The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-02-27
THE NEW YORK PRESS.
HD1roRIAI OPINIONS OF THE LEADING JOURNALS
UPON CURRENT ToPICs-COMPLED EVERY
DAY FOR THE EVENING TBLEGRvPH
The New Bill OF RecOnstructIOn-Th
Prospect In the South.

Iefmine the fate of the ten lost tribes of Israeli
Rnd our political. philosophers are as much
perplexed in their efforts to forecast the destiny
of our ten outside Rebel States. The general
drift of passing events therein, the prevailing
tone and temper of their leading organs, poll
tical managers, and ruling classes, the evidence
of Generals Grant, Thomas, Sheridan, Howard,
Schofeld, and other intelligent Union soldiers,
all declare that the spirit of the Rebellion still
lives and that the dream and the purpose of
Southern independence are still predominant
from Bull Run to the Rio Grande. The de-
feated associate conspirators of jeff Davis
still recol with horror from the idea of subor-
dination to ''the Yankees" and with un-
mingled disgust from the other idea of negro
suffrage. Every one of the ten Legislatures
set UP by President Johnson in those Rebel
States has rejected the easy terms OF the pend
ting Constitutional amendment with scorn,
contempt and something of defiance. What,
then, is the prospect of their submission to
and cooperation with the Government upon
this new bill-this ultimatum of Congress
Very much in the answer to this question,
will depend upon the course of President
Johnson. 1t is clear that the ruling white
class of the South expected until our North
ern elections of last fall, restoration to Con-
gress under Mr.. Johnson's policy, placing the
Rebel States substantially as they were before
the war, and with the door open through the
Supreme Court for the re-estabishment of
negro slavery. We know, too, that after those
elections the confidence reaffirmed by Mr..
johnson in the final success of his policy still
encouraged the deluded leading politicians of
the South to hold their ground and that they
still looked to the Supreme Court for delive-
rance. With this new bill, however, hanging
4I.aa Ill -.
of impeachment hanging over President John
son as by a single hair, Southern Indifference,
contempt, and defiance in reference to Congress
are giving way to convictions of helplessness
against the will of Congress. Southern leaders
on the old track of Calhoun are beginning to
see that the incoming will be quite as radical
as the outgoing Congress; that they must
accept the terms proposed by Congress, -or that
they will have no voice in the next Presidential
election, and that, if excluded from that cleo
ton, they may be held indefinitely in their
present helpless and ruinous position.
In this dilemma they are, doubtless, still
looking to Mr.. Johnson for instructions. He,
too, by falling back upon Congress, may recall
them to reason and common sense. The
simple admission that he can no longer help
himself will suffice. 1t is rumored, and with
an air of confidence in some quarters, that he
will probably send in to-day veto of this
Reconstruction bill, and for the purpose of
giving the two Houses an opportunity to pass
the bill over his head, so that he may save his
consistency without appearing still to stand in
an unyielding hostility to Congress. This
alternative may save him, provided the tone of
his message be not offensive but cOnciliatOry.
The Judiciary Committee of the House are
probably waiting the upshot of this thing i'll
order to make up their decision of impeach-
ment or free pardon
Assuming that there will be veto, but that
1t will be conciliatory in its tone and argu-
ment, and submitted in season to secure the
bill by two-thrds vote in each House, and
that it will so become a law before the close of
this session, we may expect in due time to
witness a wonderful reaction in the South.
With the old leaders of the Rebellion thrown
into the background, and with the universal
negro vote brought into the elections, a new
class of white leaders from the young men of
the South will appear in the foreground. The
suffrage will give the blacks respect and con-
sideration among the whites in proportion to
their political strength; and thus the two races,
as the land owners and the laborers, will be
brought into relations of mutual support.
But a revolution so tremendous and compre-
hensive from the old Southern order of things
under the Dred Scott decision is not the
work of a day. A transition so radical and
unexpected, even from Mr.. Johnson's policy,
must create temporary effervescence and
bottle
This new bill of reconstruction continues the
State establishments set up by Mr.. Johnson as
provisional Governments subject to the will of
Congress, and leaves it to the people of each
State concerned whether they shall proceed at
once to reOrganze on the terms laid down, or
wait little longer under the supervision of
martial law. We presume that the present
Southern Governors and their Legislatures,
under this discretionary power, will prefer to
hold on yet awhile until they can take their
sOundings and make their arrangements con-
cerning the negro vote, so that we may hear
OF no Southern movement under this bill for
the election of an recognizing State Conven-
tion until after the crops of the coming sum
mer shall have been secured. Meantime, from
the re-establshment of martial law and the
submission OF the Southern people to their
'manitest destiny" we may expect Northern
enterprise and capital to be invited to the
development of Southern resources in the way
of cotton, corn, rice, sugar. and tobacco, and
on such terms as will give great impulse to
Southern industry and profitable harvest to
all concerned.
With the last vestiges of slavery and the old
slavery epoch cleared away the revolution
inaugurated with the secession of South Caro-
1ina seven years ago, will be complete-the
last remaining barriers against Northern emf
grants, Northern enterprise, skill, and capital
will be removed, and the great Northern tide
of emigration will be diverted from the West tC
the more inviting soil and climate OF the South
This bill will open the gates, and with the
gates opened the tide will roll in upon th'
South and down to the Gulf of Mexico, ta
more reviving and fertilizng than the annua