The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-05-05


things he has done which meet our approval.
and the adoption Of his recon men ia,ion was
a confession by Congress that the cougratnla
tiOns rendered to the couutry in the Chcspo
platform were a stroke of demsgogue imn9.
dence. With more Than half OF the white
population of the Southern States still nm
represented, the prttsnss, put forth NEARLY a
year ago, that the work of Tecoustruction had
been perfected, was brazen aud shameless
vaunt.
The passage by Congress of the bill autbo-
rizinS the President TO submit the nav con-
stitutionH TO the popular vote in parts. is a
sneaking retreat by that body from it's policy
of disfranchising the leading citizens of the
South. 1t is a compulsory retreat: for the
Republican party could not stand under the
odium of keeping halt the population of the
South unrepresented for au indefinite psri cd
and the same majority in the uurepressnted
States that voted down reconstruction last
year would suffice to block it perpetuallv.
Congress has, therefore, virtually decided
that IL will no longer insist on disfrapohise
ment as an essential part OF the reconstruction
policy. 1t was perfectly we'll understood that
the purpose Of General Grants message was
to get authority to enable the people of the
States to set their brand on Acknowledgement:
it would be preposterous mockery to
give them permission to do this, if Congress
still adhered to its policy of Acknowledgement
as an indispensable condition of restoration
Disfranchisement has, therefore, been virtually
(though sneakingly) abandoned; for as, in
logic and In law, all the revoted States stand
on the same footing, as they all committed the
same crime and deserve the same retribution,
when Congress gives up this main feature OF
its policy in relation to some of them, it is
precluded from any longer insisting on it in
relation to the others. When Virginia ia ad-
mittea with a constitution imposing no diss-
blities for participation in the Rebellion,
notice will have been given to all the other
States that they are at liberty to rescind the
disfranchising clauses of their constitutions
without any danger that Congress will inter
pose for their enforcement.
The virtual abandonment of this policy at
so early day recalls the we'll known epitaph
on the tombstone OF an infant of prem ature
birth that died as soon as it was BORN
"Since I'm so quickly done for,
What was begun fOr?"
The disfrsnchising policy thus early aban-
| dOned has been the cause Of more exsspsra-
tiOn and bad feeling, it has done more to sour
and ALLEVIATE the South and TO retard the re-
storstion of kindly feeling, than any other ex-
hibition of radical bigotry aud malignity. And
this insane policy, which is now sneakingly
confessed TO be a blunder, was, from the be-
| ginning, the central thread of the Republican
| scheme of reconstruction. When Presiden.
| Johnson came into office, and had not as yet,
| any thought of breaking with the Rspu blic an
| party, he echoed its predominant sentiment in
! his frequent and foolish speeches declaring
that "Rebels must take back seats" thai
| ''treason must be made odious," and a great
deal of vtuperstiOn in the same vein, imply
ing that all who had taken prominent part
in the Rebellion ought TO be stripped of their
political rights. We refer to those speeches
merely to show what was at that time the
| prevalent feeling OF the Republican party.
The President grew more liberal when he h ad
time for cool reflection; but the Republican
party steadily and strenuously insisted on
| political distTanchisement, and some of its
prominent members, like Thaddeus stevens,
would have added q wholesale coniscaCion OF
Rebel property. DlsranchisenenL was the
| key note OF the radical policy; it was leading
feature of every proposal made to the Sonth.
The constitutional amendment which was first
presented as a condition of restoration q, was
rejected by, all the Southern States W tn prompt
| indignation chiefly and avowedly because of
| it's disfranchising clauses. If it is wise to
abandon that cardinal part of the recon-
strucIion policy now, it was great piece of
folly ever TO have insisted upon 1t at all. The
danger from the political activity of the dis
fTanchised classes was no greater then than it
is now. Had their political rights been
promptly conceded to them in the outset, the
concession might have been regarded as an act
4
tude; at any rate, the South would not have
been provoked into an attitude of oontum A.
cious resistance. But the extorted conces-
sion, at this late day, sneakingly granted only
on &C :ount of the demonstrated impossibility
OF reconstructing the most important SCa;es
without 1t, has no tendency either to secure
the respect or to awaken the gratitude oi
Southern citizens.
If disfraDchisement was necessary at all, il
was not as a precaution against an immediate
danger, but as guarantee against possible
future danger. With the great majorities
which the Republicans had in both houses o
Congress, there was no danger that the South
eIn representatives would carry any measure
which the Republican party did not approve.
1t was only at some future day, wnen the Re-
publican majorties should ba reduced, thai
the South would have any eff ctive power IL
Congress. To commence policy OF distran
chisement and not persevere in 1t, Is like
planting fruit tree and cutting il down be
fore it puts forth any blossoms. Why eXas'
perate and poison the minds OF the Southern
people by so illiberal and odious a measure, /
it was to be relinquished before it could beal
any other fruit than mere evaporation anC
hatred? The policy OF disfrsnuhlssment hal
early restoration of the States to thei
Federal relations. Comforting universal suf
( ! frage upon the brutal and semi barbarous ne
groes was bad enough; but Lne negro voter
could be managed il the political talent OF tn
South were left free to act. Experience lOnj
ago demonstrated that even the intelligen
white voters OF the country exercise but littl
real power. few active politicians and wire
pullers control all the elections by packin
l and cont olling the preliminary oauouses an
< conventions; and ii active political talent 8
. ! al .ff.n 10,