The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1866-05-22

your power? That, sir, 10 the great
question before this House and the Auer.
lean public. 1t is 40 effort on the part Of
the Opposition to carry into the politics
Of the country the old problem BY which
sixteen is made the majority of forty nine.
To England il is called the system of "rct.
ten boroughs." It has long been the
subject of political strife between the free
and slave labor counties of Maryland, Vir.
ginis, and Tennessee. And when it is
everywhere else abandoned as pernicious
and auti-republican theory of representa-.
ton, we are asked to make it the basis Of
reconstruction in the model Republic.
The enactment of these two simple and
brief amendments, CT others similar in
purpose, is so absolutely necessary for the
preservation of the Republic and the dis
charge of its obligations to its soldiers
and creditors, and is SO just and even
generous to the insurgents, that they
ought to receive the assent of every Union
mao, especially of every northern Union
man. The Opposition do not dare to dis
cuss their merits. While some deny that
We have any plan of reconstruction, Others
assail it with iusidious and deceptive OBJ
jectious. Some of these l propose to
uotica here.
First of all, they complain of the COD
sumption of time Five months have
passed, aud not a rebel admitted, is the
complaining accusation. The Opposition
are Impatient. They cannot wait. Come
In at once, say they, to the 'erring breth-
rem" Do not wait to drop your side
arms or exchange your dlsloyal garments.
Bills 10 protect the loyal men of the South
against your pretended violence are pend
ing now, come and help defeat them. We
will soon bave bills to enlarge pensions
and equalize bounties to the soldiers you
have maimed and the widows you have
made; your advice and votes will be
needed. A bill to give bounty land to
the "boJs in blue" could not be defeated
nor the "butternuts" included without
you. 4 bill to lift the burdens Of taxa
ton from the industry Of the country and
place it upon your foreign confederates,
through exported cotton, will need your
attention. Hurry up your organizations.
Do not wait to heal lips blistered with
double oath of broken feaIty before you
kiss the holy Evangelists with another.
We have buried our sons and are Ian
gushing to clasp the hands of their muir
derers. When once admitted, deny that
you ever tried to break up the Govern
ment, but swear on all occasions that the
Lincoln party we're aud are the traitors.
The complaiDants have ouly themselves
to blame for much of this delay. Except
for their persistent opposition the amend
meuts would have been submitted months
ago to the Legislatures then in session in
The loyal States, and been assented to, no
doubt, by the constitutional number.
Except for their own opposition they
might now be welcoming back their loog.
incurred friends to seats in these Halls
But they would consent to nothing that
did not return them greater in numbers,
and more maIevolent in purpose. Hence
the delay. Hinc i0B lacrims
Next we are told that it conflicts with
the "Prssident's policy" What i, the
Presidents policy? aver, first, that
the President, when last authoriiatively
heard from, was in favor of the principle
embodied 10 each of the proposed amend
ments. Of the FIRST one, because he re-
ou,red the confederate States to adopt it
of the secopd ooe, because he has repeat
edIy declared himself in favor of making
the nuuber Of voters the basis of repre-.
sentatiou. aver, second, that he does
not consider the status of the States such,
that their assent to constitutional amend
me1ts cannot be required as conditions
precedent TO their restoration, because he
directed Mr.. Seward to inform these
States that their assent to the amendment
proposed in the last Congress was "indis-
pensabls" to restoration and because he
has cot himself dealt with them as if they
were States already in the Union. Gov
errors, Legislatures, judges, and full
set of county and township officers were
at work under constitutions once declared
to be republican in form by the United
States. These governments were regular
unless you assent to the doctrine Of for
feiture, for they had political continuity,
what the church people call apostolic sue
cession. Yet they were destroyed by the
Presidents order and new ones extern
porizsd it their stead.
From that time to this, in these States,
the breath of the President has been the
law of the land. Mr.. johnson went much
further in this directieu than his prede-
cessor. Mr.. Lincoln established govern
ments culv in States where he found none
existing before, but Mr.. johnson first
destroyed existing governments and then
supplied their places with those of bis
own creation. So, both BY words, and
o.,;o2. rh;ob rraaL l,odar thap words