The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-03-02
as you, by proper action for the protec-
ton of the freedmnt1, make it unneces-

as you, by proper action for the protec-
tion of the freedman, make it unueces-
sary.'' ~ ~ ,l,tt
Thus, said he, the hope of getting rid
of the Institution stimulates them to do
what is right whilst they are not dis
couraged by the idea that there is no
hope of an endto what they regard as
a sort of military government. If, on
the other hand, the bureau were to be
made thing, by legislation,
which, on its face, appears part of the
fixed law of;the land, all of the objec-
tions he had urged in his message ap-
piled in:full force to il, and instead of
encouraging the South to loyalty, you
tend to drive them to desperation and
inveterate. The sameprinoiple of stim-
ulating loyalty was shown in the man
ner in which he held martial law over
them. Whenever they should show so
peaceful and law abidfnga condition of
their community that martial law was
not needed, it should be removed
Their own conduct would thus deter
mine the niatter, andthe desire and in
terest ofall the best people increased to
put down disturbances and outbreaks,
to protect men and obey the laws, be-
cause by so doing they would hasten
the withdrawal of the direct interfe-
renee of the military arm in their affairs.
In. precisely the sumo way -uuul uHSAeL
the influence of the same idea he had
acted in regard to civil affairs general
ly in that section regarding it as neces-
sury and proper TO impose upon the re-
bellious States conditions which would
guarantee the safety of the coun-
try, and regarding the then exist
ing affairs of the local governments
as have disqualified themselves
by their treason for continuance in
power; he deposed them and establish
cd Provisional Governments. Then he
asked himself what conditions ought to
be demanded of them, and how their
disposition to accept them in good faith
might be stimulated. The conditions,
Viz:-The amendment of State conStitu-
tions, excluding slavery, the acceptance
of the same amendment of the consti-
tuition; therepudiation ofthe rebel debt,
and the admission of the freedmen to
various rights, &C., everybody is fa-
miliar with. To stimulate them to ac-
cept these conditions, being such as
using his best judgment, and in the ab-
sence of any Congressional plan, he
Thought the nearest right of any he
could frame, he engaged that, on their
acceptance with evidence of good faith,
he would permit them to organize their
State governments, elect Legislatures,
&C., and so far as Executive acts could
do so, would restore them to their posi-
They have so far accepted his con-
ditions that he did not regard the eX-
pertinent a failure, but a success. He
had accordingly reorganiZed the Post
Office Department everywhere among
them, had reopened trade and removed
restrictions thereon through the Treas
ury Department, and in like manner in
alIthe Executive Departments recogniZ-
ed them as States in the Union, only
keeping enough of a military hold to
protect the freedmen, as he had before
stated, and to induce them to do some
thing more thorough in that direction.
Now, but one thing remained in
which these States did not exercise the
full rights of States, and that is repre-
sentation in Congress. In this he had
advised that the same principle ofstim-
ulating loyalty be applied as with other
respects which he had named. He
would admit only such representatives
as are, in fact, loyalmen. Giving satis-
fnctory evidence of this whenever
State or District sent alloyal man, pro-
perly elected and qualified, he would
think il right to admit him, the same
as from any other State, and he would
admit none but such loyal men, so that
other States or districts might thus be
induced to elect and send similar men.
When they had done all this their
representation would be full and-tli
plan. He did not ask to be the judge of
the elections and qualiticationso ofmetn-
bers OF Congress or of their loyalty.
Congress was its own Judge, and he had
no dream of interfering with its constt-
tutional right, But he felt like urging
upon them and upon the country that
this mode Diminishing the work so near
ly completed in other respects was the
only feasable one which had been pre-
sented, and that it was impossible to
ignore the fact that the States were ex-
ercising their rights and enjoying their
privileges within the Union, were, in
short, restored in all other respects, and
that It is to late to question the funda-
mental right of representation, 1
then remarked to him (the Presi-
dent) that had heard it suggested that
legislation could properly be made by
Congress. purely civil in its character,
providing for the protection of the freed-
men by the United States courts of in
ferior Jurisdiction, in all cases where
States did not do so themselves.
He replied that such an idea would
run exactly parallel to his plan, but he
had not thought it yet time to fix his
own ideas of the precise mode of ac-
complishing this end, because we had a
margin of time, lasting Till after the
next session of Congress, during which
the present freedmen's bureau could
continue in operation; if, before that
time, the Southern States should re-
cogniZe the necessity of passing proper
laws themselves, and providing prop
ersystem of protection for the freedmen,
nothing further on FOUR part would be
necessary. If they did not do what
they ought, there would then be time
enough to elaborate plan.
He then referred briefly to the fact
that men who have been disloyal were
rejoicing over his veto message, saying
that if these men; in good faith, adopt
ed the views of policy he had himself
acted uponS and which he had SO fully
elaborated in his annual message, and
explained to me, the country surely
could have no cause for sorrow in that.
Ifdisloyal men and rebels everywhere,
North and South, should cordially give
in their ndherrnce to the conditions of
restoration he had uniformly insisted
upon, he thought that was precisely the
kind of pacification loyal men every
where would rejoice in. The more they
were committed to such course, the
better. He would like it, for If they
were not sincere, they would at least
diminish their power of dangerous OPP
position in future. His whole heart
wasiwith the body of the true men who
had carried the country through the
war, and he earnestly desired to main
tain cordial and perfect understand
ing with them. This sentimentand pur-
pose he regarded as entirely consistent
with determined opposition to the abb
straction policy of those extremists
who, as he believed, would keep the
country in chaos till absolute ruin
might come upon us.
Such, my dear sir, IS the conversa-
tional statements of the President on
this important matter, and if you could
meet his straightforward, honest look,
and hear the hearty tones of his voice