The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-04-02
Since the was

Since the War
II will be Of advantage to rs ell to look
back and consider events since the termi.
nation of.the war. We can at least extract
from them . lesson - TO future policy that
may DO useful. '
When the war ended. General SHKRxAs
10 his terms for the surrender Of. JOHNSTON
(which terms the latter General TO some ex-
tent assisted In shaping) framed the -trns
plan for. the restoration Of the Union.
Had that plan prevailed, had II met the
approval Of the Government, the country
would to-day be fourishing and rapidly
gaining In power and resources. The great
struggle had added immensely to the csps-
city for exertion, and stimulated greatly the
resolution and Independence, Of the people !;
and had they from tho close Of the war been
RENTED to . condition Of profound peace
and security TO follow their pursuits under
the restored rights Of the States, there
would have been an aggregated industry,
enterprise, and thrift in the South and the
entire nation that would have astonished
the world.
Against such settlement as this there
came two serious obstacles. First, the
assassination f ABRAHAx LINCOLN; Sc
condly, party spirit, that bane Of Republics,
that serpent in the garden which will never
permit mansto enjoy paradise on TINS
earth-certainly in any part of 1t governed
by republican government. The assassi-
nation of Mr.. LINCOLN aroused the darkest
suspicious ut the North that southern
leaders we're particeps criminis in the deed,
and party leaders and presses, interested
in infiaming the public mind, famed these
suspicious with ceasless industry. So in q
short time those feelings among the north
ern masses which had been, under the joys
of the national triumph, softened to some
degree ofgentleness and magnanimity, were
turned into bitterness and rage. The
southern people who, from their leader to
the most obscure citizen, were as much
surprised ct the tragedy as any man north
of Mason and Dixon, were made to suffer
by the prompt withdrawal Of every mani
festation of clemency and a suspension OF
every step towards restoration.
The people were in suspense. They
feared the worst of consequences from
the bitter manifestations from the North.
On May the goth came the amnesty procla-
nation of President JOHNSON with its dis
Embellishments and its submission Of every
man worth $4,000 to the penalty Of con-
fiscation. This was in accordance with his
famous speech at Nashville, wherein he
laid the blame for secession upon the men
of means, and invoked the punishment of
confscation as one well merited by them.
The standard established by him was alb
horrent to every principle of justice. He,
however, opened the way to even those un-
fortunate sinners who were so unlucky as
to own 1000 worth Of property to the
Executive clemency and pardon.
This amnesty proclamation created
great deal of painful apprehension. 1t was
feared that the conditions upon which par
dons would be granted were only such as few
could conscientiously comply with, and
that the great majority of southern people
worth 100000 and upwards would suffer
confscation. Timid persons approached
the pardoning power with decided dispo-
sition to depreciate their services to the
Confederacy and magnify their depreca-
tions of the war. But more frank and bold
gentlemen soon demonstrated that q manly
statement of sincere sympathy, sustained
by aid and comfort to the Confederacy,
and the acknowledgment of defeat, coupled
with desire for peace and the restoration
of the Government, secured pardon as
promptly as an appeal designed the better
to conciliate the supposed prejudices Of the
President.
It is needless to go through the recital
of the singular course of the pardoning
business. How st first it fell into the
hands of the brokers-how that was after
wards denounced by the President-how
the machine hitched frequently-and how,
finally, all the pardons were hurried
through, and only few persons were left,
like fish after the fall Of the tide, high on
the shore. The motives of the amnesty
proclamation were never well understood.
Coupled with the pardoning policy, they
are not very apparent. Some unaccounta-
BILE inconsistency remains.
The Radical party were much pleased
with the principles of the amnesty procla-
nation. THAD. STEVENS now claims the
President as authority for his confiscation
scheme. There was apparent harmony
between the executive and legislative de-
partment Of the Government. Thus mat
ters continued, with no concessions that
were excepted tp by Radicals, during the
year 1855. The provisional governments
established In the spring of 1865 werc all
based on "loyalty," which limited the par
Elephants in government to handful of in
competents. As late as lst Of December,
1855, the President annulled the suspen-
sion Of the habsds corpus, under the procla-
nation of Mr.. LINCOLN Of September 10,
1893, In the southern States.
During the session Of Congress Of 1865
the President, towards the spring, showed
some greater liberality towards the South,
and there were signs Of breach between
him and the Radical leaders, On the I'd
of April he issued his proclamation de-