The New York herald., 1868-03-30
Southern Reconstruction and tho ssObfus-
ticatcd" Republican Party.

Thad Stevens acknowledges that the whole
republican party is ''obfusticated" in its ideas
on reconstruction. II does not know where it
is, or what it is driving at, or what it wants
He himself is ''not altogether clear as to what
we ought to do," while every one else is ''actng
in the interest of slavery In short, the whole
Congress is incapacitated from legislation by
ignorance such as that member 'will not pre-
sumo" to exist-by an effort to enlighten it.
Congress is 80 far in agreement with Stevens
on this point that it has proposed to declare
the same fact to the world at large by statute.
1t has been for several days debating a bill
that, If it had passed, would forever have stood
as monument of Congress- stupidities and
| confession of its failures. This was the bill
proposing to admit Alabama to the Union as
one Of the sovereign States, provided it would
relinquish its sovereignty Alabama, says the
radical Congress, may come in on the consti-
tuition the Convention has just made; but as
We positively know by the result of an cleo
tion that the people disapprove of that consti-
tuition we must suppose they will change it
Immediately, and we must provide against
such change by afdxing to the act of admission
condition that the people of Alabama shall
not make what laws they like, but only
such laws as we like. And that is to "gua-
ranty republican form Of government" Con-
| gressmen, Of course, know that Congress has
| not the power to make such condition, and,
therefore, that it would be ridiculously without
| force; that such a law would answer to Mr.
Lincoln's description of one of his own pro-
clamations, being, "like the Popes bull against
the comet, necessarily imperative" And in
making reconstruction, as last resource, rest
upon q point that it has not the power to i'm
pose Congress simply acknowledges it's inability
to deal with that political problem-assents
that all its past efforts must end in absolute
failure unless it be permitted to transcend it's
powers. Having thus relieved its conscience,
| it does thing even more humiliating, and
proceeds to enact that Alabama shall practi-
cally stay where she is, and gives her 'spro-
visonal government" Why, that is what
Andy Johnson did two years ago. 'By that
| sin fell the angels" Provisional governments
were the Presidents first offence. They were
the first incidents in the bitterness between the
Executive and Congress that have brought on
| this grea. impeachment farce. Congress upset
the Presidents provisional governments, has
muddled hopelessly ever since in the effort to
found new edifce with the nigger for cor
ner stone, and comes to the old machinery at
last, only with new men of its own in all the
places and nonsensical rigmarole of nigger
notions instead of the good, sound constitution
the State originally had. Such is the stupen-
dous genius of our rulers. ,--t~s .~. :
And what is the trouble at the bottom of all
this shameful, mischievous, disastrous failure?
Why is it that after all the agitation and excite
ment that has disturbed the nation on this
head reconstruction is at last indefinitely put
away to the future? II is because it was a
sham and pretence from the first. Even the
very necessity for reconstruction was fiction
put forth to deceive the country into giving
the people of one section up to the tender
mercies of politicians and fanatics from the
other section. There was nothing to be re-
constructed in the South but things that are
not to be reconstructed by law. Nothing
needed reconstruction but the opinions, the
sentiments, the sympathies, prejudices, pas
sions Of the people; and how long will it take
law to change these among men bred with such
ideas as prevailed through the length and
breadth of these States before the war--ideas
favoring the utmost license Of thought in re-
gard to government, developing such an un-
limited intellectual independence and reliance
of every man on his own opinions as never
existed before in the history of the human race ?
1t was purely intellectual reconstruction that
was necessary, and this being naturally be-
yond the limit of law was not touched by Con-
gressional enactments; but, on the con-
trary, every MEASURE passed by Con-
grcss, every step taken by radical
leaders as they irritated, embittered, mad
dened the Southern people put farther away
the very possibility of the only reconstruction
that would have made the sections one This
is the reason why we are to-day an immeasur-
| able distance further from true restoration of
| the country than we were on the day of Lees
surrender. General Hancock's remarkably
| able, well reasoned and earnest letter to Mr..
Pease, Of Texas, Is full of the wisdom of a
practical man on this head. Pease had pub
| lished denial of the Generals statement that
| Texas was in state Of profound peace, and
in support Of his denial, while admitting that
'there no longer exists any organized resist
| ance," yet urged that there was not peace be-
cause many Of the people ARE embttsIed
i against the government and yield to II ah I'M
willing obedience" They obey, but unwil-
lingly. How long will IL take force to make
| them obey willingly? They are ''cmbittered,"
| too, and SO the very results Of reconstruction
| furnish the reconstructors with arguments.
General Hancock rightly says:-''Woe be to
us whenever it shall come to pass that the
power of the magistrates. civil or military, is