New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1867-12-06
rHF PPFSTDEyTS FRIENDS.

We were constrained in considering the
Presidents late extraordinary Message to Con-
grcss, to object to its fragrant defiance of re
corded, undcniable truth. The World seems
to take issue with our aycrments and spcciiica-
tons under tins head Let us see how sue
cessfully:
|. The President addressing Congress with
regard to certain acts of Congress. says:
at is n,anisiy and arovcdy the object Of these law
to confer upon the negroes the privilege OF voting ana 10
dlsfranchise such number ~ White cuzens will gre
me former clear mGorify al all elections ~ nc southern
states"
To this charge we opposed the officially
established facts that, in a majority OF those
States, there is clear majority of White
voters already registered under those acts.
Aud we further urged that those States
wherein the White prepondemncc Is most de-
cided, have given the largest majoritcs for
Reconstruction under the acts of Congress,
while those which have a majority OF Black
voters have either failed to atify that plan,
or have ratified il by very mcager majoritics.
The JVorld responds TO this rs follows:
The part OF this statement meant 20 be denied Is not 50
much The intention as the aroWai II any Republican
who has cut his eyetecth should deny the Intention
the fitting reply would be 10 laugh IN ms face Tho incn.
ton being nquestonabe, how can TE TEihrNI take II
upOn Itself has never been aVowcdf Unless our
recollection be ~ fault TnE TRBl ~ itself has made tho
etc but has also NJ various times, confessed that the
negro suffrage reconstruction an absolute and over
ruling party necessity, and that Il could not be departed
from without party ruin But u j. really OF DO cose-
kept uniformly down. when every body knows ne mdcons
features under a. The RecOnsructon policy j. notori-
sorry that THE TRBUNEis sensible enough OF IL
baseness 10 vince under the charge
RemarLs.s-Mr. Johnson had charged that it
was the arOWed purpose of the Reconstruction
lists to give the Blacks a clear majority in every
Southern State; The World dcxterOusly subst-
tutes for this an assertion that the Reconstruc
ton policy is designed to keep the Republicans
in power "by the aid Of the Negro vote
which is a horse of quite another color. II
is established by successive elections that,
where all the ex-Rebels are allowed 70
vote, while the Blacks are denied the
elective franchise Gas in Kentucky and
Maryand), the Democratic party carries
all before it while, where the Blacks are en-
franchised and n 1.-THE of the exRebels are
not, the Republicans generally succeed. Now,
then, We not merely admit but proclaim that
one reason for our desire that the Blacks shall
vote is based on the probability that they will
generally vote with the party that has freed
and onfIancsed them. In other words: We
wish the Blacks to vote for reason exactly
parallel with that which makes The World
clamOr for the enfranchisement of all the Rebels,
and there is exactly the same baseness involved
in tho one wish as in the other. We do MT
want fifteen Kentuckys and Marylands voting
for next President The World does. IT we
vince in the premises, the public will
remark it.
We insist that the loyal people of the United
States, having been aided by the Southern
Blacks to put down the Rebels cannot surrcn-
der those Blacks into the unchecked power OF
those Rebels, without Unreasonable, suicidal
basencss. A simple statement of the case pre-
cludes the necessity of argument.
| H. Mr. Johnson charged that Congress by
its Reconstruction acts, is keeping, or seeking
TO keep, ten States out Of the Union. We re-
piled that this assertion is at war with the no
torious facts. Mr.. JOhnsOns and THE Worlds
trouble is not that those States are to be kept
out but that Congress will not let them come
in Rebel side up. The World stands silent on
this point
III. The President had talked yelementy OF
the Constitution" and of negroes" as though
the former denied political rights to the latter
We responded that all Mr.. JOhnson's talk OF
negroes" and negro governments" was an
Constitutional the Federal Constitution
knows only free persons "all other persons
citizens, Aliens and Indians not taxed"-tbat
it recognizes and justifes no political distinc-
tons and acknowledgements based on color. The
World silently admits this proposition.
w. The President having assailed Congress
as impeding Reconstruction, because it pre-
sclibed conditions on which the Rebel States
might return to self-government and to the
councils of the Union, we responded that Mr..
johnson himself set the example of doing that
very tling-imposed stern conditions, and re-
quircd the Southern Conventions and Lcgsla-
lures to do many things-somc of them rclat-