The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1866-04-20
Reconsttuction.

whole question OF Reconstruction IN
the hands Of a committee - that
It refuses to admit the most loyal
men as Representatives from rebel
dom-that the loyal men of the South
have rights which Congress does moi
respect, DC, DC. t..
The great objection seems to be
this Congress docs not hasten to
admit Southern representatives" oil
other objections flow from this. !
propose to examine these and other
objections.
Some objectors admit that rebels
have no right to representation, but
claim that the loyal in such States
have right to run its machinery
Even was this position correct, which
It is not, IL Is well known that what
ever the rights OF the loyal men may
be they will In fact have no power
in the reconstructed States. The
rebels themselves, and not the loyal
men, at the suggestion of the Prcsi
dent, took the position. which they
claim entities them TO representation.
Men, who during the reSeiSion we've
true, were mostly absent when those
acts were done, and they dare not
return even yet to most places IN the
South. This of the loyal white man.
The loyal black man, or the loyal
man OF whatever color, who was not
voter in those States, under the
oil slave codes, were excluded from
voting by the very terms of the Pres
idents proclamation to those States.
say then, that il under the present
system representative are admitted
from the South they will represent
rebels, and not loyal men.
But it is not true that the loyal
men oil the South have constitutions
al right to representation. lst. IL
would not be safe to to allow a hand
ful of men who lived during the war
in the cane brakes or mountains TO
have as large Congressional rep
resentaiion as all the people Of their
States had before the war. Such a
principle would give to every loyal
South Carolininn thousand times
rs much national influence as q citi-
zen of Ohio od Those mon do not
belong to any State organization &C.
knowledged as such by any branch
of the Government. 1t is true that
the President and his friends claim
that they have State organizations
down South. But what respect has
the President for the play States es-
tabIished In the South at his dicta
tion ? He feels that they belong to
him and not TO their own free citi
zens--lence he holds those State
governments and legislatures under
a stern military rule. The courts
have not recognized those States, and
Congress has not. 1t may
he safe enough for Johnson to allow
the building ofthose State cob houses,
since he has so often shown how ca
silly he can kick them over or under;
but il Congress admits them rs States
and receives their representatives,
neither Congress nor the President
can so readily handle them in the
future. l suppose of course that
out of gratitude to the President the
South would send Congress ren duly
labeled johnson stock which would
be pleasant and polite, but would
give Johnson that dictatorial power
which he so much desires, and the
country can so i'll afford. 3d. Gov
ernment can protect the loyal people
of the South without admitting States
or State representation in all the
rights OF American citizens, until the
rebel control in the South ceases,
and rebel symptoms disappear; and
this is just what the true Union men
of the South ask.
1t is not true thut Congress has no
policy, and has taken no measures
for reconstruction. The Presidents
veto messages seem to indicate that
Congress has policy, and show
plainly that they have endeavorcd to
lay sure foundation for reconstruct
ed States in the South. The civil
rights of the South do not depend
in tho least upon representation in
Congress. III their local govern
ments are proper, those secure civil
rights, and ii improper Congress and
The courts must, under the Constitu,
ton, apply the corrective. Now, /,
is monifestly true that the local gov
of the South were and are
improper. They make very little
pretense Of protecting fre dmen in
their rights. and are wholly unsuc-
cessfnl in protecting their loyal white
citizens. What. under such circum
should Congress do ? Should
they, like fools. admit those corrupt
md oppressive, half-born and mon
'trous governments. the playthings
Jf President johnson, into the Union
,s States Or should they not rath.
,r. as in the Freedman's Bureau Bill,
'ay to rebels, GLANDS off the black
'oldier and his lamily;" and afford
national protection to those who
protected the nation? Should they
lot say for both the white and black
oyalist of the South, "your local gov
'rnnent shall have no power to op.
press YOU" as they do in the Civil
Fights act9 Those acts look very
much as il the settled policy of Con.
gress Is TO PBoTEcF THE YGIEsDs OF
rHs GoyERNMEsT, whatever becomes
Of its foes. Whoever this policy
hurts may nry-=a fow tears may help
10 induce true repentance.
AS to the obiectIon that Oon..n.,