The New York herald., 1866-11-30

me Nauonsi steam Navigator Company's steamship
Scotland. Captain Hall, will sail for Liverpool touching
at Queenstown. at noon Tomorrow Saturday from pier
AZ North river.
The Presidens's Fershcemins D1sssase-A
Conprenise ON Negro Suffrage.
The Presidents annual message to Congress
we understand, is completed, and that In refer-
ence to the great issue Of Southern reconstruc-
tion it will probably open the door to q 70
concilistion with the two houses and q COM
promise on negro suffrage. From the letter of
Washington correspondent which we publish
to-day 1t would appear that the compromise
which the message will probably suggest will
be upon the basis Of that qualified negro suf-
frage which Mr.. johnson proposed in the sum-
mer Of 1855 to his Provisional Governor
Sharkey, Of Mississippi-that Is, reading and
writing qualification, or property qualifoa,
ton Of two hundred and fifty dollars. as in New
York. II further appears from this Washington
letter that as Congress has rejected the Presl
dents plan Of Southern restoration, and a. the
President has defeated the ratification Of tho
constitutional amendment Of Congress, the two
departments "may cry quits" and proceed to
AoOVuOAliuLOu upOu INC luVcrU0Ol6C0 COu-
promise suggested, or something like it.
But what are the facts in regard to the pend
ing constitutional amendment? It was made
the test question in all the recent elections,
from the Atlantic across the continent to the
Pacific Ocean, and In all the States,
from Maine to Oregon, the conditions thus
proposed to the South have been most
emphatically endorsed as the ultimatum
Of the North. A large majority of the States
and vast majority Of their people have thus
given their approval and their instructions to
Congress to adhere to the amendment. Nor is
1t necessary, though very desirable, that there
should be perfect accord between the Presi-
dent and Congress in this matter, inasmuch as
the jurisdiction over the subject belongs abso-
lutely to Congress. 1t is the duty of the Presi-
dent to submit his recommendations to the two
houses upon this as upon other questions, but
Congress may adopt, modify or reject his sug-
gestions, as it has done from the beginning of
the government
We are gratifed, however, that, from the adj
vices before US, we may proclaim It as fact
that the President has given up his peculiar
policy Of restoration tried before and rejected
by the Northern people in these late elections.
This Is an important step gained towards an
early and satisfactory adjustment. Another
step will bring the Executive to harmonious
understanding, and another to an active CO.
operation with Congress. Nor do we see, in
Nv. Johnson's present ideas Of compromise,
SO far as they are foreshadowed, any thing like
an "irrspressible conflict" with the pending
amendment, except upon the Executive theory
hat the excluded States, as they stand, are en-
titled to voice in the ratification. Nothing.
We think, could be fairer than the compromise
Of the amendment touching negro suffrage, in
proposing to leave to each State to choose for
itself whether its black population shall be
totally excluded from the ballot box. at the
price Of their total exclusion from representa-
tion in Congress, or whether they shall be par
tally or wholly admitted to suffrage and repre-
sentation.
The shortest plan for q speedy and compre-
hensive settlement including the sacred ObIiga-
tions of the national debt, the absolute repu-
diation Of all rebel debts and all claims for
emancipated slaves, the exclusion of certain
class Of prominent rebels from federal offices
hereafter till absolved by two-thirds vote OF
Congress, and the regulation Of representation
by suffrage, Is the plan of the amendment, and
its ratification by three-fourths Of the States
now constituting the government Of the United
States. II we admit the right Of the excluded
States to voice in the ratification, we must
admit their right to resume their vacated seats
in Congress just as they are, and that all the
legislation Of Congress In their absence, since
they laid down their arms a. . hostile con-
federacy, is null and void. We must admit
that Congress has no right to impose upon
those States any terms Of restoration, or we
must hold chat they have no right to voice in
the government in view of their late rebellion,
until recognized by Congress.
From this last conclusion, we contend, thore
is no escape, unless we can reduce the late
gigantic Southern armed conspiracy and all
its bloody battles 10 the legal standard of
series OF election riots, and nothing more. We
have sufficiently advanced in this controversy,
however, under the lights Of these recent
elections, to comprehend this question Of
restoration as 1t really stands. The whole
jurisdiction over the subject is with Congress
and in the rejection by Congress Of the Prcsi-
dents provisional work the field Of reconstruc-
tion Is sreopened to the beginning. We are glad
to be assured that Mr.. johnson has abandoned
bis late peculiar policy. 1t was q policy OF
generosity to and confidence in the South,
which met with no corresponding confidence
in that quarter, and much less in the North.
Now, IL he has concluded In his message, after
submitting his recommendation, to leave the
whole matter in the hands Of Congress, as we
presume he has done, we shall soon have