The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-09-25
General SickIes on the Congressional
Plan of Reconstruction.


Plan of Reconstruction.
THERE has been no clearer or more triumphant
vindication both of the policy and oonstitu-
tionality of military reconstruction under the
laws of Congress, than that furnished by
General Siclxles in his admirable speech in
Washington, night before last. And we
would commend the perusal of this speech
especially to conservative Republicans and
war Democrats. The judgment of General
Sickles is that of man educated in the Demo
cratic party, honored by it repeatedly with
high official position, yet who subordinated all
the demands of party to the call OF his
country in her hour of need, who fought
skilfully, bravely, at the head Of troops
that he himself had raised and led to the field;
who, since the war, has studied the problem of
reconstruction on the ground has viewed it
in all its lights, has seen the practical work
ings of all the plans tried, and who may fairly
be supposed to bring to the consideration of
this vexed subject an amount of practical in
formation and sound common sense which
should entitle his views to the favorable con-
sideration Of all intelligent citizens. He is
more than mere soldier. He is General
who has the cultivation and breadth of view of
a--statesman.
II is not necessary to more than allude to
General Sickles' line of argument in vindi-
eating the constitutionality of the military
governments in the late Rebel States. He
takes the strong and safe ground that the
authority of Congress to provide for the seou-
rity of persons and property in conquered
territory until legal civil governments could
be established, is distinctly recognized by the
Supreme Court of the United States in
familiar case reported in the twentieth volume
of Howard, in the New Mexico case. The
Supreme Court decided that the military occu
patton of the territory of an enemy super
seeded all civil government existing there, and
furthermore, that the orders, ordinances, and
regulations made by tue military commander
remained in force until superseded by Con-
gress, or by local civil government created
by the authority Of Congress. 1t may, there
fore, be maintained that in the Reconstruction
acts Congress has exercised no power not
sanctioned by the highest legal tribunal in the
land.
This is the safe, common sense view of a
lawyer who appeals to the law as declared by
Nh-SN
dependent grounds upon which he might
have vindicated the action of the Government,
but this was sufficient.
He next proceeds to discuss the very i'm
portant question whether this constitutional
power has been exercised oppressively OF
cruelty in the Rebel States 1t is not enough
that a measure be constitutional it should
also, in the highest sense, be polite. per
fectly constitutional power must not be made
an instrument of injustice or oppression.
Perhaps there is no impression which those
opposed to these military governments en-
deavor more sedulously to create in the public
- mind, than that they are being made the in
struments of tyranny over the Southern
people. We are treated to daily diatribes on
this subject, until we have no doubt that in
many minds the conviction has established
itself that the power of the Government is
being prostituted to purposes of oppression
Nothing could be further from the truth. On
the contrary, the Rebel States never enjoyed
as many of the blessings of good government
as they have under the military governments
temporarily established by Congress. W.
have just seen an instance of this in the cast
of General Siclzles' celebrated ''Order No. TO- ;
which for political purposes was denounced a
everything evil by parties outside of his dis
trict, but which Governor Orr testifes was
measure OF protection to the people, and en-
dorsed by a very large majority of them
General Siolles thus happily summarizes tht
acts of administration of our military com
manders in the Rebel States:-
''If II be true that military commanders have
been laWgiVers, IL is also true that their order.
have been milder and more humane thau the
laws they superseded. imprisonment for deb
fore imposed for larceny has been confined tc
cases Of homicide and otfensesof equal gravity
The semi barbarous yet legalized custom o
whipping men and women for mtsdemeanors
has been prohibited That usage of feuda
times according to which the landlord, by his
chatteIs of his tenant, and turned an i'm.
poVerished and helple,s family out of doors
has been abrogated The freedmen have
been clothed with civil rights, and admitted
70 all the employments OF life. TAe cru
elites OF prison discipline have been amelio-
rated; the mischieVous practice OF carrying
weapons that baneiul source OF Arrays and dis
orders In Southern communities, has been re
pressed. The various forms Of coercion en-
ployed by dominant class TO subJugate and
humiliaCe the laborers dependent upon them
for employment have been swept away, and
the laws made applicable alike to all the Ia
habitants; and where famine threatened 70
starVe those left by a conscriptlon which
robbed tho cradle and the grave military
authority was exercised TO rescue the nome ol
the widow and the orphan from relentless cre-
ditors, and enable even an utterly bankrupt