Congress gives Importance to
his utterings, and should the Radicals
be sustained by the elections soon to
occur in the Northern States, we may
look for him to be able to control q
majority Of Congress, and establish
himself as the dictator Of their legisla-
ton.
A wild fanatic, filed with hatred OF
the Southern people, he fearlessly
takes the ground in the speech before
us, thatthe people of these States have
no rights whatever, can claim nothing
under the Constitution, and that Con
gress in its legislation towards us is
limited only by is oaen wiH Accord
ing to him our lives, fortunes, pro
perty rights of every kind are at its
absolute disposal.
He holds that the Constitution has
been utterly abolished by the war, and
says there is no principle clearer than
that in war, all the former obligations,
treaties and compacts between the
parties become null and void, and after
the war, are to be renewed or repudia-
ted as the parties agree, or as the con
queror DEGREES.
He complains at Congress for not
treating the rebel States as conquered
provinces. and says that thorugh ena-
bling acts they could hare fired the quail
fcations Of voters so that eVery loyal man
could participate in The formation Of their
organic law.
The following extract from the
speech referred to explains fully what
this prince of the Radicals desires to
accomplish. He says:
Not rebel State has this day a
lawful Government They are mere
Territories conquered by our arms
from the Confederate States of Amer
ica.p Why then did not Congress
give them either Territorial Govern
ments or enabling acts so that they
could form State Governments, and
come into the Union with constitutions
securing equal and impartial rights to
every human being within their limits 2
Early ia the session / introduced a
bill to give them enabling acts on the
true principles of republican govern
ment. 1t met with but little counter
ance. The republican mind had not
examined, and was not ready to accept
so radical proposition. And so the
session was spent in inaction. You
may find my proposition, together with
the reasons for it, in the last number
of the Globe wish it might be copied
into your excellent paper so that you
may judge ofit. trust you can in
form us of its propriety. / shall re-
new it at the next session.
In my opinion, Congress was dere-
lict in another particular. 1 have al
ways held that while but few of the
belligerents should suffer the extreme
penalty of the law, yet sufficient fund
should be levied out of their property
to pay the expenses and damages of
the war. Congress in July, 1852, de-
clared all their property forfeited, and
directed the President to seize it for
the benefit of the United States more
than ten billions of property thus be-
came vested in the United States. Pro-
ceedings against more than two bill
lions of property, including the aban-
doned estates, had been instituted and
were in progress. The President has
restored to the traitors nearly the
whole of it. Thus has he illegally Civ
en- away half enough to pay the ma
tional debt. He has enriched traitors
at the expense of loyal men. And yet
Congress, bold as it was, had not the
courage to reverse these proceedings
and compel the Executive to do his
duty. / trust that our constituents
will give us more courage, so that at
the next session we may compel the
President to do his duty and execute
the laws. Those are omissions which 1
frankly confess and sincerely deplore.
But our growing sin was the omission
to give homesteads and the right of
suffrage in the rebel States to the freed
men who had fought our battles. We
have left them the victims Of the rebels
who every day shoot them down in
cold blood. At Memphis, forty-eight
were murdered under the direction Of
the municipal authorities, and not a
man prosecuted. Behold the awful
slaughter Of white men and black-of
a Convention Of highly respectable
men, peaceably assembled in COnven-
ton a. Nan Orleans which Cen Char-