The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-06-14


the President no opportunity TO ve.o It. He
therefore took the unusual course of publishing
proclamation setting forth the reasons why he
could not approve the bill.
The tenor of that proclamation shows that
MIR. Lincoln entertained vie VS. of reconstruction
nearly identical with those held by President
johnson; and the aforesaid manifesto in defense
oil the vetoed bill anticipates most of the argll-
ments embodied in the recent report of the Re.
construction Committee.
An issue was thus raised between the Presi.
dent and Congress, in the Presidential election
of 1864 almost identical with that which exists
between CONGRESS and President Johnson. IL
was decided in favor of MIR. Lincoln by his tr.
umphant election; and Mr.. Johnson, being on
the same ticket may claim that his present
policy was sanctioned in advance by the party
that elected him. The Wade-Davis manifesto
wound up as iollows:-
But he president Lincoln) must understand that
our support Is of cause, and not OF man; that
the au non ol CONGRESS Is params0munti m and must
of Congress viii not submit to bo impeached by him
of rash and unconstitutional legislation and il he
wishes our support he must eoniine himself to his
executive outies-to obey and execute, aud not
make the law-to suppress by arms armed Rebellion
and leave political reorganization to congress.
If the supporters OF the Government fail to insist
on thu they become resuonsbe for the usu Dations
which they ial TO rebuke, and are justly lab to
the indignation the poop e, whoe rights and Sc
curlty committed to their keeping, they sacrifice
LET them consider the remedy Tor these usurpa.
tions, and having found it, iearlessly execute it.
1t will be seen that, in tone, these inculpa.
tions are precisely like those launched by
Thad. Stevens and his Reconstruction Com
mlttee against President Johns H. and they
are precisely identical in substance. Mr.. Lin
coin had, without consulting Congress, rcor-
gan2ed State Governments in Louisiana and
Arkansas, had encouraged the election OF Sem
atOrs and Representatives TO Congress, and had
eSeIted all his influence to secure Their admls-
sion TO seats One of his proclaimed reasons
for disappearing the Reconstruction bill passed
by Congress was that it upset what had been
zone in those States. Ii Will be seen, therefore,
that the controversy between the Executive and
Congress stood on the same footing during the
Presidential election of 1864 tha5 1t does now.
| He who was elected on the same ticket with
''the martyred Lincoln inherts not only his
office, but his policy, hls quarrel with Con-
gress, and even his mode OF resistance, namely,
by veto.
The proofs that Mr. Line on considered the
Southern States entitled 10 Immediate admission
to Congress, as soon as they had in good faith
submitted, are too conclusive TO be controverted.
A few samples Will suffice to exhibit their
character. In the reply OF President Lincoln to
/ Fernando Wood, in their famous correspondence
about peace, the President expressed himself as
! follows:-
/ My Dear Sir:-Y our letter OF the 8sh with the
accompanying note OF same date, was received yes
The most important paragraph in The letter. as 1
consider, is III these words:-' On the % h OF No
vembeJ asst Nas ADVISED by an auhoIty which f
d. emcd likely to be well informed well as relab @
| ana tluthiu that the Southern States would send
represent the next CONGRESS, provided that
iu ana general amnesty should permit them to do
No guarantee OF terms asked for other than
strongly suspect our information " Ill prove to
be gloundless; nevertheless. thank YOU for COM
the paragraph above qHoted-' tho southern States
would send representatives to the next congress-
to be substantially he same that "the people of
TIE Eout, ern States would cease resi'tance and
would reinauguTate, submit 10, and maintain the
ndSr be wF of ao ne ea o. ]
that in such case the war would cease on the part OF
the United States; and that H. within reasonab G
to such end, it would not be withheld.
Nothing can be clearer than that Mr.. Lincoln
considered the Immediate admission OF the
Southern Representative as the nee assary ac
compartment of peace The reply made, under
his direction, to the French offer OF mediation
is equally unambiguous. In that reply, France
was told that the best peace conference between
the North and South was the American Con
gress; that representatives from the loyal States
were already there; and seats re also inviting
''cOntented party who may be constitutional y
''sent there from the States involved IN the in
''suTection." The letter to MIR. Wood was con-
fdential; but this despatch was Immediately
published to the world, and as it was never re.
tracted, it was equivalent to a pledge that
Southern Representatives should be admitted tC
Congress whenever the States chose to return
provided they were consiitutionally elected
The right Of the President to make that pledge
rested Immediately upon the Constitution
which declares each State entitled to two Sena
tors and a number OF representatives prooor
toned TO its pOpulaton. 1t required no act o
Congress to authorize this, as ii was already on
dained by the Constitution. II would, of course
rest with each House to judge of the qualidoa
tions OF its own members, as it does those of tn,
Senators and Representatives of the loyal States
We will only add TO these Testimonies the re
n arkabe statement made by President johnson
in his 22d of February speech, OF a conversation
he had with Mr.. Lincoln, not long before hi
death:-
"When the amendment of the Constitution i
adopted by thIeetouths oil the states, we shat have
all or pretty nearly ALL am in favor of in amend
ing the Constitution, ii there other adoDted
| Saio L. what is that, Mr.. President? SAID he,
( have laboIed to preserve this Unions have toI ed
1 for years; i have been subjected to calumny ant
Misrepresentation yet my great desire has been Il
preserve the Union OF these States intact under tn
2 Constitution as they were before But said |, Mr.
| President, what amendment do you refer to? Ill
| said he thought there would De an amendmen
added TO the Constitu ION which would compel al
the States to seAd Sen atols and Representatives +
T. the Congress of the United States-Yes, cOmpe
them. The idea was IN his mlnd that IT a part
the doctrine of secession 10 break up the CoV
ernment by States withdrawing their Senator'S ant
Representatives from Congress; and therefore Ii
desired a Constitutional amendment TO compel then
TO be sent.
! We seem, by these quotations, TO have mad
! out the following positons:-
/. That the rieht of the Southern States t
representation is so plain that Mr.; Lincoln
= from the beginning to the end OF his career
! never doubted it, and availed himself OF al
suitable occasions to declare 1t.
!. 2. That Mr. johnson, having run on the sam
5 ticket with Mr.. Lincoln, in the midst of a.
y open breach between him and Congress on thi
U very question, has right to consider the ee(
! ! ton as an endorsement OF the common polio
: i OF himself and his cocandidate AID predecessor
l / 3. The Radical assaults on Mr. 3hhsen are
7 back.handed method OF revilins 'ihe martyre
: President"
- o,,,,,r CTOn1EA LrJNp p Cn