The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1867-09-05

oIl uSIAOA WlluOut Tue SduCGlOu VI
the people as expressed through
their representatives in Congress-.
The power to form the govern
ments of nine States that had been
In rebellion was too greatto be exer
cised by one man. The settlement
we had to make with the rebels, and
the readjustment of their institutions
of loyal basis which would give
security for the future, was u matter
of the greatest Importance, in which
all the people were interested, and
upon which they must be heard
through Congress. As the Presi-
dent had no power of himself to es-
tablish Governments, and as they
were never sanctioned by Congress,
they were authorized and illegal, and
are in that condition to-day. In the
summer of 1866, Congress, still dis
posed to harmonize matters with the
President if possible, and to disturb
as little as might be the existing state
of things, submitted to the rebel
States, for their acceptance an amend
ment to the Constitution of the Unit
ed States, containing four conditions
which were regarded as of vital i'm
portance to the future peace and Sc
curity of the Republic, with the tacit
understanding that if accepted and
duly ratified they should constitute
Il basis Of settlement and reconstruc-
ton. The effect of this would have
been to accept the, existing rebel
State Governments and make them
legal, subject to the conditions and
restrictions contained in the amend
ment. The Northern States prompt
ly ratified the amendment, but the
lpeople Of the South, acting under
the vehement advice and persuasion
of the Northern Democracy, reject
ed scornfully and declared they
would accept no terms but the un-
conditional recognition of their
State Governments an admission Of
their Representatives into Congress-
And thus the issue was made up be
tween Congress and the President
. and between the loyal people and
/ the rebels, on the 1st Of January,
, 1867. In the meantime these State
Governments had been in the pos
: session Of the most violent and ma
! lignant rebels, whose utterances and
J influences were Ill disloyal and
against submission to any terms of
) reconstruction. Loyal men, both
white and black, were denied the
: protection of the laws, and system
| of murderous persecution instituted
| which was intended to drive all white
| Union men from the South and ex-
| tirpate the last traces of loyal s..nti-
e ment. The poor freedmen were
5 driven from their humble homes
4 and murdered with tile boldest i'm
4 punity, and a reign of terror esstab-
lished which excited the horor ofthe
: civilized world. The bloody riots
/ Of Memphis and New Orleans, TAX
8 ing rank with the New York riots o1
y 1868, will ever be regarded as among
f the greatest atrocities that have oc.
t Cured in a Christian land During
Il this period the Democratic party o.
; the North were jubilant. 1t habit
! ually denied the existence of tht
Il crimes and outrages committed il
t the South, and when that was i'm
e possible sought to mitigate them by
u laying the blame upon the Radicals
: who were slanderously charged wit!
: prosecuting the harmless rebels b,
whom they were surrounded.
NEW RECONSTRUCTION ON A NE7
PRINCIPLE.
Up to this time every plan Of re
f construction had been based upol
G the white voting population, leavin:
! to the decision Of that populatio
+ the question of enfranclising th
colored men. It was soin Lincoln
) plan, in the Winter Davis bill, j
4 Johnson's plan, and under the con
# stitutional amendment. All hope
of reconstruction upon that basi
= were gone. The whites, nineteen
T. twentieths of whom were rebels, un
h der the Satanic influence Of TIL
N Northern Democracy, continue
il disloyal, hostile and perverse /
N new plan Of reconstruction was in
d dispensable, and it must be upon
20 totally different principle Judge
ID ment of illegality and condemnatio
r must be pronounced upon the Pres
,e ident's policy and workmanship
, The power Of the Administration t
in impede the action Of Congress an
defeat new plan of reconstructio
n must be neutralized. The constitr
n tional amendment must be rattle
A. and all State officers, as well as men
If bers of Congress must be loyal an
m able to take the iron-clad oath.
o. But we must dig deeper. "
v must go down to the solid and in
Is mutable principles ofthe Declaratio o
of of Independence, discarding all ma
TO ter of expediency and compromis
oe We must lay the foundations of til
on new reconstruction upon the gre;
he principles of equal rights and equ
rb justice. We must placs the ballot
the hands of all men, without di
tinction of color, except such .
have been disfranchised for treasC
no. or other crimes. And all this h;
re been done. AS it took us son
er time to find the right method to ca
nd ry on the war. and the right man
is command our armies, so it has take
Sc us some time to find out the rig
m plan of reconstruction, but we ha'
ch got it at last We are not simp
all building from the ground up, b
an from the solid rock beneath Il
m ground. The structure rises slow
it but surely. No enduring and bea
bo | tifill adificp was ever huilt il, q 6a