The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1868-01-14
4 Few Words to the COnseryatiN c
ChaD."

CONSERVATIVE cuap, WHus uuIlus the
war, fitted about the various depart
ments in Washington. 1t may be
ORPHEUs made Washington too hot
Tor him, for we now 6nd him out
West, writing editorials for a paper
that never expressed hearty symps
thy for the Government In its struggle
with treason. We felt called upon
last Saturday, to correct, By a single
paragraph, one of the many perver-
~ions of history which this "couserv-
alive chap" was making. To this
paragraph, he replies, in a column
article, in the Courier of Sunday.
He goes back to the Chicago Plat
form of 1860, and quotes the doctrine
there enunciated, that each State has
the right to order and control its do
nestle institutions, according to its
own Judgment exclusively, and de-
nouncing the lawless invasion, by
armed force, of the soil of any State
or Territory as among the " greatest
crimes. We hold that to be good
Republican doctrine still. The rebels
committed this greatest crime" By
armed force they lawlessly invaded
and took possession of the soil of
States and Territories under a miser-
able pretext For this greatest of
crimes, the Republicans maintain that
they ought to be punished severely.
But the Conservative chap" seems
to think their crime is rather deserv-
ing OF honors and emoluments.
The Conservative chap argues that
section 9th of the Act of March I'd,
1867, rejects the right of the people
to order and control their own do
mestic institutions according to their
own judgments exclusively and,
therefore, Congress rejects the cardinal
principle of the Republican party. A
word or two will dispose of this
sophism.
By treason and war, the people of
the rebel States severed the relations
which those States sustained to the
General Government, and attempted
TO set up hostile Government in
stead. This latter organization was
crushed by the power of the loyal
people. The question then came up
for settlement how shall the late re-
belleus States be restored to a condi-
ton in harmony with the General
Government? The manner of this
restoration it devolved upon Congress
TO fix. Mr.. LINCOLN plainly recog-
nized this fact. The measures that
he inaugurated, during its recess, as
General GRANT explicitly states
in his testimony, were only
temporary" They were TO be
submitted to Congress for its
approval or rejection. Mr.. JOHNSON,
IN the outset, also admitted that vine
power OF restoration was with Con-
gress. That body had responsible
duty 20 discharge Not only had it
10 restore the dissolved relations be-
tween the rebel States and the Gen
eral Government, but it had also TO
provide protection for the loyal
whites and blacks of those States,
against whom the rage Of the bafled
aud defeated rebels was directed
The work was complicated and diff :
cult, but it would have been success
fully accomplished had not Mr.
JOHNSON interposed his Office and
power to thwart the wishes Of Con-
gress, and prevent the execution of
rs plans. Congress preferred res
toration on a ,0htte basis. Any one
wha will read the Constitution al
amendment submitted to the South
ern States will be satisfied Of this
fact. It was only when the S3uths n
States, at the instigation of the Pres
ident, rejected this plan for restorn-
/ ton, maltreated the freedmen, and
abused and murdered loyal white
men, that Congress passed the act of
March ID, 1867, which so annoys our
| conservative friend. We say again,
as Congress has said, that we prefer
the restoration OF the Southern
States on a loyal ,ohite basis. II il
can not be done that way, we prefer
as we have often and very emphatic
ally expressed--loyal blacks to rebel
tohi,es for a voting element. What
kind of a Republican is that who pre-
fers arebel to loyal mau-an enemy