The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-02-21
THE NEW YORK PRESS.
EDITORIAL OPINIONS OF THE LEADING JOURNALS
UPON CURRENT ToPICs-C0MPILBD EVERY
DAY FOR THE EVENING TELEGRAPH.
The RecOnstructiOn BlI-"OhaOs Come
Again."

ON the Reconstruction bill were on Tuesday
bummarily destroyed. The House has refused
10 concur in the Sherman amendments, and
since the Senate will not recede from its posi-
tion in regard to them, the probabilities point
to their failure and abandonment. With them
will end the last chance of accomplishing any
thing during the present session.
For this result the country is indebted to an
alliance between the Democrats and the ex-
treme radicals. A large majority of the Re
publican members voted for the acceptance of
the Senate amendments, while of the majority
who rejected them, forty-two are Democrats.
The Republican vote stands seventy-two for
the amendments and ffty-fve against them
"a proof that the majority of the party are
favorable to early and effective reconstruction,
and that the Democrats must divide with the
more violent radicals the responsibility
nrolonoing the exclusion of the Southern States.
The speeches of Messrs. Boutwell, and Ste
vens prove incontestably that they are averse
to anV measure for the early reorganization OF
the Southern States. They adhere to the
Military bill as it passed the House, which
makes no provision for reconstruction, and
establishes martial law for an indefinite period.
It is as Mr.. Stevens describes it-a police bill;
but a police bill that overthrows civil autho-
rity, and places the liberty, property, and even
the lives of the Southern people at the mercy
of soldiers. 1t destroys existing State organi-
zations, without attempting to build others III
their place. 1t makes Brigadier-General the
sole and virtually irresponsible judge of right
and law. And all this without limitation as to
time. Beyond reestablishing military des-
potism, it does nothing, proposes nothing. And
by refusing to concur in its amendment, MeSsrs.
Stevens & Co. confess their aversion to imme-
diate reconstruction in any form. Mr.. Stevens,
indeed, does not pretend to desire the return
of the Southern people on any terms. 81 am
not very anxious" =" he said on Monday, "to
see their votes cast along with others to con-
troll the election of the President and Vice
President of the United States" That's it,
exactly. He would rather keep the South out
of the Union than reconstruct the Union on
the most loyal basis. His eye is fixed upon
the next Presidential election, and he will
tolerate no measure that is intended or calcu-
lated to give the South voice in the contest.
His object is to prevent reconstruction, not to
hasten it; and his Military bill does this to
nicely.
Mr.. Boutwell, is not quite so outspoken. He
DISCUSSES his aversion to Senator Sherman's
amendments under the plea that they would
restore the Rebels to power. His objection to
the amended bill, he declares, ''is fundamental.
1t provides, if not in terms, by the measures
it proposes, for the restoration of those (the
Southern) Governments at once, through the
agency of disoyal men," The same pretense
runs through his speech. He will not listen
to the Blaine Sherman amendment, because it
is favorable to the Rebels, and will restore the
Rebel leaders to power. 1t is difficult to believe
that Mr.. Boutwell, means what he says. A
measure embodying all the guarantees of the
Constitutional amendment which eighteen
loyal States have already ratified an
adequate basis of reconstruction, is, forsooth,
in Mr. Boutwells opinion, favorable to ''dis-
loyal men ~ measure which adds to the
Constitutional amendment the guarantee of
universal negro suffrage is, in Mr. BOutwell's
judgment, certain to lead to the reOrganiza-
ton of Rebel Governments ! The absurdity of
the allegations renders their serious refutation
unnecessary. They may serve i'll some quar-
ters to conceal the motives of the extreme,
disorganizing policy, but the great majority of
the Republican party will see in them a very
poor excuse for pOstponing reconstruction,
with an exclusive view to partisan advan-
tage.
The truth is that time is necessary for the
development of the revolutionary policy. Mar
tial law is only the initial step, preliminary to
the unfolding of Mr.. Stevens other PROPOSE
tions. Establish the supremacy of the soldier
throughout the South-deprive the citizen of
the protection of the habeas cOrpus-accustom
courts and people to the iron heel of military
power-and the rest will come in due order.
Mr.. Stevens has reminded us that he clings to
the idea of compensating loyalists for losses
by the confiscation of Rebels property. Con-
fiscation will be an easy process when judges
and juries shall have been superseded by
brigadiers. Mr. Boutwell, protests that there
shall be none but military Governments at the
South until nearly the entire white population
are disfranchised. The military scheme, then,
is means to All end but an end which Con
gress has not yet been asked to sanction. And
meanwhile, if these gentlemen have their way,
there will be no attempt at reconstruction. The
South must have martial law, and nothing
else. The Sherman bill would use the soldier
merely as peace officer, pending the compile
tion of reconstruction, and therefore it must be
killed.
This state of affairs had been impossible
without Democratic assistance. Tuesdays
division has proved that, left to themselves
the Stevens section of the Republican party
would be unable to Illustrate wiser counsels
The Democrats rushed to the rescue, and thus
in effect, made themselves responsible for the
non-amendment of Stevens odiOus measure
They held the balance of power, and they EN-
ployed it in favor of Mr.. Stevens and agains
the South. To men capable of rising abov,
the dirt and degradation of party, the oppor
tunity would have been a great one. As tn
question came up, it was choice between
martial law for the South, with confiscatiol
and disfranchsement in the distance ant
military government as the prelude to recon
struction. The alternative was, to accep
amendments conceived in the interest {
peace and humanity, of the South and tn
Union, or by, rejecting these amendments t
perpetuate the exclusion of the SOuther