Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-02-08

to be bafiied by the enemy, but congress,
during he whole six years, has had
nobody 10 battle it. 10 has been prepon-
derantly republican, with q cooperating
president during the first four years, and
majority enough to override the veto
since. The whole policy Of the govern
ment, during the whole six years, bag
looked steadily to reconstruction restG
ration was the prOfessed object offhe
war and has been the professed Object of
tie mos important deliberations since.
We are Row entering upon the seventh
year, and no policy of rec%onstruction Is
yet agreed upon by a party which has
had absolute control Of congress during
the whole period, If this does not cor
respond to Mr.. Lincoln's definition Of
7" an anger that won't bore" pray what
would?
This disgraceful debility, this wretehed
d0-nothing meiliciency OF che republican
party in respect to reconstruction, does
not proceed from lack of statesmanship,
but from lack Of bonesty. The subject is
50 simple, and the obligations imposed
by the constitution so Imperative, that
no craftsmanship was needed. In fact,
il was not until the near close of the war
that anybody pretended 20 see diff
culties. The first congress after the be-
ginning Of the var were unanimous that
there were none. They passed a
resolution, without a dissenting
voice, declaring that the sole pur-
pose Of the war was to put down
military resistance, and that, as soon
as that was accomplished, things
would revert to their former condition,
leaving all p~re-eXisting rights unim-
paired. Besides this informal declara-
ton, the same view was again and again
taken incidentally. Some members Of
both houses from the seeded states re-
manned without questiOn-among them
Andrew johnson himself. An election
case from Virginia was very deliberately
debated in the lower house, and although
the member claimed to have been elect
ed after Virginia had seeded, the dis
cussiOn turned entirely on the regular
ity of tine election under the laws Of the
state, and all the speeches Of the repub-
lean members were full of implied ad-
missions that, as soon as the enemy was
driven or so that regular elections
could be held, the right Of the SOUTH
ern districts to SEND Representatives
would be perfect. Indeed, the republic
can orators and writers are constantly
admitting now, that this was the view
universally taken then. They are per
petuaily saying that il is fortunate, on
the whole, that military success ann so
slowly, since, Ii the war had closed
within the first two years, the rebel
states would have been promptly admit
ted back without question. But nobody
can deny that the constitutional ques-
ton is precisely the same now as it
would have been then. Whatever the
rebel states have done to forfeit rep
rasentatiOn, they had done prior 70
1869. If il ia secession that works the
forfeiture, they had already seeded II
il is the transfer of allegiance BY their
state governments, they had already
sWOrn all their officers to support the
COniederaey If it is raising armies and
making war, that also bad been already
done on the largest scale practicable.
The constitutional and legal questions
are therefore precisely the same now that
they were the first year of the war, when,
by universal admission then, and uni
versai admission since, the states would
have been Immediately restored on sub
mission.
Not only is the constitutional question
unaltered, but every reason of expedi-
ency remains precisely the same. It
was not less necessary " to take security
for the future - then than il is now. In.
l A4LAH NAAb AAIANEoaNI hbAlA tdhG bEEl
greater then, for the south would not
have been so crippled and Frustrated,
and the continued existence of slavery
would have furnished motives to reopen.
the quarrel.
Now, why is it that a question once
deemed so simple as TO admit no differ
ence of opinion, has become SO complex
that the republican party can come 10 no
agreement upon it, although every ele-
ment which enters into the problem now,
was equally present then ? II has be-
come difficult only because it is now
Thought necessary to evade the constitu-
! ton, and that instrument is so wisely
constructed for fOiling such attempts,
that the radical problem is as insoluble
as tho old one of squariug the circle or
causing perpetual motion. II the union
is not restored until it is restored bv
them, it will never be at sill and the
republican party, as an auger that
won't bOre,n will lie cast aside. The
people, having made such ~stnpendous
sacrifices Tor the union, insist on having
what they bargained for.