The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-09-26

advanced in support of the Constitutional
amendment now before the States have become
satisfied that its prompt adoption Is the only
course left 10 head Off the rad Gals and speedily
restore the rebellious States to their proper posi-
tion in the Union;n that among those who have
embraced this opinion are "the Secretary OF the
Treasury, the Secretary of War, the Secretary
of the Navy, the Attorney-General and General
Grant;n that Postmaster-General Randall has
been profoundly impressed with the teachings
of the Maine election, as suggested in recent
Herald editorials; and that if in the coming
Northern state elections including New York,
the popular verdict shall support the judgment
OF Maine the President himself is prepared,
"wthout more ado, TO accept and to advise the
South to accept the proposed Constitutional
This then. is the position of President John
son at this crisis. 1t is the position of states
man who wisely stands ready to shape his policy
to the pressure of events, the drift of public
opinion, and the ADVANTAGES which may thus be
offered him in taking new departure. We per-
ceive, however, that in a late editorial of
Washington journal IN justification of the Pre-.
sidents opposition to the aforesaid amendments,
it is contended that he has never committed
himself to its condition of universal negro suf-
frage, nor to its alternative of taking from the
south all representation of the negroes.n We
think, however. that IN regard to this section of
the amendment, as to all the Others the Presi-
dent stands sufficiently committed TO the prin-
Clple involved to claim it as covering one OF his
own recommendations.
In the New York Herald of January 2s we
find in a telegTaphic despatch from Washington
an evidently authorized report OF a conversation
which took place the day before between the"Pre-
sident and distinguished Senator" In the
course OF this conversation on the general ques-
tion of Constitutional amendments, the Pres =
dent, after expressing his fears that such
amendments might be carried too far, suggested
the following as probably sufficient to meet the
necessities OF the day.
Representatives shall be apportioned among the
several States which may be included wi hIn the
Union according 10 the number of qualified voters in
each state.
Direct taxes shall be apportoned among the
several States which may be included within the
Union according to the ratio of all taxable property
in each State.
The second branch of this proposition NAV
here be dismissed, for the first covers our case
The reporter of this interesting conversation
goes on to say that 'such an amendment, the
President also suggested, would remove from
Congress all issues IN reference to the political
equality of the races;" that at would leave the
States to determine ab'olutely the qualification
OF their own voters with regard TO color; and
thus the number of representatives to which
they would be entitled IN CONGRESS- would
depend upon the number upon which they con-
terred the right of Suffrage The4e are the
Presidents wOr1s on the occasion referred to:
and we simply submit that the amendment sub
sequently adopted by Congress covers his own
proposition and his argument in reference to
suffrage and presentation. In fact, he has
good claim, as the original proposer, in some
shape or other, TO every condition of the
amendment now awaiting It's ratification by the
States.
On the 2lst day of January, this reported
conversation of "a distinguished Senator with
the President entered into the House DEBATE
on reconstruction. Mr. Stevens, of Pennsyl-
yanla, III the progress of this debate charac-
terized the report Of said conversation as "the
proclamation, the command or the President of
the United States, made and put forth by his
authority and lin direct violation of the pri-
ylleges OF this body" tnat if "made in that
way a few centuries ago to Parliament by a
British king, it would have cost him his head"
but that "we (meaning Congress) are tolerant
OF usurpation and abuse OF poWer.n Thus we
find that the rupture between the radicals and
the President was made by Stevens upon this
proposition of the President touching suffrage
and representation, which finally, in spite OF
Stevens, and all his efforts to defeat it, became
part and parcel of the reconstruction plan of
Congress.
With the facts and the evidence thus before
us that the Constitutional amendment passed
by Congress is not the plan OF the radicals,
but is substantially, from first to last the Pres-
nents plan. il is clearly not only his policy
but his right so to claim and urge 1t upon the
Southern States for their ratification, upon the
broad Ground that is their shortest and their
only safe and easy road to a speedy restoratio
a COnpTpSs