Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1866-01-23

@AAs C0hgrRH8n NAR naV& uN#ed this upon
Ahe Rresi dents attenEioN and more
lave pressed pha.a policy 61 providing
rather By law than by Constitutional
amendment the guarantees which the
entire Union party, with exceptions too
Insignificant to be mentioned agree in
considering essential to any safe organi-
cation.
e To such suggestioustbe President has
replied that he considered Mr.. Ashley $
measure simply bill for the dissolution
of tie Union. He had risked his own
life and property to preserve the Union.
The people of The fcountry stood,
and had stood upon the position that the
rebellion was to- be put down and the
States thereby kept in the Union. Mr..
Ashley's bill now proposed to turn them
ont and prescribe conditions for their
retnrp. ~ VI NJ ~
He thought the true course for the
Union party to pursue was "with open
arms and cordial hands to welcome
these States into pafticipRtion in the
Gogernmenk H. Thcs 3 would have them
as the friends of the Union party, and
not make them its enemies by slamming
the door in their faces.
THE PREsIDENTas srATEMEsr OF HIS OWN
THEORY OF RECONSTRUCTION. al
In such connections the President has
more than once stated his own theory
of reconstrnction in words much more
explicit than have found their way into
public documents.
Daring the rebellion, the loyal Cow
eminent had in sense been overthrowu,
It was therefore the duty of the United
States and of the President, during this
time, to do all in their power TO secure
to these States Republican Governments.
This became especially his own duty, az
one charged with seeing that the laws
were executed. His own action in pre-
scribing terms upon which these States
should DO recognized, in so far as he
had prescribed any, notin harmony with
their forms Of State Goyernment,. or in
SO far. as il seemed to imply, that they
would not be recognized as States.unless
they complied with his conditions, was
in reality, and was meant to be only adj
visory, He had not intended that his
oSn requifements should beiconsidered
as conditions precedent, which the Exec.
utive, or any branchy or all branches of
the Government had any right to exact
before these States should be entitled to
recognition as States in the Union. .aza
In fact, these States we're entitled to
be represented in Congress. all through
/ the rebellion. Indeed there Scds greater
reason for their being then represented
than there qcds at other times, I Con-
gress had repeatedly dealt with them as
States during the rebellion Members
from Virginia, for example, were ad.
mitted. Direct taxes were apportioned
among them just as among the other
States. The 9Th section. OF the act Of
the 7th of June, 1861 in it's latter
clauses recognized the same principle.
The rebel States are therefore now III
the Union. Indeed, their governments
are more republican, more democratic,
more in harmony with the spirit Of our
institutions, than they ever were before.
If Congress would only look out there
now, it would see Legislators, Govern
ors, State officers of all grades, members
of Congress, all elected by the people;
Courts IN session, taxes being COLLECTED,
mails being carried Surely these made
States in the Union, if they were ever
In ~ haR sfaedl4 NItW t-4A AamWH d
. : sfss asa, 81 af ,91e io siria 4ssaalG aHf
OF TH@ ADMISSION OF SOUTHERN MEMBERS