The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-07-31

i DNdNt OOuIib DunlbulUR Wlbn uut duu
imprisonment State Judges and other
| officials for the execution of State laws
| in conflict with lts provisions, and forbid
| ding any discrimination, in civil rl2hts, among
| inhabitants in any State. This Civil Rights
| bill was passed against the veto, which was
| based on grounds OF its alleged conflict with
| the Constitution. Thereupon the President was
| denounced and treated as having abandoned
| the Union party, and in league with the Rebels
| OF the Southern States ald from that time for
| ward the time and attention of Congress were
manly devoted to warfare upon the Executive
department of the Government, ana to the
| prosecution with renewed zeal OF its measures
| for reconstructing the Union upon the broad
basis of universal suffrage in the Southern
| States, without regard to race or color as the
essential condition OF readmisslon to the right
of representation in Congress-
Without going into further detail in regard to
its action, 1t IS sufficient to say that in all these
attempts at reconstruction upon q basis of its
own Congress failed. It passed no bill OF con-
tiscatiOn; none for ignoring or superseting the
local Governments OF the Southern States; none
for organizing territorial governments upon
their soil; none for disfranchisug their white
people, nor for conterring the right OF suffrage
on the colored race. All that II did on the
subject OF reconstruction was to submit to the
several states an amendment of the Constitu-
tlon, embodying () an equality of civil rights,
~ Federal representation based substantially
upon voters instead of population, (3) excluding
from office certain classes OF Rebels, (4) declar-
ing the public debt iuviolable, and tor
biuNlhE pay luGuJ lOI bllduClp pulGu bldNeS, anu
(5) giving Congress power to carry these
provisions into effect. And while these
amendments are indorsed by Congress
as in Themselves Just and desirable, their adop-
ton Is not made requisite as a condition OF
readmissOn to representation in Congress, out
that matter is LETT open, as heretofore, to the
constitutional discretion Of each House. And
one practical step towards restoration has been
taken in the admission Of members into both
branches Of Congress from the State Of Tennes-
see-eaCh House acting Tor itself upon facts
presented and not under any terms imposed as
conditions precedent, nor upon any theory
which denied the existence Of Tennessee as a
State in the Union and upon a footing of equal
rights and equal dignity with all the other
States.
II cannot be denied, therefore, that in spite of
its exclusion OF these States from Congressman
exclusion maintained throughout the session,
and broken at last only in the case OF Tennessee
Congress has failed tossanction any theory at
war with that OF the Executive department OF
the Government, OF to give practical eheCt to
any plan OF reconstruction hostile to that policy
OF restoration proposed by the President, of
admitting loyal representatives from loyal
States whenever they present themselves for
admlsslon-a policy at once more simple and
efectual, and lar more IN conformity with the
spirit and letter OF the Constitution. In spite of
the strenuous and determined efforts of the
extreme men who obtaneL at the outset lead
ing authority III the Union party and notwlth-
standing their apparent control OF It's action
upon questions OF theory, and upon general and
comparatively uplmportant points, they could
never bring 1t up, IN the inal test, to sanction
ing the practical measures by which they
sought to carry their theories into effect The
work OF restoration is thus lett incomplete. Con-
gress has failed TO respond to the irst eXpecta-
tions OF the country in this regard, and has LETT
to a future session one OF the most obvious and
important of the duties devolved upon it.
The action OF Congress upon other great ques-
tons which were fairly before it has been
scarcely more complete or satisfactory. 1t has
q lqNUN nj nj a ta yot huX yhIpb
some lmportan: industrial interests are seuslbly
relieved without impalrlug the public revenue.
1t imposes an excise OF three cents a pound on
cotton and TWO dollars a gallon on whisky,
while clothing and many other other articles of
indispensable utility are relieved altogether, or
The tax upon them is greatly lghtened. 1t has
tailed in reVislnG the tariff upon imports,
manly because it was too much under the
control OF special interests to enact law equal
and Just IL its 90 Grafton. IL has TO some extent
equaliZed the boundes paid to the soldiers of
the war, and has reorganlzed the army so
as to meet the most pressing wants of the
country. The House made a renZied and
rather foolish bid for Irish votes by attempting
to repeal the Neutrality laws in the Fenian
interest, but failed to secure the concurrence OF
the Senate, aud our foreign relations remain
untouched. 1t has given away to railroad and
other corporations some hundreds of millions of
acres Of the public lands, and has thus still
further diminished what, with proper care,
would have been an ineXhaustible lund for the
redemption of the pubic debt and the payment
of the expenses OF the Government. 1t has
increased the payment OF its own members from
$4,000 to $4,000 per annum, but has very nearly
equalized the aggregate expense of its sessions
by reducing their mileage from 40 10 20 cents
per mile, thus. reducing the aggregate paid
tor mileage from $4,000 to litlle
over 100000. It's general action in mat
tiers OF expense has been LAVISH where party
interests were Involved, and its general tenn
per throughout the session has indicated a
pretty close regard for securing the supremacy
OF the Union party in the future. But the tone
of Its debates has been courteous, elevated, and
much more free from partisan acrimony and
personal bitterness than usual. Both the Ian
guage and action of the Democratic portion of
both Houses have been marked bv Just and
lair regard for the interests of the nation, and
have indicated patriotic purpose to consult
the welfare OF the country rather than the mere
promotion OF party success. Many Congresses
have done more to meet the necessities of the
time, but none for many years mas been more
Tree from the rancorOus and reckless partisan.
ship which has sometimes done grieVous dis
credit TO our character as well as inflicted
serious injury upon our interest, than that
which has just closed its first and longest ses-
sion HENRY j, RAYMOND