Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1866-09-28
ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT ARTICLE
BY THE HERALn

! Congress Right-The President Wrong
| The Only Hope of the South is the Con-
/ gTessional PIan.-The Constitutional
Amendment will so Through
From The New York Herald of Saturday.
The fogs and clouds in which the great
question of Southern restoration has been
covered up since the adjournment of Con-
gress, are at length breaking away. We
| know now what to do. We have been
| taught by the famous mariner Daniel Web
ster, after drifting about for many days in
! thick weather and in an unknown sea, to
avail ourselves of the first glimpse of the
| sun for an observation and a reckoning, IN
order to ascertain how far the winds and
the waves have driven us from our true
course. We thus find from the bearings of
| the Maine election, that the true course for
| the Southorn States and the administration
IS laid down in the Constitutional Amend
| ment OF Congress. In other words, we are
convinced from the significant results of the
Maine election that this amendment viii
! carry all the Northern States yet to come,
and that against the solid North any further
resistance from the administration or the
excluded Southern States viii be waste of
| time, foolish and suicidal to all concerned.
We would therefore urge upon President
johnson the statesmanlike policy of truce
with Congress, and an active cooperation
with the fixed and predominant public opin-
ion of the North, In behalf of the immediate
restoration of the SoBth on the basis of this
constitutional amendment. Wehave shown
that there is nothing in it which the Presi-
dent has not himself, at one time or another
recommended as essential 20 the security of
the Union. 1t is not the radical plan; it is
not so nearin fact, to the rebel disabling and
MI ofu tha1
propositions put forth from time to time By
Andrew johnson. 1t is a compromise
which the President ought to have adopted
in cooperation with Congress, and which
he ought TO adopt at all events, because his
conflict with Congress, if persisted in. will
be most emphaticaly decided against him.
1t cannot be otherwise. The inevitable re-
suit is as clear to the searcher for the true
situation Of things as the light of the sun
through the breaking clouds. Not one of
the States which voted fer Lincoln and John
son viii fail to adopt this constitutional
amendment, since New Jersey, the only
Northern State whose vote was against them
has led off for the North in the ratification.
I'VE policy and the duty of President
johnson, therefore, are as clear as matbe
matical demonstration, and equally clear is
the policy Of the still excluded Southern
OIaIes. w nave earnestly aIV0caJeu bHS
Presidents policy; but after the verdict Of
the jury the argument is at an end. The
example of Tennessee in the ratification Of
the amendment is now the only alternative
for the outer Southern States, Tennessee
in ratifying the amendment, opened the door
to the admission of her members into both
houses of Congress.
This amendment is going through.
There is 40 other settlement for the South.
The Governors ofthe Southern States ought
thoreforo 70 val shoir lesyislatIIros together
at once and ratify this amendment, SO that
with the meeting cf Congress in December
they may be all stored to both houses. In
this way they caI at once secure the balance
of power in Congress and put an end to any
further attempt of the radicals to apply new
restrictions ofState restoration. The South
ern States, too will thus be put in position
to take their ground and shape their course
to some purpose in view of the Presidential
election. What has been done in the case
Of Tennessee amounts to the adoption Of
rule of admission. The way is plain, the
door is open, and in this simple act OF ratif-
cation the South viii be restored to its bal
ance of power 1t is the ultimatum of the
victorious North, and the South viii lose
much and gain nothing by delay in its adop
tjnn