Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-03-24

/ not gy1npathize Ia these feelings. Louisiana,
ne said, bad framed and presented one Of the
He wished they had permitted negroes,
who had property, or could read, to
vote, but this was a question which they
must decide fer themselves Yetsome, q very
| few, of our frierdg, were not willing TO let the
/ people Of the States determine these Ques-
1 lions, but, Ia violation of first n funda.
mental principles, would exercise arbitrary
| power over them. These humanitarian
break down ell State rights and constitution
al rights. Had the L~ouisianians inserted the
/ negro IN their constitution, and had that in
i strument been in all other respects the same,
Mr.. Sumner he said, would never have ex-
1 cepted TO that constitution. The delegation
would have been admitted and the state all
/ right. Each house of congress-. he said, had
the u~ndoubted right TO receive or reject mem
| beers; the executive had no control In the mat
/ ter. But congress had nothing TO do with the
/ State governments which the President
could recognize, and, under existing laws,
treat as other States-give them the same mail
Facilities, collect taxes, appoint judges, mqr-
shals, collectors, etc., subject, OF course, to
| confirmation. There were men who objected
10 these views, butthey were not here, and we
must make haste to do our duty before they
came here.
It was at this cabinet meeting that
Mr.. Stanton first preached his plan of
reconstruction. Mr.. Welles says:
It was a military or executive order, and by
It the war department was designated IN reor-
ganize those States whose individuality it as
sumed was sacrificed. Divested OF its military
features. it was in form and outline the same
as the plan ultimately adopted This docu-
ment TO be composed of Virginia and North
Carolina, with a military governor.
At Especial cabinet meeting on the
9Th of May, Mr.. Stanton, at the re-
quest OF President Johnson, presented
an elaborate programme for the reor-
ganizstiOn Of States lately in rebellion
The essence Of it IL thus given by Mr..
Welles:
The sixth section, or order, as originally pro-
posed by Mr.. Stanton, was the longest and
fullest. 1t gave into the hands of the Secretary
of war the whole machinery for organizing
civil government for the States, through pro-
vost marshals, to be by him appointed.
The Stanton plan was rejected at
once, manifestly to his disappOint-
ment, but from Il we may see where
originated the military system of re-
construction which has since worked
such a vast amount OF harm at the
South, and almost destroyed all re-
spect for the constitution atthe North.
Lincoln proposed to deal generously
and mercifully with the Southern
States, and give the people thereof an
opportunity to resume their places in
the Federal Union ~unmolested by out
side interference. Stanton regarded
these States as merely conquered pro.
vinces, to be dealt with as the con-
querers saw fit, and he desired to rule
them by the sword. Lincoln with all
his errors, was at heart an honest and
conscientious man, loving liberty and
hating oppression-StantOn with all
his jealous loyalty, was at heart a
tyrant, and preferred the devices of
despotism to the milder and more
benehcent reign Of constitutional
freedom.