The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-04-19
The Logic of seCession-A. H. stephens.

The Logic of Secession-A. II. stephens.
From the Tribune. tC- rIEh GOA.
The present Congress has earned the lasting
gratitude bfthe country in the constitution and
action of It's Joint Committee on Reconstruc-
zion. The testimony taken by IT, and especially
that of ex-Rebels-is most essential to an intelli-
gent Judgment upon the problems now fifty
engrossing the public attention. Let u.s. then,
consider thoughtfully the salient points In the
Testimony of the Hon. A. H. Stephens.
Mr.. Stephens, like General Robert q. Lee, was
not an original secessionist. That Is, while
each held TO the abstract right of a State to
Secede, neither OF them regarded secession as
REQUIRED by antecedent conditions, nor remedy
for existin9 evils Yet, when their respective
States decide to secede, they cast in their lot
with the majority and became conspicuous and
Dotent champions of the disunion cause. And
This they still no d 10 have been right. -.-.
Let Us test this assumption by familiar exam
Dles. Mr.. Stephens was long prominent and
influential member OF CONGRESS; General Lee
was educated at West Point and had since been
"a favored officer in the army OF the United
States. Now suppose each OF them, when he
came 20 enter the service of our country, had
offered to take the prescribed oath in this
5orm:- ~ ...l lid. ...
al solemnly swear that will support the Consti-
Iuton and obey the Lawful authorities of the United
States until my State shall see fit to secede from the
does any sane man believe that this would have
been accepted as substantial compliance with
5he requisition? Would a youth at West Point,
"a representative in Congress, be permitted here
after to take the oath thus qualified? Was
there ever time when thus would have been
permitted? Manifestly not. And If not, how
do men Of character like Messrs. Lee and Ste
phcns, satisfy themselves that they are not
7orswOtn? r - r. ....,
AgaIn:-
Mr.. Stephens tells us that the people have
attained very decided conviction that Seces-
sion is jmpolitic. They have good reason for
that conclusion. But how impolitc? Clearly,
because OF their crushing defeat. But suppose
%the whirliglg of time" should present totally
new conditions, wherein secession might be at
tempted atresh, without probability OF fail
nre, what then? Scan MIR. stephens testimony
for the ansNerI % .. u. ..,
Once more:-- . a.
1t is Mr.. Stephens very decided conviction
that the people of Georga-by which he means
zhe whites only--those who (he states) were all
but unanimous in sustaining the Rebelllon-
were entitled, from the moment their Rebellion
was put down by the strong arm, to come right
back, without conditions or restrictions, into
Congress, and share fully and equally with the
loyal in the Government OF the country. He
thinks it was for this that the loyal were fight
ing wherein they do not agree with him. Nay,
NE gravely doubts the legal validity of acts OF
Congress passed in the absence OF representa-.
7ives from the seeded States. II that be so, it
seems TO us to follow that every act OF Congress
whereby the power of the Union was brought
to bear against secession, was usurping and
void; so that the seeded States are now legally
out OF the Union.
Finally, Mr.. Stephens thinks slavery is dead
only because the former slave States have
abolished it (Which several of them have not
done), and that while the whites OF the South
have all the power in the Union which they de-
3iberately and defantly renounced by secession,
4he blacks OF those States have just such rights
as the whites thereof choose to give them-no
less, and no more. We beg leave to assure the
ex-Vice President that, on this very important
point his views are radically diverse to those oil
the great party which carried the country
zriumphantly through the war against seces
sion, and that, unless those whom ne calls "the
South are willing to resume their places in
Congress on fooung of equality of power, man
for man, between themselves and the Union
upholding whites OF the North and West they
Will probably wait some time for readmission
II the Southern blacks are not to vote (as We
trust as they are), it must at least.be conceded
that those who deny them the right of suffrage
shall not cast votes in their stead.