American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1866-01-27
THE RESTORATION POLICY OF
THE PRESIDENT.
Much extra VACANT eulogy has been expend-

ed by Southern journals on what IS termeu
the Presidents plan F" of reconstruction"
As compared with the policy of the radi-
coIs II i, the better plan, but it is only the
better plan rs compared with the exceedingly
foolish one Of the radicals, and on its
merits it can never be regarded as the Wlsest
that could have been pursued. President
Johnson has shown some power to pull do~n,
INT not much to build up,-some capacity 10
hsstrou, but little to recOnstructi-ln a "oru'
his talents are iconoclastic, SO to speak. lie
is ONLY a successful image-breaker'
So soon AS the Confederate forces were
comreIled to surrender, every sensible man
in the North, in the South, in Europe OF
America. must have known that the rebellion
WIS thoroughly crushed. Characterize tue
,~,,,itical movement iuaugurated by the Con-
federate States in the early part OF TIE year
1876, by whatever name you please, secession
or rebellion, still it was the action OF poiiu-
cal communities-of States-and If a rebel
lion, it was an organized rebellion, acting
uDder regular law and by fixed rules. 1t was
mt the lawless outbreak of b%anditti, but the
systematic. organized effort of States to effect
their permauent separation from former
v~olitical associations, and to estaollsh thelr
ovn indenendence. This could only be done
nv armies in the field, and with the surrender
of the armies every sensible man knew the
cause was gone, and his influence was direct
ed ia the restoration OF law and order In
the State of things existing at the surrender
of the Confederate forces, the State govern
ments a,J all the civil authorities were in
,aisnensable to the maintenance Of law ana
order, Regular law is at all times necessary,
hnt never more necessary than in May 1869
Tho Governors of the late insurgent States
.yould have needed the largest powers and
.nc highest administrative talent to protect
+te people from the lawiessness naturally 10
DOE expected from the sudden disarmament oil
large armies deeply chagrined with the loss
of Il cause dear to them, however 1t may now
be- viewed by the loyal.
The civil arm of the State governments,
instead Of being stricken down, should nave
bcer~ strengthened,
But the first official act Of a cira character
nv the Executive was to dispense State legis'
lr'ures assembled for the very purpose Of
.r.arirr their late Confederate relations, ano
making changes in their organic law deemed
,,occssary to becoming again a part OF th'
Io;on: and this was quickly followed by Thu
announcement that not a single state once
twisted in any part of the Confc9eracy. An
orchy aud confusion prevailed-the stat
governments subverteG, and tue whole SoutI
were absolutely for some time without law
Murder and every crime known to the calen
iar could be committed with impunity ther
was not a single magistrate in the land
This delectable state of things was a part 0
the Presidents plan" The military alon
had SWAY at this era. The whole countr
was under what they called " martial law,
which is just no law at all.-The gloriou
dav of Provost Marshals, petty Post Con
mondauts and cotton thieves cotton agents
we meant to say.
Next came TTONlSlOuhl NoNVl S
anomalous in its character aud unknown t
the laws, with powers vague and underlined
the military still holding all real power, an
the Governor subordinate to the nilitar
commander even in civil matters. Convei
tions are called and regular State oticel
again elected but dow to the very meetin
of Congress it could not be fairly determine
whether these State officers were rseogn's'
ITO use the phrase of the times by the poV
.rs at Washington, and when the radica
met in Congress they could with some plau
ibility say that whether State goVernmen
are to obtain in the South has been left
the Executive to our braach of the Cover
ment.
This is the much lauded "plan of
President
If the President desired the speedy restc
alton of law and order 10 the South, and
immediate resumption by that section
their former constitutional relations IN I
Union, his =" plan was not a wise one
At the close of the rebellion, the ST
Governments should have been left preeis'
as they we're. Not a single Federal sold
was needed any where in the South. Sim
,aneous with the disbandment Of the Com
crate forces should have taken place the q
b~andment of the larger part of the Fede
forces. A small number Of that force mi
have been retained at important points, q
corps of observation, if any future Outbr'
should be threatened. No military stat
should have been established in the intel
TO disturb the harmony of the new la
system.
!. is true, some Of the Government cot
might have been appropriated BY late Q
federate soldiers and BY private citizens '
had not the excuse Of soldiership to pshi
the misconduct; but everybody knows
most Of the Government cotton was sto
BY the Federal cotton agents, and the 50