Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-10-04
5:0)BBlg, BI!g, STATESMAN. t;s'll .
THE SITUATION +!
FINANCIAL AND POLITICAL i
liirauD sd} ra. ~E-s y eTITa sd
ICorrespondence of the Ohio Statesman,l
sTCoNcLUpEp.I

'.'s 't't 2 lCONCbUDBDI r'--H.Sf tt.E
n Thus stood affairs in the summerof 1855
dmore than two years ago. With acclama-
tioDs of joy our armies gradually disband-
0ed; officers and soldiers returned to their
homes to resume the avocations of peace
,bontires blazed throughout the land, and
all hearts rejoiced that at last peace, and
with it a restored Union. had really come,
and the stars that had Sc long been OBJ
rscured were again to shine with renewed
Nbrillianey.. : A>
ry had been Invented. early in the war, to
this effect. that by the act of secession each
nof the so-called seeded States had lost their
places in the Union and had become for
yeign States, subject to be treated in
all respects as foreign and indie
pendent States at war with the United
llsulcide"-such States were called ssdead
States.'' They saw, or protested TO see, in
the success of the Government insuppress-
yying the, erehellion, rnoto the restoration OF
the Southern States to their original
places IN the Union, with all their rights,
dignity andequality unimpaired; but only
so many tconquere6 provinces" entitled to
no rights except such as the Congress OF
the United States, from which all of said
States were excluded, should see fit to i'm
6pose. To be sure, it will be observed that
this theory substantially recognized, the
Con federate Government as an established
power; it in effect recognized the right oil
secession; admitted that the so-called Sc
+, ceded States were, de JdctO outof the Union,
and could get back only on such terms
and conditions as Congress might see fit to
impose. Mr.. Lincoln had been opposed TO
this theory, and bad proceeded on a plan
looking to- the prompt restoration of the
Southern States to their relations to the
Union, including representation. He in
vited representatives to be sent. Such rep
resentatives. part of the time during the
war, occupied seats from the States OF
Louisiana, Tennessee, and part of -Vir-
9ginia; And in his emancipation proclama-
tion he said 1.-THE fact of representation in
Congress, by members chosen thereto at
elections wherein a majority of the voters
ofsuch State shall have participated, should
be conclusive evidence that such States, or
the people thereof, were not then in rebel
lion; and, therefore, the decree of emanci-
patton should not apply to such State!' In
one of his messages to Congress he warned
them of the revolutionary tendency of the
radical theories in language peculiarly sig
-nificant now. He said: - 40 -.d gsasa s.
I'VE have attempted no propagandism
and acknowledged no revolution. = =
Fellow citizens we cannot escape histoty.
We of this Congress and this Administra-
ton will be remembered lii spite of our
Selves No personal significance or insig-
-niticance can spare one or another of US,
The fiery trial through which we pass will
light us down in honor or dishonor to the
latest generation.i-We sag zoe are for the
Union. The soorld ,oiU not forget that zoe sag
this"
1o-uay Clese w1rus coIhe uack 10 us VIII
would not forget they had pledged them-
selves for the Union and that as they re-
deemed that pledge history would hand
Ineu uown III n0hor or u,shonor 70 Tue
iatest genefations. mat ne would nave
feueelntu InaI pleugt, soleIn1iy oeilese;
put, IN the lnscIuIaple ways OF EroVlnence,
ne was sudueniy removed Dy tne nand Oh
an assassin and the vice -frestoenG, An
Grew johnson, succeeded 10 tne Presidency
He had been familiar with Mr.. Lincoln's
VleWs-na'lhg'D 'Deeh MS hillGary governor
for tennessee. Congress was not In ses-
sion. No action had been had in Congress
on the subject, further than the passage OF
Dill known. as the " ade ana DAVIS Dill,
but which MT. Lincoln dld not approve
Thus matters stood, when Mr. johnson as
sumed the PRESIDENTIAL chair. He found
Mr.. Eincoln's plan in operation, and he fol-
lowed it, retaining all OF MIR. Lincolns Cab
met. do not say he did exactly right.
am not his partisan or ap0loglSt. But am
disposed to do him Justice. 20 iiIa 2ii'
II 1t was most natural that he should act as
are the last persons who should complain
He had been elected on the same ticket
with Mr.. Lincoln, and they had. generally
agreed during the war on the various
questions arising out of it. Following his
own inclinatiohs, and, perhaps, somewhat
influenced by his Cabinet, he took up the
poIicy of Mr.. Lincoln as he found il. and
followed inithe same line, only making il
/. more severe, in certain respects, as we snail
see. But [ will not ask YOU to take nv
statement of his action. I will let Senator
Sherman. of our State. describe it In his
own Ian nqIIape. In a speech delivered in
the United States Senate on the 26th o.
February. 1866, when Mr.. johnson had
been nearly a wear in office, he spoke as
follows: '1fI.- - - = 7 -
.sNow. I will ask Senators this plain
question, whether we have right now
having failed to do our constitutional
duty, to arraign Andrew johnson Tor fol.
lowing out a plan which i'm his Judgment
he deemed the best, and especially when
that plan was the plan adopted by Mr.
Lincoln and which at least had the appar-
ent ratification of the people of the Uni.
ted States in the election of Lincoln and
johnson sc-=4. esq .-gUiL.l-, s,--. .
"After this effort made by Congress to
provide plan of reconstruction, there was
no effort made subsequently,, no bill was
z introduced on the subject at the last sess-
ion OF Congress, no further effort was made
to harmonize the conflicting views of the
President and Congress. One whole sess-
, ion interviewed after this veto, as may
call it, of President Lincoln, and no effort
was made by Congress to reconcile this
conflict of views; and when President
johnson came suddenly, by the hand of an
did he have before him N gnide his stems;
The forces of the rebellion had been sub
dued; all physical resistance was soon after
subdned; the armies of Lee and Johnston
and all the other armies of the rebels had
been overwhelmed, and the South lay at
,c our power. Who doubts, then, that if there
had been a law on the statute book by