The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-02-25
FROM WASHINGTON
Especial Correspondence Of ihe Baltimore Gasstse]

FROM WASHINGTON
Especial Correspondence of ihe Baltimore GazstS]
WASHINGTON, February 21--Last night Congress
consummated their miscaled Reconstruction
scheme the features Of which you have alread
given to the public. It's very title is misnome.
II should have been called an Act to destroy rathe
Than to rebuild. Its effect must be to separate
not unite. As the vulgar but expressive adag
roes. cit is hard to extract blood from turnip.
But as Infamous as the SHERMAN proposition, Will
the House amendments, is, find some crumbs
comfort in the measure ana it's surroundings as l
passed. not the least Perhaps Of which is that lts
authors have overleaped themselves aud may fal
on the other side.
In the first place, if the Southern people shall
choose to accept the alternative Of abiding under
military rule until change Of public sentiment
shall have been developed at the North, the whole
scheme falls to the ground-a n1onstrous abortion!
Secondly, the Senate, by It's unanimous Radical
vote on the Sherman propositi on as it originally
passed that body, solemnly declared IN favor CT
the enfranchisement Of every man implicated III the
civil war on the Southern side thus endorsing the
manly course adopted by your Legislature, ana
pointedly condomning that shameessiy pursued
cal SANDERS and fasehoods for the past two years
heaped upon the South must now cease, since sucn
blows will otherwise fall upon the beads or Grant
and his subordinates, who will hereafter be resp9n-
sible for the ssdisorders," the s'outrages," the
wholesale murders" lyingly alleged to exist and
to be committed there and not on the heads OF IN
nocent people of that section. Besides, the South
has been accustomed to martial law-indeed the
PEOPLE there got along for some time very wen
u 81 hot
law, without any one to execute it, and more
orderly and law-abiding people even tnen never
You will see that the Bill, with the amendments,
finally passed by strict party vote IN IN p9sa t'a
week received an inlding Of a probable wavenn2
in that quarter, and referred to the matter In my
letter published ON Wednesday: MIR. johnson Ger
tainly had the right to decide for hlmsef wnat
course he should adopt in respect to this or any
other political question, always being responsible,
however, to the judgment Of bis constituents. But
when he sees proper formally to assign the rea-
sons which actuate him, he certainly opens tne
door to criticism upon them. Now, the reasons ne
I sides to be utterly unworthy Of his great reputa-
ton as special pleader, to say nothing OF tnelr n
suficiency to Justify his conduct Il shall give my
vote, said he, snot because approve OF the OBJ
stract or in the particular, but because tnnK !
perilous predicament in which it is now placed"
How the country is to be rescued from lts PeIlous
predicament by visiting upon States ALREADY IN
the Union the iniquity proposed ne does noG pre-
tend to enighten us. But even II ne lmae IIsu, I,
with or without Just cause, that it would nave
such q tendency did that justify patent VIOLA
lion of the Constitution declared 30 to DO by
MIR. johnson hundred times), and intlctlng upon
q whole people monstrous wrong, acknowleaeeoa
90 to be in the very speech ne waS Se
ssI would at once receive them lSouthern repre-
sentatiyes) in this chamber, with heart ful OF
Conviction that they would be true to their duty
to the country and that they would promote lts
permanent interest. But have not my way.
am obliged, therefore, to acqqesce IN the decision
of the majority Of Congress, however erroneous OF
unjust may believe that decision to be, provided
believe that it will end in comparatively short
time in restoring the Southern States to the protn
erhood Of States. This, it must be confessed, rs
carrying the maxim that the ema usiles he's Sst sds
"obhged to acquiesce in the decision Of the major
ity" there was no necessity at all for his voting
with them, since his vote was OF no importance
whatever either one way or the4otner y, on
the contrary, his vote had been decisive @ ' m1 me-
conceivable weight in passing tho bill a.! and in
the shes oountns as ns Sm sssa It's aperleas prsdos
nent," his speech might be accepted as plausi-
No Nothing RN Of this, however, is possible; and Xe
must conclude therefore, that other and very diff
ferent reasons than those assigned influenced this
action on the Senator'S part, and
chat its effect WAS designed to be felt in some assem-
bly, other than that Of Congress- In brlef terms,
MI Johnson's vote, as such, was q mere nudity,
aud obviously designed more as the utter
ance of individual sentiment. designed to
ppo.ato outside Of thr LIIbtor AL haAo, oaan
as becoming or excusable on the occasion
1pon which It was cast. The doctrine that 1t ls
OBLIGATORY upon q legislator to vote with the ma
jority, on whatever ground, is convenient enough
FOR such as desire to be always on the winning
side, But it must be seen that it would not do to
push it to its logical consequences, since 1t must
inevitably annihilate minorities altogether: IN On
the whole it would seem that the only intellgl6le
ground advanced by Mr.. johnson for his vote tor
Ehe bill was his inyeterate and newly affirmed op-
position to it's provisions, genera. snd particular,
rom the enacting clause to the LAST hne OF tne
asst section.
Secretary McCulloch will shortly issue q circular
aotifying the public that the department. ls now
ready to receive and convert into bonds
he seven-thirty bonds issued under the Act or
August 1864, and due next August, and also pay
he interest due thereon. This is done IN order
hat the bonds may be received and converted
laily, and not all he presented at the same unne
when due.
The Tariff Bill cannot be taken up in the House
,nt the Tax Bill is disposed Of and it s extreme
y doubtful If definite action can be had on IL tnls
session.