New-York tribune., 1903-01-28
LINCOLN AND RECONSTRUCTION.

The business of prophecy concerning Whal
might have been is one which gives free scope
TO imagination. If the prophet cannot prove
himself right it is equally true that he STANDS
| in no danger of being proved wrong SO When
| Mr. Watterson at the Confederate veterans din
| ner saws. IF Lincoln had lived there would
have been no era of reconstruction, with its
| ''repressive agencies and oppressive legislation,
| be opens door to speculation in which every
| body can indulge and nobody can reach GER
| family true conclusion. For all that 1T is an in
teresting speculation. Mr.. Watterson's idea is
that Mr.. Lincoln would have prevailed over
Congress with his conciliatory views and Sc
cured the restoration of the rebellous States on
something very like their old status when once
their people ceased resistance to the federal
government His own assassination aroused
the feeling of vengeance and gave free rein to
the Northern extremists so that his successor,
following substantially the same policy, found
the great body of the Republican party in oppo-
sition TO him. For it is to be remembered that
President Johnson's reconstruction policy, which
was the first cause Of his break with Congress
and finally eliminated in his impeachment was
the continuation of President Lincolns.
1t was based on the theory afterward set
forth by Chief Justice Chase in the phrase, "An
"indestructibIe Union composed of indestruc-
"tible States" II held that the State endured
through the rebellion of its citizens and that
the loyal minority or a restored majority, as
the result of executive pardon, might maintain
a lawful government That was logical if not
entirely practical view. 1t meant that the
Union was to be restored, but not revolution
lied An equally logical theory was espoused
by Congress, but it was not logically followed.
In its view the States by rebellion had forfeited
their rights as members of the Union. and were
in the position Of conquered or newly annexed
domain TO be governed by Congress under the
Territorial or other suitable form. That was
the view taken by Justice Grier in the case of
Texas agt. White in dissent from the opinion
of the Chief Justice above quoted. 1t took ac-
count of hard fact opposed to constitutional
theory and said it was plain that the rebelious
States had not endured in their constitutional
relation and that 1t was fiction to pretend
that they had Those who wanted ito make
sure of the results of the war" naturally took
that position. but instead Of following IT, adopt
ing their constitutional amendments and then,
admitting the rebellious Territories as new
States subject thereto, they prescribed as condi-
tions of restoration the adoption of the amend
ments. counted these provinces among the num-
Der of States, and counted their adoptlons as
going TO make up the number Of valid consents
for the imposition of the amendments on the
whole country.
1t was the Congressional plan thus robbed OF
its consistency which prevailed. In speculat-
ing on different possibilities Mr.. Lincoln's pres
tige is to be considered as well as Mr.. Johnsons
untactful ways. The latter precipitated strug-
gle in which even the most reasonable PROPOSE
ton on his part had no chance of fair considera-
tion Nevertheless, the two schools of thought
had come to the parting of the ways while
President Lincoln lived and it Leeded not his
death TO make a North almost every family
I'm which had left son on Southern battle
field extremely sensitive about conciiiation
which by any chance might make those sacri-
fees vain. Though in 1864 President Lincoln
established State governments in Arkansas and
other rebellious States within the federal lines,
Congress would not receive their Representa-
tives. and on July 4, 1864, under the leadership
OF Benjamin +. Wade and Henry Winter Davis,
passed bill prescribing conditions for the
restoration Of republican government in the re
bellious communities" The President disposed
of this with pocket veto and on July S issued
a proclamation objecting 10 setting aside the
free State constitutions of Arkansas and Louisi-
ana Wade and Davis then sent TO The Tribune
their famous arrsgnment Of Mr. Lincoln, which
was first published in this journal on August .,
1864, ia which they declared that "a more