The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-05-01
Report Of the Reconstruction Committee
Plan at Last.

"A Plan at Last.
From the Herald
The Joint Committee on Reconstruction re-
ported in both Houses of Congress Yesterday
the plan which they have at length agreed upon
Tor the rehabilitation of the lately rebplIious
States. This plan, which we published in full
IN our last Sundays issue, embraces, first a con-
sltutional ameLdment which provides: -
section l. That no state sha make or enforce
any law abnd0ing the eqnal privil ges or immu III
ties of citizens OF the United states, or denyIUy to
any LeIson equal projection under the laws.
section 2 hat the whole population shall be
counted Tor representation in Congress exc udIng
Indians not taxed; but that whenever any state
sDaii cen 10 ahy LoIton OF ats people The right
sunlaeH except for participation IN the Rebellion
or CtLer CRIME the popu az basis of representation
snail be epIop0rtionateiy reduced.
Secth 3 That until Jul 4, 1870, all persons
Yolun amy participating IN the tate insurrecuon
ggiyng It and ano comfo.t, shall be excluded from
Unned States - 'A
section A Prohibits the payment or RECOGNITION
Dv tue United states. or any sate, of any deb IN
CURED in Il e Uellion, and Ie udates all claim.
isr c'nu 'nsation for oss of slave labor
these PROVISIONS
This is the plan Of the Reconstruction Com.
mittee, alter an incubation OF tive months. But
thS ti is not all; Tor It comes lorth, like Minerva
iulJ armed from the brain OF Jove. or rather
Ike Chinese mandarin with two tails, i'll the
form OF two bills. The first is "a bill to provide
Tor The restoration OF the States lately in rebel.
uOh W lhCll lull pOlIIlCdl TIHnIS,' ana IL SUD-
stantlally ordains that whenever any one of
them shall have ratified this aforesaid amend
ment, ana complied with the terms thereof in
It's local laws, the memters to both Houses of
CONGRESS IRON such State, if duly elected and
qualified, shall be admitted; and the bill further
provides that in regard to the proportion of the
Federal taxes devolving upon such State so COM
plying with the terms aforesaid, the State, with
satisfactory assurance to the Secretary of the
Treasury, shall be allowed q credit of ten wears
This is generous concession, and materially
sottens the more rigid conditions of the Congress
sional plan.
The second is bill of ineligibilities to Office
under the Government of the United States, 'ex-
cluding from any Federal Office first, the Presi-
dent, Vice President, and heads of departments
OF the late socalleo Confederate States; second,
those who IN other countries acted as agents of
said Contederacv; third, Cabinet officers OF che
United States heretofore, officers OF the army
and navy, naval or military graduates, Judges
OF the courts, and members of the Congress of
the United States, guilty OF aiding the Rebel
lion, together with all persons who have treated
Union officers or soldiers or sailors captured
during the late war otherwise than lawfully as
prisoners of war"
Such are the constitutional amendment and
the two bills embraced in the plan of the Recon.
siruction Committee which was submitted i'll.
CONGRESS, yesterday, for the reconstruction and
restoration of the eleven excluded Southern
states. The main purpose of this plan is evil
IDENTIFY the continued exclusion of those States
till alter the next Presidential election, with the
Iequisltlon OF negro suffrage or the exclusion of
the negroes iIom The enumeration OF the people
Tor representation in Congress. The securities
for the future, contemplated in reference to
Rebels, and claims for losses of slaves by their
emancipation, are make weights; tor in the
matter OF the Rebel debts, President johnson
has already bound the States concerned, md, in
regard to emancpated slaves, nobody dreams
oI pal ing the two or three thousand millions of
dollars which they would have commanded in
the market before the war, or any portion OF it.
Hkan inV.I aA,.A.I ~.
the equal rights and immunities of citizens we
had supposed the Civil Rights bill was intended
to meet the case; and concerning the admission
OF Rebels to Federal offices VIC had imagined the
test oath was sufficiently stringent. But If Con-
eress can do 1t better by doing its own work
over again, as well as thar oil the President let
the two Houses proceed to business.
The plan OF their iolnt committee, it appears,
is approved by all Tvs Republican mem bers
twelve out of the fifteen, including Messrs
Stevens, Washburne OF Illinois, Morrill, Bing-
ham, Conkling, Boutwell,, and Blow, of the
House, and Messrs. Fessenden, Crimes, Harris,
Howard, and Williams, of the Senate. Messrs
Grider and Rogers, of the House, and Reverdy
Johnson of the Senate, Democrats voted in the
Negative According to this division OF the
committee, 1t would seem that the Republicans
OF both Houses are, in body. disposed to SUD-
port the scheme. To pass their Constitutional
amendment they must secure tWo-thirds vote
in each House, and here will be the test
Should IT thus pass the two supplementary bills
will OF course follow, and then they will go
before the States and the people. The plan is
ingeniOuslv contrived; il is considerably mider
than anything heretofore emanating from the
committee, and nearer the poiicy and the views
of President johnson. 1t may be unnecessary
in some thinRs supeIfuous in others, and un-
tair IN its continued exclusion OF the Southern
States, after having, on their part fulfilled the
conditions OF the administration charged with
discretionary powers over the whole subject;
but We have only now to await the issue before
the two Houses.