Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1868-02-04

alluded to the action of Mr.. Lincoln in refus-
ing to sign the Winter Davis bill, his refusal,
as alleged by him, being based on his unwilling
ness to be tied by any congressional plan
Now, if the present position of Congress was
right, they had no right to elect him as
President. Mr. Lincoln denied the right of
Congress to interfere with his plans for the
restoration of those States, as he called 1t, not
reconstruction, and asserted his intention to
remain unhampered, to be able to adopt any
policy which might seem best. In 1865 an
executive committee in Middle Tennessee had
called convention, and that convention did
not form new constitution, but made amend
ments to the old constitution abolishing
slavery, and making some other alterations.
What did Congress do then? By joint resolu-
ton approved July 10, 1866, it admitted Sena-
tors and Representatives from Tennessee, and
in that resolution the reasons for this admis>
sion were given. These reasons recognized
the right of the people of Tennessee to make
or change their form of government There
was no congressional authority given to the
people of Tennessee to organize a form Of
government, so they came up here with their
old constitution, which was yet dim with the
smoke of the rebellion, and upon which they
had in the most informal manner engratted
amendments. This body recognized their
perfect right to do this and admitted to the
floor their Senators. There was no question
then of the necessity OF congressional author
ity, and Congress had no authority to delegate
to the people the power to form State govern
ments that power vested IN the people them
selves, and in no one else. He would now
read from the letters of Gen, Grant and his
testimony before the impeachment committee,
also further from the speech of his colleague
as to the good feeling which prevailed at the
South after the close of the war The Sem
ator from New Hampshire (Mr. Cragin) had
TO day uttered the most wholesale denuncia-
ton against the southern people. If it was
senatorial he would say that the charges
made were totally unworthy of credence,-
Never in the history of the world had peo-
pie been so foully beled as these southern
men, who had labored earnestly and sincerely
under the plan of the President to bring back
their States to the Union.
Mr. Lincoln, in 1865, flung back in the
face of Congress its plan Of restoration, and
declared his intention to act on his own Volt
ton. You (the majority of this body) said
that he was right and went home and told
your constituents so, and you re elected him.
If this was right in Mr.. Lincoln, why is it
wrong in Mr. johnson? His colleague had
spoken of the necessity of learning wisdom
in the progress of events, and likened those
who are not up to the times, to deserted mile
stones. This thing might do well, in some
respects, but the constitution was not to be
interpreted to suit particular exigencies, but
was to be read by its letter and spirit.
What were these States kept out for why
was the commerce Of the country kept ruin
ed, why were the people kept depressed and
dispirited? They would De asked this when
they went home, and they would have to an
swer it. He asked what had all this con-
gressional plan done? 1t had done this it
had taken the suffrage from the white men
and given it to the black men and he defed
them to say what more it had done. 1t had
robbed white men Of political power and Civ
en- it to blacks And all this eulOgy of the
heroism and bravery and great services Of
the negro troops, would not go down. He
would not attempt to deny that the negro
troops had done their duty, but it was the
white soldiers who carried our standard in
triumph from the Potomac to the Gulf, and
our white soldiers would resent this attempt
to take the laurels of victory from their brows
and place it upon the negroes
He had cut out of newspaper copy OF
the grievances alleged by the colonies as
causes of their withdrawal from the crown,
and these grievances were parallel to the
provisions Of the reconstruction measures. If
they sowed the seeds Of military despotism,
they must expect to reap fruit corresponding
to the seed. 1t was useless to expect repub>
licanism or liberty to spring from military
dictatorship.
He envied the Senator from Wisconsin,
(Mr. DOolittle.) -Four Senators had attempt
ed to answer him, and neither of them had
done it. he thought the Senator was much
honored. The fact was, he could not be an
swercd-his arguments stood on the 1ounda-
ton stones of the government. The conser-
vatives here were small in number, but they
were firm. He felt that they stood in the
Tbermopylfe of American liberty, and that
not one Of them would faint or falter. \
number of Senators had expressed their re-
greet at the number of people DISTINGUISHED in
the South, and this was an acknowledgment
that it was all wrong.
Mr.. CoNNEss.-W don't all share in that
regret,
Mr. HENDRICKs.-T don't doubt that the
Senator from California (Mr. Conness) would
prefer to have all political power taken from
the blood that trickles in white veins and
conferred upon the negro, but that l am OPP
posed to. Applause in the galleries.l In
regard to this disiranchisement, and the
statements that the cause of such an appa-
rent large disfranchisement was from the re-
fusal of the whites to register, he believed
that this whole system Of registration had
been an enormous fraud. Mr. Fl. here read
from the letter of Mr.. Thaddens Stevens, Of
last August, "that they all knew that they
were acting outside of the constitution"
Mr.. FEssENDEN said, for the chairman of
the committee of reconstruction on the part
of the Senate, he could say that this Ian
guage vas unauthorized, so far as he was con-
cerned.
Mr. HENDRICKS asked if Dir. Stevens was
not chairman of the joint committee on re-
construction