The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1866-03-01
Jl's Aprtolk gost.
THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 1865.
THE PRESIDENT DEFENDED.

taken up being the concurrent resolution
declaring that no Senators or Represen-
tatives from the lately rebellicus States
shall be received In either House until
such state shall have been declared by
Congress entitled to representation.
Mr.. Sherman took the floor. He COM
menced by remarking that the Senate
had decided on three occasions that Con.
gress had the power asserted In the reso.
| luton. The object of the resolution as
| IL WAS made to read was TO close agitation
on the subject. If he believed 1t would
have this effect he would vote for u
mach mole cheerfully than he would
otherwise, but he did not believe it would
close agitation. He regarded 1t as mere
straw in the storm, thrown In at an In.
opportunate moment, q mere assertion OIL
a right that could not be disputed. III
| Congress failed to agree very soon upon
q plan of reconstruction, be did not be-
lieve the pending resolution would pre-
vent either House from acting upon it,
own responsibility in the reception OF
| its own members. What was needed
was q plan of reconstruction from Con-
gress, upon which these Southern states
could be received back to the Union with
safety to the country.
The Wade and Davis BILL Mr.. Sher-
man said, was the only attempt ever
made by Congress to provide for civil
government in the rebel states. The
fate of that was we'll known, and 1t was
also we'll known that the manifesto is
sued by Messrs. Wade and Davis after
the bill had been vetoed did not meet the
approval of the people.
MIR. Sumner interrupted Mr.. Sherman
to say that Immediately after the proc
lamation of Mr.. Lincoln, respecting the
veto of the Wade aud Davis bill, he had
an interview with Mr.. Lincoln, and be,
(Mr. Lincoln) expressed his regret that
he had not approved it.
Referring to the lately rebellious states
Mr.. Sherman said they were states still.
They had been in insurrection, but every
branch of the Government had regarded
them as states, whose relations TO the
Government had been disturbed by the
war. The first duty of Congress were
to provide for taking these States back
one by one, each upon.its own merits.
Mr.. Sherman next compared the re-
construction policy of Mr.. Johnson with
that of his predecessor, Mr.. Lincoln,
showing that the one was continuation
vi
| Johnson's plan was the more severe in
| its requirements from the rebels. The
principal objections that had been made
against the President was that he had
not included the negroes among those
whom he declared entitled to vote in the
South. 1t should be remembered that
colored men were prohibited by law from
voting in the South, as they are in every
state in the Union, except six. The
| prejudices of the army were against 1t
also. In making laws the prejudices of
the people must be taken into consider
alton.
Mr.. Sherman next referred to the
speech made by the President on the
22d. He thought that no man who was
a friend of Mr.. JOhnson's would be un-
willing to wipe that out of his history.
1t was impossible to conceive a more
humiliating spectacle than that OF the
President of the United States address
| ing such crowd as called on him on the
ODD. He regretted especially the para
graph in that speech referring by name
| to Messrs. Stevens and Sumner. But 1t
should be remembered that Mr.. johnson
was combative man; that he had
| always been noted for his force in re-
polling assaults made upon him. Mr..
Sumner had recently accused him of
whitewashing, and, though no affront
was intended, this language was evil
IDENTIFY construed into an affront. 1t
could not be forgotten that Mr.. Stevens
proclaimed Andrew johnson an alien
enemy in the Baltimore Convention,
and that he recently said in the House
that for certain language used by the
| President British king would have
| 4, 10 hnod fvp hrtndrad
| These facts must be taken into consd-
Grafton in making up judgment upon
| this unfortunate speech. The most in
judicious paragraph in it was that which
charges certain gentlemen with conspi-
ring at his assassination. This was
simply ridiculous, and he believed there
was not a man in the country who
thought differently. Still, there was
much in the speech worthy of consid-
Grafton, prompted by his anxiety to see
| the southern states speedily restored to
their constitutional relations. He (Mr.
Sherman) did not approve Of the veto OF
the freedmen's bill. He voted for the
bill and against the veto, but still he
recognized in the veto no extraordinary
or Unauthorized act of the President,
and nothing but the exercise of con :
stituticnal right. While he was anxious
to see mode adopted by which loyal
men from the South might be admitted
to Congress, he never would consent to
the admission of any man who had taken
part in the rebellion, and he never woul6
vote for the repeal of the test oath. Ne
believed the people of the country de
manded change in the basis of repre-
sentation, so as to keep the rebel states
from coming back here with increased
representation, as they would do under
| the freedom of the blacks, according to
| the present basis. He believed the best
| and fairest basis of representation would
| be voters, and not population, although
he should promptly vote for the propo-
sition now pending in the Senate, which
recognizes population as the basis. He
did not believe Mr.. Summers proposition
to declare universal suffrage by an act
of Congress was practicable.
Mr.. Sherman said, i'm conclusion. /
have thus, Mr.. President, endeavored to
show that to this hour no act has been
done by the President inconsistent with
his obligations to the great Union party
| that elected him. Differences have
arisen, but they have arisen upon new
questions not within the Contemplation
of the Union party or the Union people
when the President was nominated. I
have also shown that he has acted in
pursuance of policy adopted by Mr..
Lincoln and approved by the people, and
| that no event has yet TRANSFERRED that
will preclude him from hearty CO.
operation with the great mass of the
Union party in securing to the country
the objects for which we conducted sue
ELL