The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-03-01

|
Under the slightly ambiguous caption of
| iThe Member Of the First Congressional Dis
trict," the Saco Democrat not long since re-
| ferred to Mr.. Lynch as follows: rsy,
Mr.. Lynch taking his cue from resolution
on Federal relations passed by the Legislature
OF this State, has discovered, after two years
| in Congress, that the late insurgent States ore
not yet restored. He is therefore reported as
| follows: l5il .f-4..r s14a rs - ,5t,r !
Mr.. Lynch, of Maine, introduced joint resolution
setting forth that with the overthrow OF the Confed
crate armed force the late insurgent States left
without proper State Governments and the COnstitu
tions of such States under the the lead
of the late rebelon and declaring it to be the
duty of Congress to Immediately establish such gov
ernments for the late rebel States as will recognize
the authority of the Constitution of the United States
and will protect all citizens in their rights and to the
end that they may as speedily possible be restored
to their places in the Union an to provide further
that in passing upon the question OF reconstruction
all citizens of lawful age shall be entitled to the
| els Of the elective franchise.
| The real objection to the organizations is, we
presume, that the leaders are not composed
Of such men as Ex-Gov. Hahn of Louisiana
! Ex-Gov. Hamilton, and Col. Stokes of Texas
| and other ex-secesSiOnists, now rabid Southern
Radicals, and their negro associates, all ready
to dlsaGrsanlze their States and subject them
But Congress not only refuses to recognize the
| policy OF the President, but during the thirty
ninth Congress, have failed to devise any plan
| OF reconstruction upon which even the Kadi-
Gals themselves could agree. Hence we have
no Union, and ruin and despotism threaten us
MIR. Lynchs resolution was referred to the
Committee on reconstruction where many 9TH
ers OF like character are permitted to rest
We take leave to point out two or three mac
curacies-to speak mildly-in this little arti-
! Gle. .4t........ ,l......
1. Congress has devised plan of recon
struction which commanded the full Republi-
can vote. t,4, .ls.a. -..........
2. Mr.. Lyneh's resolution was not permit
ted to rest in the committee room but is real
ly the basis of the plan which has been adopt
| ed. tl 7t a'u
3, Mr. Lynch did not take his cue from a res
olution emanating from the State Legislature
| because his resolution was offered in Congress
telegraphed to Maine and actually printed in
the Press before the Legislature meti Even
the Saco Democrat ought to be able to under
stand that resolution offered at the begin.
ming of the present session of Congress could
not have been suggested by resolves introduc
ed in the State Legislature three months after
| wards. 4' t'1 -t a 3i.a ss.
1t happens to be personally known to us, thai
Mr. Lynch drew up this resolution, in sub
stantially the same terms, year ago last De
cember AT that time very few men in Con
gress or in the country were satisfied that SC
radical course would need to be adopted
Even at the beginning of the present session
when the resolution was offered, majority OF
the House was unprepared for it, and IL was
sent to the Reconstruction Committee, as eve
rybody understood, to avoid direct voee' we
do not undervalue the prudence wh'cn oon-
gress has shown in treating a ma''ei u 'uon
transcendant importance; but it is right and
necessary 10 acknowledge that MIR. Lynch has
foreseen more clearly than the majority the
;navitahle tendency of events, and occupied
more than year ago the ground to which his
nartv has slowly and cautiously advanced.