The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-03-07
the NEW YORK PRESS.
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Recon nstructiOn at Last - What the
Southern states Ought Now to Do.
From the Herald
The recent decisive proceedings of Congress
In the important matter of Southern recon-
struction have already made profound and
hopeful impression upon the Southern public
mind The Legislature of Virginia has been
called together again. and Governor Pierpont
has sent to that body an elaborate message on
the situation, oounsellng the two Houses to
accept the ultimatum of Congress in its full
and true sense, and resolutions providing for
recognizing State Convention have been
referred to the appropriate committee in each
House. This is good sign from Virginia, the
head and front and mainstay of the Rebellion.
Georgia next is thoroughly aroused by the
movement of Ex-Governor Brown in favor of
frank acceptance of the terms of Congress
Three-tourths of the newspapers of the
State, as we are informed, support him; but
most of the disfranchised Rebel politicians
appear to be on the other side. As for
South Carolina, she has sent a delegation to
Washington to see about the commander who
is to be appointed over the military district
number two, which embraces North and
South Carolina. The new law declares that
for the time being ''said Rebel States shall be
divided into military districts, - and subject,
under certain reservations, to military law;
and that for this purpose Virginia shall con-
sttute the first district, North and South
Carolina the second, Georgia, Alabama, and
Florida the third Mississippi and Arkansas
the fourth, and Louisiana and Texas the fifth
district. The South Carolina politicians,
therefore, with an eye to business, first pro-
Ceed to look up their military commander.
From all these movements it is evident that
the people of these outside States are begin
ming to comprehend the real situation of
things, in the collapse of the Presidents
policy and the fixed purpose and power of
Congress. The South might have done a great
deal better, and Mr.. Johnson, too by follow
ing our seasonable advice; but as broken eggs
cannot be mended, it issuseess to debate the
upsetting of the basket. Until the States con-
Cerned are reinstated in Congress they can do
nothing to help themselves or their friends,
and Congress has the absolute control over
this subject. There is, then, no alternative
for said States but submission to and the full
hlment OF the terms of restoration laid down
by Congress, and the sooner the better. Nor
need the great body of the Southern whites
stand back because their blind leaders in the
Rebellion are excluded from this work. If
those leaders can be reached by common sense,
they will advise and assist in these essential
labOrs of reorganization.
The Southern landholders in their control
of Southern black labor, comprising in most
States their late slaves, may, if they will,
control the black vote, and also the loyal
whites to very great extent, who are mainly
of that class known in the South as ''poor
whites" Looking to this end, the Southern
planters ought to take hold of this business at
once; for if they lead off actively and syste-
matically in meeting the conditions of Con-
gress, every State involved in these neces-
sites may be restored to both Houses in sea-
son to have voice in the coming Presden-
tial election. Against the North Southern
politicians, still looking to the old landmarks,
may regard the vote of the South for the
next President with indifference. But they
cannot so regard the important question of
the return of financial confidence and Northern
and European capital, skill, and enterprise in
the Southern States. Restoration will settle
this problem at once in such a new epoch of
Southern prosperity as no Southern COnfede-
racy ever dreamed of under King Cotton.
And yet again. in behalf of Southern inte-
rests and the general welfare, the votes of the
Southern States may be very powerful in
Congress in the reconstruction of our whole
financial system, national banks, bonds, cur
rency, internal and external taxes, retrench-
ment and reform, which, taken all together,
will soon mark the dividing lines of a new
organization of parties. 1t is also certain that
when any one of the excluded States shall
have fulfilled these conditions of Congress, all
acknowledgements and disabilities on account
of the Rebellion will be removed. These in
ducements and crowning advantages of mate
rial prosperity, political power, and full res
toration to all the blessings of the Union. ought
to bring even the Southern Rebel leaders tenn
porarily disfranchised to active cooperation
in behalf of the ultimatum of Congress. The
Southern white landlord if he will only try.
may make his black laborer political ally for
life against all corners and all political combi-
nations. Thus, with this very element of the
negro vote, the South, in behalf of Southern
interests, may soon assume more compact
front in Congress than it has ever held hereto
fore. Every consideration of wisdom pleads
for Southern submission promptly and in
good faith to the terms of Congress- 1t is so
settled, and there is no way of escape.