, 1866-06-15
FRIDAY. JUNE Is, 1866.
PROGRESS OF RECONSTRUCTION

no unnecessary 0elay IN the loyal portion OF
the Union. The Southern States will wait tor
the coercire persuasion Of the President,
md II encouraged BY him to oppose the
Congressional policy, or IL they are even
feebly and le,t-handedly advised to adopt 1t,
or do as they please, they will avail them
solves Of the permission Of their autocrat to
reject 1t with their ola " hlfalutin" scorn
and chiyalsous disdsin. But If the Pre4,dent
conforms TO the action Of Congress and sim
ccrely demands lis adoption by them, 1t will
probably be reluctantly adopted.
Whether the President will thus use his
Influence he himself probably does not yet
know. At all events he will not MAKE 1t
known until Congress shall hare completed
their reconstruction scheme by their action
upon the two bills reported by the Recon
struction Committee, in connection with the
Constitutional Amendments. One of these
is an enabling act defining the terms upon
which the seeded States may be readmftted
into the Union, and the other, IN act impos~
ing certain disabilities upon participants in
the rebellion. Congress has taken no action
on either Of these, prefes4iug first to dispose
Of the proposed Constitutional Amendment.
Since the Committee Teportcd+ at least two
substitutes for the enabling act reported by
The Committee, have been offered in the
Honse, one py Thaddena Stevens himself,
and the other by Jndee Kelley, Of PennsTlva-
nia- Each Of these declares the ssceded
State Governments invalid u State Govern,
-meuts, and usetul only for municipal pur-
poses, and authorizes the formation Of
valid State Governments In their stead.
For this purpose the present
Military Governor In each State
is authorized to order by proclamation an
election Of delegates to convention for the
formation Of State Constitution. At this
citizens. irrespective Of color, to yote, except
those who have held Office under sworn
allegiance to the Confederate States., NJ.
Kcley's proposition allows all who can read
to vote, irrespective Of color. Both provide
that the Constitution Of the reconstructed
States must secure equal political rights to
white and black before it, representatives
shall he admitted TO Congress- Neither Of
these propositions may be positively inoon-
sistent with the action Of Congress In adopt
ing the Constitutional Amendment Yet
the tone and spirit manifested by Congress In
The discussion Of the Constitutional Amend
ment, forbid III to hope that policies so wise
ly Just. and thoroughly erpedient in the long
run, as those Of Messrs. Stevuns' and Kelley
will be adopted. Fortunate would 1t be
for the country, In our Judgment, If
Congress were alive to the I'M
ponance of securing impartial suE-
trage and political rights to the colored
race while they have the power. Bnt slnce
Mr.. Stevens remarked Congressmen are stmtp
and mol ange1s," which ne suppose means
that having The full opportunity to do right
they arc weak1y ashamed to do. otherwise
than wrong, We must accept the partial good
they give Us with gratitude that 1t Is some
thing better than the p-sa1dcnt's recrfanrv
If successful would have 1elt to us. We In.
ter, therefore, that the enabling net az passed
will not dlfler materially from tho from the
form in which It was reported BY the COM
mtttec. An effort will he made to amend It,
50 that each seeded State on adopting It
shall be entitled to admission into Congress
without waiting for the action OF the others,
or until the amendment II whole shall be-
come part Ct the Constitution. Wt hope
this effort viii not succeed. 1t may operate
as trap to introduce into the Senate suth-
cient number OF Southern mem oers to con-
troll that body belore anything Is made Sc
cure. II this were permitted the old Cop
perhead and new rebel members uniting could
admit the others without waiting for the
passage of the Constitutional Amendment,
and thus the whole policy Of Congress Be rs
completely ioi]ed As Il they had admitted the
rebel members last January. Mr.. Raymond,
l., lettcr tn the New York Timer indicates
tha, fhe president,s hencl,nen in both bouses
ril, labor to induce Congress to pass no
cnan1,n,r act whatever. in order to avoid the
Pres,dent,s veto. which Mr.. Baymoud a.
sumca il ,ne,tta1,1e to any enabling act. He
a,p1,rs that Cnncress mar. nv mere foipt
,eso,ntim .f bntf homes. erclude sopthern
members un,;1 .bc nronosed Constitutional
A,n,,d,no,t shs1, ~ n.,.ad .,d. .h.t more
thon Ills IL MT ,aoded, Tittle Par,nnna
49,, ,hte .tana-,o,nt ta1t. nn.n+lv ~ +he
;aa~,.a,o,nx ,f ,,nnors.e,r,,r stirr5nr ~, ~,
n..ass..- n. - ~ -. s...r-ss.sa,. -
ess.s,...e ~ $50. ~ ~ ss,1.s 49, | ~ p.ns,ia,s.
- ,'s 49, !. ss1.1ts ~. ~
anu 1ouf.e~s aPou ps eP1n ""e. ~. ne
ASSUMES tnss ale taatels ~ 'asue@ oul
tne,e a1e nos' o. .essons why na5monos
ponIys eoohka eohp11eSs mspueo " 1ne
eue's, g toAo4ulssao1e' one ~
AuAs - 11*ps 1et' faoseo ~ eo"sfe.
~ ~ -s 'sD' - 80 au4 ~.
Ius !oe'aeat - uota ~ oues ano eu'oiee u,
49,. ~ 49, , =. ~ 80 ' ~ - s"s'" aA1
~ ~ ~ 'e.no'eo' ao~ o-ee .nIe
.esueen ID ~ 90" NV .ue Il1s'aeos +, "a II
" y" -. ooau4 - u, ~ ensuing ~. Fo-
ns t.a. .ue o.'susa ssates uAee 1no. pass
lae consulaa4onA4 aioeuo1aeaA pefote oeipE
Represented 10 congress "oalo therefore FTe-
Feht Inc PRESIDENT tfom carving OIL tne 0af-
ret Oasis plan OF recognizing, Wheo Con-
ereks Is not convened, the Southern and Cop