The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1872-04-12

~ OLAb OOnlGOCLdC1s 1lO
thought it should be encouraged,
and was, I perceived, disappointed
that his friends opposed the mea-
sure, and that I, always recognized
by him as State rights Union
man, had not favored it.
A cabinet meeting was held on
the afternoon of the 18th of April,
few hours before the president
fell by the hands of an assassin. At
that time, while discussing plans
order prevailing and the Union re-
established before Congress came
together in December. This he
thought important. We could do
better, accomplish more without
than with them. There were men
in Congress who, if their motives
were good, were nevertheless i'm
practicable, and who possessed
feelings of hate and vindictiveness
IN which he did not sympathize and
could not participate. He hoped
there would be no persecution, no
bloody work after war was over.
None need expect that he would
take any part in hanging or killing
those men, even the worst Of them.
Brighten them out of the country,
open the gates, let the bars down,
scare them of, said he, throwing up
his hands as if soaring sheep.
There was too much of a desire
on the part of some of our very
good friends to be masters, to in
terfere with and dictate to those
States, to treat the people not as
feIlow-citiZens; there was too little
respect for their rights. He did
not sympathize with those feelings.
Louisiana, he said, has framed and
presented one of the best constitu-
tons that had ever been formed.
He wished they had permitted ne
groes, who had property, or could
read, to vote, but this was a ques-
ton which they must decide for
themselves. Yet some, a very few,
of our friends, were not willing to
let the people of the States deter
mine these questions, but, in viola
ton of first and fundamental prin-
ciples, would exercise arbitrary
power over them. These humani-
tarians break down all State rights
and constitutional rights Had the
Louisianians inserted the negro in
their constitution, and had that in
strument been in all other respects
the same, Mr.. Sumner, he said,
would never have excepted to that
constitution. The delegation would
have been admitted and the State
all right. Each house of Congress,
he said, had the undoubted ri ght to
receive or reject members; the exc
cutlYe had no control in the mat
ter. But Congress had nothing to
do with the State government,
which the President could recog-
nize, and, under the existing laws,
treat as other States-give them
the same mail facilities, collect
taxes, appoint judges, marshals,
collectors, etc, subject, of course,
to confirmation. There were men
who objected to these views, but
they were not here, and we must
make haste to do our dnty before
they came here"
1t was at this cabinet meeting
that Mr.. Stanton first preached his
plan of reconstruction. Mr.. Welles
says:
cit was a military or executive or
der, and by it the war department
was designated to reorganize 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 proposed establishing a mill
tary department to be composed of
Virginia and North Carolina, with
military governor"
At a special cabinet meeting on
the 8th of May, Mr.. Stanton, at the
request of President johnson, pre-
seuted an elaborate programme for
the reorganization of States lately
in rebellion. The essence Of it is
thus given by Mr. Welles:
The sixth section, or order, as
originally proposed by Mr.. Stan
ton, was the longest and fullest.
1t gave into the hands of the secre-
tary Of war the whole machinery
for organizing civil government for
the States, through provost mar
shals, to be by him appointed.
The Stanton plan was rejected at
once, manifestly to his disappoint-
ment, but from it we may see where
originated the military system of
reconstruction which has since
worked such a vast amount of harm
at the South, and almost DESTROYED
all respect Tor the constitution at
the North. Lincoln proposed to
deal generously and mereifully with
the Southern States, and give the
people thereof an opportunity to
resume their places in the Federal
Union unmOlested by outside inter
ence. Stanton regarded these States
es merely conquered provinces, to
be dealt with as the conquerers saw
ut, and he desired to rule them by
the sword. Lincoln with all his er.
| rors, was at heart an honest and
conscientious man, loving liberty,
hating oppression-Stanton, with
all his Jealous loyalty, was at heart
a tyrant, and preferred the devices
of despotism to the miIder and
more benefcient reign of constitu-
tional freedom.
The Best DIsINFEoTANTs.- Char
coal or burnt clay will generally