The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-04-05


ingly, when friend of mine came here day
or two ago to deliver a lecture on ''rhe Cor
ner-Stone of Reconstruction, " three fashion
able Washington churches, in solemn success
sion, refused to grant the use of their edifces
to man who was to advocate negro suffrage.
But the sstone which the church trustees of
Washington have to-day rejected is to become
in six weeks the head of the corner. This is
revenge.
will not further lengthen this long letter,
except to say that, Congress having adjourned,
| shall leave town in the same train with the
departing members. One cannot always
travel in good company.
Progress of Reconstruction in the South.
From the Herald.
Some time ago, and while the various mea-
sures proposed for the reconstruction of the
South were under discussion we said that if
any plan were adopted making reconstruction
depend entirely upon the voluntary action of
the Southern people it would be long time
before the Rebel States would be reconstructed.
We saw that the Southerners were so demora-
lized and helpless, and so divided among them
selves that they would not be able to agree
upon any plan which would be acceptable to
Congress and the Northern people. We urged
that Congress should act as guardian would
act with a child, and prescribe and force the
needful measures upon the South. In this
many ofthe most intelligent Southerners agreed
with us, and declared that Congress must do
the work for them. Let US know, they said,
what you require of us, what the conditions
are, and we will conform to your wishes, how
ever unpleasant the terms may be; for we
see that we are powerless and you all-powerful.
Congress did act upon this view of the case.
In the Reconstruction bill and in the Supple
mental bill passed for this purpose, the whole
plan is laid down. There is no choice left.
The South is placed again under military
authority to accomplish the object in view.
State rights and pre-existing rights are ig-
nored. The right of the cOnqueror over the
conquered-of the supreme Government over
the subjugated Rebels-is the only law admit
ted or that can be admitted in the case. 1t is
folly, then, to talk about the constitutiOnality
of the Reconstruction acts or of appealing to
the Supreme Court. If even the Reconstruc-
ton acts could be suspended or set aside,
which is not likely, it would be great misfor-
tune to the country, and especially to the
South. The Southern people have accepted
the conditions imposed for their restoration as
the best they can get, and are working ear
! nestly under them. To attempt to arrest or
obstruct the work now would be foolish in the
extreme, and great injury to the South.
From all parts of the South, except, per-
haps, in few remote places like the Rio
/ Grande border of Texas, where the inhabit-
ants know or care little about government,
the people are earnestly at work to bring
| about reconstruction. Whites and blacks
! alike seem to realize all at once that the Op-
! portunity has come, and that it might be dis
astrous in the highest degree to neglect it,
The most intellectual and popular men of the
! South, such as General Robert Lee, Wade
Hampton, General Longstreet, A. Il. Brown,
| of Mississippi General Beauregard, and a
number of others of the same class, advise
the people not only to acquiesce in the Con
! gressional plan of reconstruction, but urge
! them to take an active part in it. The news
papers generally, which lately were hostile,
| are now wheeling round in support of the
measure. Of course they speak of it being
! forced upon them, by way OF saving themselves
! from the charge of inconsistency, but they sup
! port it nevertheless. In fact, they perceive
! that the public voice is loud in favor OF resto-
ration under the plan prescribed, and they are
compelled to follow the current. Our cores
! pondent in Georgia says he knows not OF a
| single public journal in that State that advises
| the people to vote ''nO convention" The
same state of feeling and purpose among the
whites is found generallyin in the other southern
States as thus spoken of in Georgia. NOR are
the negroes behind in exercising their new
privileges to bring about restoration.
wonderful revolution in this respect has been
effected in very short period. They are
holding public meetings everywhere at whlch
speakers of their own race show great lntelll-
gence with regard to their changed situation
and the new order of things. They even call
upon their former masters to address them,
and evince desire to cooperate with the whites
of their own section in the great work before
them. We had an example of their good
sense and excellent disposition when they
called upon Wade Hampton, at Columbia, D.
c., for a speech. We had at the same time
an example in that speech of the sensible
views of the late master class as to the existing
, and future relations of the two races in the
3 South. There are plenty of similar examples
a In fact, the same disposition to harmonic
+ between the negroes and the whites, and tC
/. cooperate in bringing about restoration a.