The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-09-02


ten, United states Senator, nj Col
unbus, Ohio, Last Monday.
When the war ended in
the spring of 1866, nine OF the Rebel
States were left without Governments
OF any kind. The officers composing
The Rebel State Governments were
either killed, captured, or had fled, and
State authority of all kinds had disap-
peared. This presented case express
ly provided for by the Constitution of
the United States, which declares that
the United States shall guarantee to
each State a republican form of govern
ment. Stale Governments had ceased
to exist, and 1t was the duty and the
right of the Government of the United
States to reorghniZe new ones upon a
loyal republican basis. Mr.. Johnson
recognized this condition of things,
and the power OF the Government of
the United States, but assumed the
right to initiate plan of reconstruction
himself, Independent of Congress. This,
limits of his constitutional power;
but it was declared by him at the
time, and by Mr.. Seward, Secre-
tary of State, that these new Govern
ments would be provisional only, until
they were sanctioned by Congress, and
that the whole business would be sub
nlitted to Congress for its consideration
adhered TO this purpose, it is probable
alrwould have gone well at last, and
the present state of things would not
exist. But unfortunately he failed to
submit his work to Congress. He as
sumed the right to accept their new
State Constitutions without the consent
of Congress-. He received and treated
their new governments as legal and re-
publican, and thus actually exercised
the power of reconstruction without the
sanction OF the people ns expressed
through their representatives in Con-
gress. The power to form the govern
ments of nine States that had been in
rebellion was too great to be exercised
by one man. The settlement we had to
make with the rebels, and the readjust-
ment of their Institutions on a loyal
basis which would give security for the
future, was a matterof the greatest i'm
portance, in which all the people we're
Interested, and upon which they must
be heard through Congress. AS
the President had no power of himself
to establish State governments, and as
they We're never sanctioned by Con-
gress, they Were unauthorized and ille-
gal, and are in that condition to day.
In the summer OF 1866, Congress, still
disposed to harmoniZe matters with
the President if possible, and to dis
turb as little as might be the existing
state of things, submitted TO the Rebel
States for their acceptance an amend
mendment TO the Constitution of the
United States, containing four condi-
tions which were regarded as of vital
importance to the future peace and Sc
curity of the Republic, with the tacit
understanding that If accepted and
duly ratified they should constitute
basis of settlement and reconstruction.
The effect of this would have been to
accept the existing Rebel State Govern
nd Ira fhnn1 lnunl a SnhiaRI n
the conditions and restrictions contain
ed in the amendment. The Northern
States promptly ratified the amend
ment, but the people OF the South, acting
under the vehement adviceand persua-
sion of the Northern Democracy, reject
ed it scornfully ,and declared theywould
accept no terms but the unconditional
recognition of their State Governments
and admission of their Representatives
into Congress. And thus the issue was
made up between Congress and the
President, and between the loyal peo-
pls and the rebels ON January l, 1867.
In the mean time, these State Govern
ments had been in possession of the
most violent and malignant of rebels,
whose utterHnces and influences were
all disloyal and against submission to
any terms of reconstruction. Loyal
men, both white and black, were denied
the protection of the laws, and asystem
Oh persecution
which was intended to drive all white
Union men from the South and extir-
pate the last traces of loyal sentiment.
The poor freedmen were driven from
their humble homes and murdered with
the boldest impunity, and reign OF
terror established which excited the
horror OF the civilized world.
The bloody riots Of Memphis
and New Orleans, taking rank with the
New York riots Of 1858, will ever be re-
garded as among the greatest atrocities
that have occurred in Christian land.
During this period the Democratic par
ty OF The North were jubilaut. 1t hab-
itually denied the existence of the
crimes and outrages committed in the
South, and when that was impossible:
sought to mitigate them by laying the
blame upon the radicals, who were
slanderously charged with prosecuting
the harmless rebels by whom they were
surrounded. 1t stimulated by every
means in its power the Southern people
to continued disobedience, to increased
hatred of the Government, and to the
contemptuous defiance and rejection of
all terms that might be offered.
NEW RECONSTRUCTION ON A NEW PRIS-