Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-02-15

there is any honesty or fairness rem ain
Ing among men, the republican leaders
cannot carry the people with them in re-
Jectlng the very terms OF restoration
which they themselves proposed.
u Their quick perception Of the bear
ny ~ the southern plan, and Of the
infinite embarrassment Il must cause
thenif it gets fairly presented that mas
preciPitated them into the clumsy ma
neqvre OF putting the south under mar
uAi law. This Is their mode Of making
an oHlelai declaration that the south has
no state governments. The southern piau
IS to be proposed through the southern
state legislatures, in the regular form Of
applying for an amendmentfo the constf-
tuition. An amendment which those
states apply for, they VIII be pledged 10
ratfy thus putting the feasibility of
THIS plan Of restoration beyond duss-
ton Differing ftom the republican
out little in substance, IL
WIN diner rom II entirely 10 being
practicable. For congress to pass an
immediate resolution declaring that
there are ne state legislatures in the
SOUTH through which such a plan can
be proposed, would be a little too
barefaced and so they have hatebed
this crude and laundering bill. which
enables them to make the declaration
With q different Ostensi5le aim. The bill
IS & proof Of their alarm at the new plan.
aud IL designed to head it Off by
dlsputing the competence OF the legisla-
lures that are to propose it. Congress
viii then affect 20 treat the southern pian
as The irresponsible proposal Of usurping
bodies or rebels, Of which our govern
ment can no more take cognizance than
IL could nave held intercourse with the
feoeI congress during the war. This is
the dodge which is masked under their
abb r. bill, We have no doubt.
Partial law can De Justified only bv
some urgent, overpowering necessity
Dut there IS n emergency in the south
calling FOR this extreme measure. 1t is
not intended for the protection Of the
white Inhabitants, and the blacks
nave all the protection which a
legislation can give them, in the COM
PTehSnSiVe and stringent civil rights
Oill passed at the last session. Beiup.
called Tor by no necessity, pretending to
ann at things for which the amplest leg
islsIlVe provision has already been
made, the oil is a false p~retence 10
cover q fraudulent design n he
southern plan can be got fairy be-
fore the country, it will be adoptAd
q the immediate restoration Of the
union which would t~hereupon follow
would bring into the presidential contest
seventy electoral votes certain to be cast
against the republicans. Hence this vio-
lent effort to strange the southern COM
promise in its birth.-N y World.
We cannosrememker an instance Of
any public officer being so generally de-
serted by his friends and abandoned by
the s~ympathies and confidence Of the
people as Secretary McCullOch. Upon
his accession TO the s-ecretaryship OF the
treasury he most undoubtedly com
manded the respect and confidence of
every one, and, long after the great mass
OF the people had turned sgainst him. his
friends bore up under their disapp5int-
ment, and struggled maufUliv to Sustain
him. But now even the voice OF his
friends is hushed. He has shown uD-
~mistakabiy that, in point Of ability and
experience, he is utterly incapable of
dischaTgtngth duties Ofhis position. even
if he is not destitute Of other equally inn
pOrtant qualifications for so important an
Office. His warmest personal friends
cannot but admit the truth of these aIIe-
cations, and none Of them now have the
hardihoOd to speak aUght in his defense.
If President johnson has been unfortu-
nate in his reconstruction efforts. Secre-
tary McCullOch has been more than
unfortunate in his efforts at what he
terms resumption And very Datu-
rally so for, while there was a necessity
to justify the action Of the secretary; in
fact, all the necessities Of our fra.ciai
situation demanded that these efforts
should not be made, ard that the ques-
Of the contraction of the currency
and the resumption should be left alone
until the disposal of other financial cues
tons cleared the way for their cOnsidera-
ton.
Since the very close of the war, this
secretary has been tiukering with the
currency question, and every time he
mas touched it the business Of the country
mas suffered. And could be have been
the latitude he desired. and left
in all respects u exercise his discre-
ion, the country would have to-day been
much worse off than it is. And If he
'Ouid have realized his wild dream Of the
OF specie payments, be would
betrayed ne country into more
eriOus evils than were ever witnessed in
he worst periods Of our currency I
He seems incapable of con-
ideTing more than one idea at a time.
nd unable to comprehend that one ]
can bear any relation to another. {
lie has taken into consideration f
he fact that Our immense public debt
endeTs necessary the annual imposition
I an enormous taxation upon the peo-
lie, or attempted 10 discover how far the
OntraetiOn Of the currency and the
sumption Of specie payments would
fleet the ability Of the people TO nav
hese taxes, and, through this ability. -
these questions would affect the '
ublic revenues. Were the government I
D a position where it could get along {
nth a mere nominal rate of taxation. =
contraction of the ~aNrrency would !,
e entirely a different thing from 4
It IS now, when the people {
lust pay annually from three to q
five hundred millions to the govern 7
lent. 1t requires the utmost caution to :
sduee the volume Of the currency while l
necessity exists fer these enormous v
axes, and this necessity VIII exist for L
ears The question cannot be forced in
he least, for the slightest depression or
arrangement in business is sure TO tell
i~sastrOusly upon the revenues of the
OyeTnment, and to react with double
lrce upon the people, who will not only
2 compelled to bear the evils of this g
arrangement Of business, but will also .,
2 compelled to pay enormous sums =
} the government when least able q
} do so. Then it is difficult to =
e how the currency can be safely :
'ntraetedi ard specie payments re- y.
lined too while 50 large a portion of 4
at public debt natures at an early day. =
hese cOnsiderations-and they are i'm :.
1rtant and vital Ones-seem TO have ;,
escaped the notice Of Secretary q
.cCullOch and there is no doubt but he :
incapable Of comprehending so vast a \
leslon as the one be has undertaken to
I've It does not require q large share =
ability to read the events of the future
predict that, the longer Secretary
.eCuilOch Temains in Office, the mere A
popular he will become, snd that. if 4
? holds on long enough, he will be In
tyen from Office by a torrent OF public
dignatiOn no one can withstand -
hicdgO Times, 9Th. \
SOUTHERN RELIEF COMMISSION h
But $4,000 have been collected by the -
relief commission, and about
equal sum by the ladies who preceded
in their good work; yet in Ala
ma alone there are forty thousand per
rs who, till another crop ripens, must "
wholly fed By charity, and many more =
IL need partialr relief; whilstin the Car As
mas and Georgia as well, similar desti- tai
lion is widespread. rs,
III AtA NtLAA III tltE EeIflILOI THIS LIZ
neral restitution, arising from the sF
OF last years crop and the unre- -
ired ravages Of war, and saws that il
tends not only among the always poor
iiIes, out also among large numbers of n
? planter class, especially Of women -
d children who have lost their pro-
tors and means of subsistence. Gen. +
ward recommends the commission to n
pense their benefeence through the I [
ut agency of the district commanders ~
| governors in each state. His advice 81
been followed, and 500 worth of
n ordered to be boughtsnd distributed Is
that manner.
meagre results which have fol-
red the appeals for help for the d sti-i A
e and starving south, lead one 10 n
1der whether the heart of the NORTH s7ie
been hardened into the hate which fe
has seemed to be the only -
sible adequate cause of its political
Of that section. More was V1E
ected for the hOuseless sufferers bv ~
Portland fire in one dav than All
starvation Of thousands Of peo- By
scattered over four southern
es has been able to elicit from NJ
purses ef the charitable. Even the -