Des Arc weekly citizen., 1868-04-04
uECoNsTRUCTION.

In the interest aud excltcmente conse ouent upon the impeachment trial of Pres iaent J Johnson, the subject of reeonstruc- tion, which until lately occupied to so great an extent the attention of the Amer ican people, hn in . measure been lost sight of. But letNit not be supposed. therefore, that the work is not steadily progressing. Let no one in the North or West imagine, because he has thought little of, or even for time forgotten re construction, that the people of the South' ern States have been permitted to forget it. or that it does not go steadily forward. If the newspapers are no longer iiliesi with editorials upon the subject. and if politi cians have ceased to descant upon it as the leading topic of the day, a glance at the telegraphic columns and correspondence of paper which, Ike the Courier, con siders it duty to furnish faithful record of all that transpires in'the country, alike what happens to be the engrcssing topic of the hour, and of that which is for the time almost ignored by the publc.s will convince the reader tlat ia their zeal for the deposition of tke President the Radi. cal leaders do not at all neglect the scheme devised by them for negroizing and Radi- cal1ng the South, which scheme they hope is to give the party substantial strength in the future.
 True, things are not going at all points just as the Radical leaders would have them la Alabama, for instance, the ne gro constitution has failed of the majority required for it's ratifcaton under the re quisitions of the reconstruction acts; and in Arkansas the constitution duly promul- gated by the black-and. tan convention got together on the congressional plan, has been rejected by the actual vote of q ma jority of the registered voters; while the indications are also unmistakable tha in Virginia and other Southern States the re construction consultations are likely to meet with similar fate. For all this, however the Uadical leaders will care It. tie, provided they are successful in their impeachment scheme. Notwithstanding the introduction and pendency of the Ala bama bill in Congress, we greatly doubt whether any action will be taken in refer ence to that or any of the other States re- jecting their reconstruction constitutions until after impeachment is decided
 There Is an intimate association and connection between the leading measures of the Radical party which tits interesting to trace Thus, the negro constitution be- ing once foruedr it the deposition of the President is successfully accomplished, and without resistance or serious remolstrance on the part of the people, Congress will not hesitate to cure any defects, as the lawyers would phrase it, in the process of reconstruction in tho different States, by enacting a sweeping bill declaring each of them admitted to the Union without ref erence to popular ratification or rejection. It will be to the Radicals matter of no consequence whether the negro.sup~emaey constitutions have been adopted or reject ed under the provisions of the reconstruc- ton laws heretofore enacted, if they feel themselves safe in declaring tho States admitted under them
 The great object of the Radical party is to acquire complete control over the ai- fairs of the nation, and nothing is more certain than tha, Congress will adopt any measures considered necessary to that end It is deemed a necessity for the perpetuity of Radical ascendcncy that negro supre- macy shall exist in the Southern States, and mark our prophecy. if it is found by the success of impeachment that it can be done with impunity every one of the ten Southern States will be brought in under the negro governments prepared for them in time to support the Radical Presidential candidate at the November election.
 In view of the very strong probability of the Presidents conviction, we confess this is no very cheering view to take of tho situation But We by no means des- pair We regard il as exceedingly proba- ble that the full electoral vote of the South will be cast in this illegitimate and uncon- stitutioual manner against us; but, while such is the case, VIC still think there is q strong probability of Democratic tri- umph in November
 The success of their experiment in i'm
 peachment will not mean what the Radi calls take it to mean. There arecauses not now necessary to enumerate that render the American people comparatively indif fcrent to the fate of Andrew Johnson; but they intend that there shall be fair cleo tion next November. And then, if as is not improbable the Democratic candidate succbeds in spite of the fraudulent negro vote, it will be well; if not, and he is only elected by tho counting of the constitu- tional electoral vote, that count must and l will ba the one hold valid