The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-02-14
A Multitude of Counsellors.

A Multitude of Counsellors.
The reconstructors at Washington are
certainly diligent in their peculiar bust
ness. if they do not attend much to the
naneral interests of the country. Back
ward they may be in the matter of tariffs,
and bewildered on the subject OF finance,
but i, must be admitted that they are ex-
hausting the whole science of reeonstruc-
ton. Their assiduity is indeed wonderful.
They will not wait for the results OF the
deep and abstruse labors Of their recon
struction committee, which will assuredly
bring forth, one of these days, some mighty
scheme or system worthy Of their wisdom,
and proportioned to the long incubation.
Each individual member of Congress has
studied out the grant question by himself,
and comes out with his own admirably
digested plan, which has its few days or
hours of popularity. The Radical ma
jority, somewhat perplexed by so many
projects, and all so fine Of their kind, is
willing to try them, in tentative kind OF
way, on an individual State here and there,
to see if one Of them may not perhaps be
found to work. For instance: if the cen
abling act" had been applied to North
Carolina, the whole of the party would
rest of the States; and if the Stevens
Bill, or the other contemporaneous Bing-
ham Bill, for simply governing US by
Brgadiers, be permitted to drop after
some debate, suddenly the other Elliott
Bill, applying the same principle to Lou
isiana for local reasons, is looked to with
hone and Joy as perhaps the future model
of all subsequent reconstructions. For II
there was in New Orleans that lucky
massacre" which justifies military law
in that State, nothing is easier than to get
ND some small riot in other places; indeed,
even that may not be considered necessary.
For If there be any one fact now univer-
sally received in Congress, it is the preva-
lence of lawless violence throughout the
whole southern country which impedes
for loyal men to live in their own homes"
That fact is taken for granted even by
those who have opposed the Stevens and
Bingham Bills. Something must be done,
they say, and that at once, to protect these
loyal men and freedmen from the outrages
which our people are daily perpetrating
upon them. Mr.. STEARNS may say what
he pleases, and fondly fatter himself
that he can live in his own house.
They know better in Congress; where
a member supporting one OF these
bills distinctly assures the House that ne
abas received letter" from Texas con-
tanning an account of fifteen recent muir
ders in that State, not followed by punish
ment. It may yainly be objected that these
ara probably fifteen falsehoods. No mat
Tar. the statement is made anyhow; the
majority of the House wish to believe it ];
they hold up their hands with horror, and
say to one another, it is lamentably but
too true that we must rule these rebels by
military force In some form or other. So
they assent to the military scheme being
Fundamentally applied to Louisiana; no.
th,pg doubling that the officers will send
GLOWING accounts Of the beneficial effects
Of thsir own rule and SO the way to a
general reconstruction will be traced out.
But contemporaneously with all these
plans there isyet another 1t is called the
splan of the Southern Governors; and the
Radicals have been rather anxiously look
iny 10 the manner in which the North
Carolina Legislature would deal, with it
when proposed for its consideration. This
plan Is regarded as furnishing the very first
and only platform on which Congress and
the President can possibly stand together
and certain Radical leaders give clear in
dioations that they would be willing to
i compromise upon that. Some Of the Radi-
cal journals, also despairing of any other
solution, are rejoicing over this bare posi-.
bility. But we read in the Dailv Times
{ that the Legislature Of North Carolina had
been considering the plan three days, and
had arrived at no result and 9the DELAY
Elm North Carolina is looked upon as
"ominous in Its influence upon other
" States, as 1t was expected that she would
"not hesitate TO lead the way to its adop.
"tion.n
Such h the present condition of recon.
stTuction. There Is dependency at Wash
ington and Mr.. STEVENS charges Con-
naturally disgustsd ct finding that their
majority, their :" will -of the people," is
4 not onnipotent, q they he'd faliy believed,
and 70 tho Midst Of Gil this confusion, one
tbisG only seems to bs pretty certain