The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1866-11-20
.xt Wight Have Been"

good of the past, to thhK OF say, II
,rch \ man had continued TO live, or II
Sucb thing had been done, we would
not now be enduring the ills that have
come upon u.s." The poet WHITTIER,
has said:
.,Ot all sad words from tongue orpen.
The Sldiest are thcse-it might have been
---. - Ill +hiS men are much accnS-
toned to use these words and to indulge
in fruitless regret for the course of past
events.
In the political world there has been
much of this kind of speculation, and
men have been recently asking them
selves what would he the present situa-
tion of political affairs had ABRAHAM
LINCOLN lived until the present day, and
ANDREW JOHNSON were now Vice Pres
ident of the United States. Such spec
ulation is, in the main, Improbable and
useless, but in this case, ii may serve
an useful purpose in showing how far
the radical party has exceeded the ut
most limit of the power claimed by MIR.
LINCOLN over the people of the south
em States. Mr.. LINCOLN was the cho-
sen leader of the Republican party; he
enjoyed its most implicit confidence; lie
exercised over it n greater power OF
control than any political leader i'll
this country ever before was capable OF
swaying: he was revered and almost
worShipped as 4 man, and his behestS
were the law Of his party. 1t may
therefore do some good and awaken to
reflection some man who believed in
and reverenced the dead President, tC
show, from his actions and motives
while living, what would probably
be his course were he still
in the Presidential chair.
Ii cannot be denied that President
LINCOLN seemed personally anxious for
the restoration of the Union. He al,
ways desired the Southern States to re-
turn to their constitutional relations in
the Union and he mantle sted this de-
sire in his various proclamatiOns and
other official acts. In the winter of
1868 he proposed plan of restoration
which provided that if even one-tenth
of the inhabitants Of any Southern
State should take an oath of allegiance
10 the Constitution of the United States
Government and form State Govern
ment, that State would be recognized by
MN ~ regal ana reSular, au,, tno u.I,-
gates sent to represent that State
slould be admitted to the National Con-
greSs. He did not ask of them an oath
that they had never committed acts of
rebellion, he did not propose to insti-
tute any inquiry concerning the past;
all he desired was their promise of good
conduct in the future. With his full
arprohation, a State Government was
formed in Louisiana, (thc same that the
radicals attempted to overthrow last
summcr.) and, under the operations of
the same principle, representatives from
Virginia. Tennessee, and other States
now excluded, were admitted to seats
in Congress.
When. in 1SGI, Mr.. LINCOLN published
his famous letter headed ''To Whom it
NAY Concern" promising the restora-
ton of the Southern States to all their
rights in the Union upon condition that
they would abolish slavery, the New
York Times, and other organs of the Re-
publican party in that day, questioned
the right of the President to demand
even this asa condition of srcstoration ,
and argued that the Constitution of the
United States warranted the imposition
of no condition of reunion beyond mere
compliance with the terms of the origi-
nal compact.
After the reelection of President LIN
CoKS and after the surrender OfGcneral
LEES army (the liberal terms accorded
To which by the Presidents authority
made for him hosts of friends among his
former opponents and disarmed many
foes of his administration Mr.. LINCOLN
feared that the people of the South
would be sullen and morOse and would
refuse to send representatives to the
Federal Congress. In conversation with
leading men of his own party, he advo-
Gated the adoption of constitutional
amendment making it compulsory upon
the Southern States to send representa-
tives.
So far, then, as we are able to judge
from his actions while President of the
United States, and from the opinions ht
expressed during all his administration
and ND to the time of his death, ABRA
HAM LINCOLN desired the immediate
restoration of the Southern States t.
their constitutional relations in the
Union, and was intlexibly opposed tc
any such scheme of exclusion as is now
being practiced by the radical party il
Congress. 1t is fair to presume that
had he lived until now and firmly main
tained the principles which he avowet
during the entire term of his admins
tration, he would to-day be as bitterl!
assailed by the radical politicians a
i, ANDREW JOHNSON, his successor. Th'
restoration policy marked ont by Mr
JOHNSON approaches more nearly T.
that demanded by the radicals than dit
that proposed by President LINCOLN
The people of the Southern States have
in obedience to executive recOmmenda
tion, abolished slavery; they have repu
dated the rebel debt; they have sol
emnly guaranteed the payment of thei'
portion of the Federal debt; they hav'
complied with all the conditions aske'
or .box,, fe,r mora than Mr. IIScOIN