The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1867-08-28


and the reimbursement of their institu-
tons on a loyal basis which would
give security for the future, was mat
/ ter Of the greatest Importance, in
which all the people are interested.
and upon which they must be heard
through Congress. AS the President
had no power of himself to establish
State Governments, and as they were
never SANCTIONED by Congress, they
were unauthorized and illegal, and are
in that condition 9nS to-day In the sum;
mer of 1866, Congress, still, disposed
to harmonic matters with the Pres
ident if - possible, and to dis
turb /. as n little he; as might
be the existing state of
things, submitted to, the retel States
for their acceptance, an amendment to
the Constitution Of the United States,
containing four conditions which were
regarded as of vital Importance to
the future peace and security of the
Republic, with the tacit understand
ing that if accepted and duly ratified
they should constitute a basis of; set
Element and reconstruction. The
effect of this would have been to ac-
| cept the existing rebel State Govern
ments and make them legal, subject
to the conditions and restrictions
contained in the amendment. The
Northern States promptly ratified the
amendment, but the people of the
South, acting under the vehement
advice and persuasion of tbo
| Northern Democracy, rejected it
scornfully, and declared they would
accept no terms but the uncondi-
tional recognition of their State Gov
eminent and admission of their Rep
resentatives into Congress. Aud thus
the issue was made up between Con-
gress and the President and between
the loyal people and the rebels, on the
1st Of January, 1867. In the mean
time these State Governments had
been In the possession of the most
violent and malignant rebels, whose
utterances and influences were all
disloyal and against submission
to any term of reconstruction.
Loyal men, both white and
black, were denied the protection of
the laws, and system of murderous
persecution instituted which was in
tended to drive all white Union men
from the South and extirpate the last
traces of loyal sentiment. The poor
freedmen were driven from their
humble homes and murdered with
the boldest impunity, and reign OF
terror established which excited the
horrors of the civilized world.
The bloody riots of Memphis
and New Orleans, taking rank
with the New York riots of 1868, will
ever be regarded as among the great
est atrocities that have occurred In a
Christian land. During this period
the Democratic party of the North
were jubilant 1t habitually denied
the existence of the crimes and out
RACES committed in the South, and
when that was impossible sought to
mitigate them by laying the blame
upon the Radicals, who were SANDER
ously charged with prosecuting the
harmless rebels by whom they were
surrounded
1t stimulated by every means in its
power the Southern people to con
tinued disobedience, to increased
hatred of the Government. and to the
contemptuous defiance and rejection
of all terms that might be offered.
NEW RECONSTRUCTION on A NEW PRIN- |
-n - CIPLE.
Up to this time every plan of recon
struction had been baseI upon the |
white voting population, leaving to
the decision of that population the |
question of enfranchising the colored |
men. II was so in Lincoln's plan, in
the Winter Davis bill, in Johnson's
plan, and under the Constitutional |
Amendment. All hopes of recon-
struction upon that basis were gone.
The whites, nineteen twentieths of |
whom were rebels under the Satanic
influence of the Northern Democracy,
continued disloyal,I hostile and per |
verse. A new plan of reconstruction |
was indispensa BILE, and If must be upon |
a totally different principle. Judgment |
of Illegally and condemnation must |
be pronounced upon the Presidents
policy and workmanship. The power
of the Administrator to impede the
action of Congress and defeat a new
plan OF reconstruction must be neu- |
tralized. The constitutional amend
ment must be ratified, and all State
officers, as well as Members of Con-
gress, must be loyal and able to take
the ironelad oath
But we must dig deeper. We must |
go down to the solid and immutable
principles of the Declaration of indie
pendence, discarding all matter Of ex-
pediency and compromise. We must
lay the foundations of the new recon-
struction upon the great principles of
equal rights and equal justice.
We must place the ballot in the
hands of all men, without distinction
of color, except such as have been dis
franchised for treason or other crimes