Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1866-04-20
sroCK O
(RrposIrD BY 7. SpaIEx. srOcr ssOKzn. GOLD HILL.
SAN FRAscrsco, April 2o-l P. NJ

III "
OTerman ...... ............. " w
Confidence. 80 w
Lincsla and Johnsou.
This Is a proper occasion for consider
ing the opinions Of Mr.. Lincoln on the
question Of reconstruction, which is now
exciting the country, and threatening, un-
der radical extravaganza and folly, to
break up the Union party, the great patri-
otto organization that saved the nation.
Although it pleases the organs Of the Con-
gressional majority to treat the subject as
If 1t were comparatively new. it was fully
discussed several years ago. Mr.. Lincoln
was the author Of the Presidential policy
of reconstruction, which was first official.
" announced in q proclamation issued
on the 9Th Of December, 1863, in which
he said:
al do further proclaim, declare, and
make known that Whenever, in any Of the
States of Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Mis-
s%issippi, Tennessee, Alabama. Georgia,
Florida, South Carolina, and North Caro-
lima, q number Of persons, not less than
n tenth in number Of the votes cast in
such States at the Presidential election of
the year Of our Lord 1850, each having
taken the oath aforesaid, and not having
since violated it, and being q qualified
voter by the .els0Ripnlaw Of the State ex.
isting Immediately before the so.called
act Of secession, and excluding all others,
shall re-establish a State Government,
which shall be Republican, and in nowise
contravening said oath. such shall be re-
cornized as the true Government Of the
State, and the State shall receive there
under the benefits Of the Constitutional
provision which declares that the United
States shall guarantee to every State in
this Union q Republican form Of Govern
ment, and shall protect each OF them
against invasion" y ar5arr ...a- ..r. ,
The Radicals In Congress did not like
this declaration, and in July, 1854, they
adopted q bill, drawn BY Henry Winter
Davis, which purported, in its title, to
guarantee republican governments to the
rebel States, but really reduced them to
| tho condition Of Territories, without the
right Of representation in Congress. Mr..
Lincoln was decidedly opposed to this
measure, and he killed it BY keeping It in
his pocket until the adjournment ; and
Ave days afterward, on The 9th Of July,
he issued a proclamation giving his reasons
for not signing the bill, and distinctly
stated that his opinions had not changed
since the date Of his proclamation Of De-
cember 9Th, 1868. He said:
II am also unprepared to declare tina,
the free State Constitutions and Govern
ments already adopted and installed in
Arkansas and Louisiana shall be set aside
and held for nought, thereby repelling and
discouraging the citizens who have set up
the same, or to further effort, or to declare
a Constitutional competency in Congress,
to abolish slavery in the States"
Only four days before his death, on the
18th Of April, 1855, Mr.. Lincoln delivered
a public address in Washington, and said;
I'm the Annual Message Of December,
1858, and accompanying proclamation, ]
presented q plan Of reconstruction (as the
phrase goes which I promised, il adopt
ed by any State, should be acceptable to
and sustained by the Executive Govern
ment Of the nation" .
"This plan was, in advance, submitted
to the then Cabinet, and distinctly ap-
proved by every member Of it." .
EVERY part and parcel Of the plan has
since been employed or touched by the
action Of Louisiana"
Thus we see that Mr.. Lincoln, in 1868,
1864, and 1855, adhered consistently to
the same plan Of reconstruction now
favored by Andrew Johnson. and origin
ally adopted with the unanimous recon-
mendation Of the Cabinet, consisting Of
Seward, Chase, Stanton, Welles, Upshur,
Blair and Bates. The last three have
since left the Cabinet and Messrs. Har-
Ian, Dennison and Speed occupy their
places, and the last two certainly agree
fully with their predecessors on this point.
The Radicals did not like Mr.. Lincoln's
course, and when be defeated their recon-
struction bill they denounced him bitterly.
Wade, Chairman Of the Senate Commit
tee, and Henry Winter Davis, Chairman OF
the House Committee on the Rebellious
States, issued an address 10 which they
spoke Of "the encroschments Of the Ex-
ecutivs on the authority of Congress-" a
studied "outrage on the legislative au-
thority," a "dictatorial u~surpation," a
crash and fatal act" and they gave him
the following warning:
"But he must understand that our sup
port is Of q cause, and not Of a man, that
the authority Of Congress is paramount,
and must be respected; that the whole
body Of the Union men Of Congress will
no, submit to be impeached, by him, Of
rash and unconstitutional legislation; and
If he wishes our support he must conRne
himself to his Executive duties-to obey
and execute, and not make, the laws-to
suppress by arms, armed rebellion, and
leave political reorganization to Con-
gress."
This address was received with general
ridicule. It was issued while Fremont
was the Radical candidate for the Prssi-
dency, and, no doubt for the purpose Of
making capital against Mr.. Lincoln, but
it was q complete failure, as the attempt to
defeat him IN the Union National Con.
vention had been, when he was renomi.
nailed by 400 out Of 6l4 votes cast. In
that Convention the delegates Of Louisi.
ana, Arkansas, and Tennessee, which had
been reconstructed according to the Presi-
dental plan. were admitted to seats, and
Abraham lincoln and Andrew johnson
were nominated, with the fullest under
standing Of their position on that question.
Mr.. Johnson, Is Governor Of Tennessee,
had committed himself In the mos. Z
plicit manner to the doctrine that the
State was entitled to representation In
Congress SO soon as she organised on a
loyal basis, recognised the authority OF
the United States, aud elected loyal men
as Senators and Congressman. Under
these circumstances he could not now &C.
cept the Radical plan without abandoning
the principles to which, distinctly, he and
his predecessor were pledged at the time
Of their election. Such q change would
be an act Of treachery. His opinions and
acts on the reconstruction question, as
Governor Of Tennessee, are part Of the