The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1866-03-02
The Press and Times vs.. Andrew
IOhusau


Johnson.
The Press and Times, after besting
about the bush for some days, came
square out yesterday against President
johnson. Here is It's article repudia-
ting him, and intimating that it would
have been better for him to have ex-
erted bis influence in 1861 TO secure
the establishment of Southern Con
federacy rather than to urge the adop-
ton now Of his policy TO restore the
Southern States to their relations with
the government
From the Nashville Press aad Times. March ist.
The indianapolis Journal, Republi-
can paper, says:
"ln his speech at the Cooper Insti
tute meeting, Mr. Seward adVerted to
the fact that Congress had been three
months in session, and that while dis
agreeing with the Presidents plan OF
| restoring the Southern States, il had
! given the country no plan of its own,
and that the committee to which that
subject had been referrsd had done
nothing but recommend an amend
Inent 10 the Constitution, changing the
basis of representation.
The Journal seems TO intimate that
/ the plan of restoration which was first
proposed should be accepted. If Con
| gress had offered plan before the Pre-
sident offered his own, then the Con
! gressiOnal plan would have been enti-
tied TO trial But as the President
was the first in the field of experiment
he has presumption claim which no.
body must dispute.
The Journal seems to disregard two
important questions which pertain to
this grand subject Of restoration of the
rebellious States.
Ftrst-ln what department of the
Government does the power of settle
ment rest, the Executive or the Legis
latiVe
Ssc0aa-The intrinsic merit of any
plan Of restoration which may be pro
posed
Ia respect to the first question, il is
worthy Of careful consideration wheth-
er, as the war was fought by the people
and paid for by the people, the final ad-
ustment of its grand results does not
clearly belong to the immediste repre-
sentatiVes of the people in Congress,
instead of to the Executive Department,
or to the Supreme Court whether the
question Of restoration should not be
settled by lac instead of proclamation,
or judicial decision In the next place,
it is far more important TO the people,
as we'll 10 those in the late rebellious
States, as to those in the loyal States,
that restoration be done 1csH than that
it be done hastily To do it well takes
patience, study, observation and time,
while to do it hastily involves much
danger In attempting TO adjust hasti-
ly the disordered, entsngled and tur-
bulent affairs Of States having a popu-
lation Of eight millions, one third
OF which has recently been
race OF slaves, the wisest states
man must act blindly and igno-
rantly in regard 10 many OF the essen
tial elements of the business. Ii is
ike attempting TO settle the affairs OF
a great banking house in moment,
without examining its internal condi-
| ton. Time is as essential to the South.
eTn people IN this case as to the North
eu people A precieitate restoration
will be followed by collision, turhu-
lence and sedition at the South, and
by angry and intiammatory disputes in
| Congress, and close upon the heels OF
, these troubles would be sure 10 follow
g powerful reaction throughout the
/ North, leading TO the adoption of more
vigorous and oppressive measures to
! control the South than have yet been
| suggested or devised A cOnvalesceut
patient is in danger Of nothing so much
as relapse Let all wise Southern
men beware OF the relapse aud reac-
ton which are almost sure to follow
"a hasty restoration. Mr., Stephens, in
his address to the General Assembly
Of Georgia on the I'D speech which
contains much that is powerful aud
eloquent, dwells pertinently on this
point:
We are in the condition of q man
with a dislOcated limb, or a broken leg,
and very bad compound fracture at
! that. How it became broken should
not be with him a question Of SO much
| importance ss how 1t can be restored
! 10 health, Vig0r, and strength his
requires Of him, az the highest duty to
| himself, TO wait quietly and patiently in
| splnts and bandages, until nature re-
sumes her active powers-untll the
vital functions perform their office.
The knitting Of the bones aud the
| granulalion Of the flesh require time
Perfect quiet and repose even under
| the severest pain, are necessary. 1t
| will not do to make too great haste to
/ get we'll An attempt TO walk too
soon will only make the matter worse.
| We must OF ought now, therefore, IN
similar manner, TO discipline ourselves
/ to the same or like degree OF pa
/ tieDce
We say to our fellow-citizens of the
| South be,0Grs Of tie relapse 'chtck IS sure
10 Jololg haSty restoration. Better act
leisurely and wisely.
But our indianapolis cotemporary
again says, in the course of the same
editorial from which we have quoted
/ before:
If the Committee is unable to cope
| with the problem committed to its
/ charge, We ask what sacrifice of princi-
pie is involved in adopting the theory
| of President Johnson, that all loyal
] Representative and Senators elect
men who can take the test oath, and
whose record is clear-should be ad-
mitted to seats in Congress, and those
who DISQUALIFIED themselves by enga-
| ging in the rebellion should be sent
home That plan certainly has this
| merit, that il will encourage the true
] Union men of the South, and at the
same time keep ex rebels and present
rebels out of the national councils
Now the theory of the President has
been tried all over the rebellious States,
and il has resulted in the overWhel-
| ming rejection Of every Union candi-
date who presented himself before the
neople. and in the election of men who,
either in a military or civil capacity,
had identified themselves with and
vgorkad for The success Of the Southern
rebelliou. Giving aid and comfort to
he rebellion rendered the candidate
inyinciUle, for it proved hls sympathy
for the Southern people, IN the Ian
guaee of the Southern journals. The
/ Test Oath alone will notsutice to keep
rebels out of Congress, if the States
themselves pass into the hands OF
rebels, and the whole machinery OF the
local governments and local LegIsla-
I lures are placed in their power. II the
| fountain be not sweetened and puFlhed
in the States, the streams which dow
from them into Congress will be un-
Wholesome.
The President said that "tresson
must be made odious, but in restoring
| theSouth he allows treason 10 conshlute
the psss word into the halls of power.
He sai5 that treason must be pun
ishsd, but his restoration theory has
rewarded many thousands Of them
with Office, and given ihem absolute
control of the South. Throughout
eleyen States to-day, the soldier who
fought for and risked his life for the
defense of that Government of which