The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-02-02

thcY have tailed even 20 devise policy OF restO-
ration. 1t Is as bad as IL our Generals had re-
mained two years at Washington without ever
forming any plan OF campalgn None of the
tea OD8ble excuses for the early military DELAYS
will avail in respect TO reconstruction To or
gsnize and discipline vast army oil raw recruits
is necessarily work of time; but the present
Congress was as completely qualified a. act on
the subject of restoration the first month of its
first session as II can be in the single remaining
month of ITS last. Indeed there IA no reason
why the question should have been deferred 10
this Congress OF all
=, The war overlook us of a sudden, and found
the country unprepared; but. from the very day
that the war began, everybody kne " that the
reconstruction would have TO be met and II
was the duty of Congress to define the terms.
mmittuaiy m .un movements were subject to be batlled
SIX years, has had nobody to Daffle IL, IL has
been preponderantly Republican, with n co.
operating President during the first four wears
ana majority enough to override the veto since
The whole policy OF the Government. during
the whole SIX years, has looked steadily to re-
construction; restoration was the protested
object OF the war, and has been the professed
object OF the most important deliberations
since. We are now entering upon the seventh
year, and no policy of reconstruction is vet
agreed upon by party which has mad absolute
control OF Congress during the whole period
II this does not correspond to Mr. Ljncoln's
definition OF ian auger that won't bore y pray
what would? ~ -
This disgraceful debility, this wretched do
nothmg lnethcency Of the Republican party IN
respect to reconstruction, does not proceed
from lack OF craftsmanship but from Iack of
honesty. The subject is So simple and the obli-
cations imposed by the Constitution so impera-
1--WE, tnat no craftsmanship was needed. In
Iact u was not until the near close of the war
that anybody pretended TO see difficulties. The
DIst Congress after the beginning of the war
were unanimous that there were none, They
passed resolution, without dissenting voice,
0eclallng that the sole purpose 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
p1e-eXistlng rights unimpaired. Besides this
formal declaration the same view was again
and again taken incidentally.
Some members of both Houses from the
seeded States remained without question
among them Andrew johnson himself. An
election case from Virginia was very ela6o-
ralely debatedin the lower House, aud although
the member claimed to have been elected atLer
Virginia had seeded, the discussion turned en-
tirely on the regularity of the election under
the laws OF the State, and all the speeches Of
the Republican members were tull OF implied
admissions that, as soon as the enemy was
driven off so that regular elections could be
held, the right of the Southern districts to send
repres 5Dt tatives would be perfect. Indeed, the
Republican orators and writers are constantly
admittng now, that this was the view unIyer.
sally taken then.
They are perpetually saying that it is fortunate
on the whole, that military success came so
slowly, since, ii the war had closed within the
first two years, the Rebel States would have
been promptly admitted back without question
But nobody can deny that the Constitutional
question is precisely the same now as IL would
have been then. Whatever the Rebel States
have done to forfeit representation they had
done prior to 1862. fit is secession that works
the forfeiture, they had already seeded; if 1t
is the transfer OF allegiance by their State Gov
eInnents, they had already sworn all their
Taisng armies and making "%sfeFbbey Wsf II It Is
been already done on the largest scale praCti-
cable. The constitutional and legal questions
are therefore precisely the same now that they
were the first year of the war, when. by univer-
sal admission then, aud universal adm ission
since, the States would have been Immediately
restored on submission. ......
Not only is the constitutional question un-
altered, but every reason OF eXpedency remains
precisely the same 1t was not less necessary
80 take security for the futuren then than it
is now. In fact, the necessity would have been
greater then, for the South would not have been
so crippled and prOstrated, and the continued
existence of slavery would have furnished mo-
tives to reopen the quarrel. .l
Now, why is it that question once deemed so
simple as to admit no difference of opinion,
has become go complex that the Republican
party can come to no agreement upon it
although every element which enters into the
problem now was equally present then? 1t
thas become difficult only because 1t is now
thoughts necessary to evade the Constitution
and that instrument is so wisely constructed foI
foiling sNch attempts, that the radical problem
is as insolHble as the old one of squariHg the
circle or causing perpetual motion. II the
Union is not restored until it is restored By
them, 1t will never be at all and the Repubiicar
party as IAN auger that won't bore,p will b;
cast aside. The people, having made suet
stupendous sacrifices tor the Union, insist OF
having what they bargained TOR. ,N'"h ht l"