The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-07-11
THURSDAY, JULY IL, 1867.
The Importance of OverthrOwing Mr..
JohnsOn's Illegal and Revolutionary
state Governments.

Ir is safe TO assume in the battles Of politics,
that position which is carefully guarded and
obstnately defended by your enemy must be
one of some importance. Judged by this cri-
terion. the Provisional State Governments
erected by President Johnson in the late Rebel
States constitute the key-point in the present
political contest. II was not until the exist
ence of one of these so-oalled State Govern
ments was practically threatened by the re-
1noyal of some of its chief funotionaries by
General Sheridan, that Mr.. Johnson seriously
set himself to obstruct the execution of the
Reconstruction law and to nullify its provi-
sions. Attorney General Stanbery was then
called upon to manufacture his "opinion,"
the gist of which was the preservation of these
governments as de tacto organizations. Con-
gress might, as it did, declare them provi-
siOnal, and in express terms subordinate them
to the military power, and the Executive
would take no steps to interfere. But the
moment the actual integrity of one of these
organizations was assailed, that moment he
reopened the controversy with Congress, and
braved the perils of special session. The
careful observer will also note that in all the
animadversions of the Democracy upon the
Reconstruction law, the gravamen of their
attacks is that said law overthrows these So
called State Governments. From all this we
may safely conclude that the perpetuation of
these governments is regarded by the entire
Opposition, from the President down, as
matter Of supreme moment.
slight retr ospect of the various steps in
the history of the contest between the loyal
people and Mr.. Johnson will serve to show
why this is so.
The original State Governments Of the late
Rebel States, those Governments under which
they entered the Union, or were admitted to
it, and under which they continued to live
down to the breaking out of the Rebellion,
were overthrown or supplanted at the very
commencement of the struggle. They were
succeeded by the Rebel State Governments,
which lasted during the entire war. These
latter were illegal, unconstitutional, revolu-
tionary organizations, warning upon the
United States. Their fate was of course bound
up in that of the so-called Confederacy, o.
which they each constituted a part. When
the Rebellion was conquered and Overthrown
these Rebel State Governments fell with it.
The Rebel States were then without State
Governments of any kind. They had neither
governors, judges, nor legislators. The
entire framework of civil government within
their limits had persisted. A blank was left.
This was the condition of affairs in the
spring of 1866, subsequent to the overthrow Of
the Rebellion. All civil government had
ceased in the late Rebel States, and the mill
tary power of the United States held undis
puted possession of the country.
Here the practical problem of reconstruction
commenced. These States could not be held
under permanent military rule. The machi
merry of civil government must be again set up
State Governments must be organized. Wal
had done its work in settling the appeal which
had been made to the sword, and now the
foundations of the permanent structure o
society must be laid.
At just this point, had President johnson
consulted the letter and spirit of the COnstitu
tiOn, he would have called Congress together
in extra session, or would have awaited it
regular meeting, and would have committed
the whole problem to the peoples representa-
tives. Blinded, however, by his own ambi
ton and love of power, he proceeded to usurI
the functions of Congress, and undertook th'
work of creating State Governments on his owl
hook. Through his agents he proceeded
with his self-imposed task, and created tn,
present provisional State organizations in tn,
late Rebel States. He claimed for these orea
tions of his, these products of Executive usur
patton, not only legality, but absolute position
in the Union as integral parts of the Govern
ment of the nation. He had his 'Representa
tives" and "Senators" on hand at Washing
ton, ready to claim seats at the opening Q
Congress.
But at this point Congress took hold of tn
question, and at once repudiated Mr.. Johr
sons work as illegal and revolutionary.
denied the constitutionality of those State Coy
ernments which he had created, and refuse
admission to his Representatives and Senator
Both parties appealed to the people in Il
election of last fall, and the people, with q
unanimity and emphasis rarely paralleled
this country, endorsed and sustained Congress
The Reconstruction bills followed, declarir
these bogus State Governments of Mr.. Joh
sons TO be merely provisional, and subject
the paramount authority of the Military Cor
manders provided for by the bill. But
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