The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1907-04-21

dIIer Ine surrender mas Decn accepted,
IS deemed infamous by all mankind. ana
in both cases is held to he Il new and
Just cause of war; and when such con-
duct is exhibited toward an adversary,
who has given up his arms and sub
mittCd to the victor, and is thereby I'M
able to renew the war, the party guilty
respect of any people. for he brings the
faith of promises into disrepute."
Hill fortifies this opinion by copious
quotations from Nattcll
Each State Had Government.
AS have said, the war ended in 1865.
with the surrender of our armies in the
field Mr. Lincoln had held that il was
the duty of the executive to initiate re-
established provisional governments IN
tho States of Louisiana, Arkansas and
Tennessee, and had also recognized the
so -called 'ReorEanized Government in
Virginia. After the Surrend"'. ~" S'''f'
ern States began to remodel their Con-
situations so as to harmonic with tne
new order of things. Each State had
government. republican in form. and COM
plete in all departments: and these States
had been repeatedly assured by the Fed
eral Government that they were States
in the Union, but President Johnson. by
this movement. (Fleming's Documc ntary
History of Reconstruction. Vol. l, los and
1851
First Violation of Good Faith.
This was the first violation of good
faith towards the southern States after
surrender. but was followed in quick sue
| cession by other more giaring and baser
faith in the terms of surrender
On May 29.1S65. the President issued
his proclamation of amnesty. and the first
of seven proclamatiOnS appointing prOViS-
ional governors in seven of the Southern
States. With the necessary change of
names and dates, these proclamation
were alike. The last was for Florida.
| July -, 1865. The Amnesty Proclama-
| ton was drafted by Mr.. Lincoln, and
| was read and adopted at the first cabinet
meeting held by President Johnson after
President Lincoln's death.-(Thorpe, Vol.
| In Louisiana. Arkansas and Tennessee.
President Johnson recognized the govern
| ment established during LincolnS admin
| istration and recognized by Mr.. Lincoln.
and generally known as THE Ten Per
| Cent Governments
| In Virginia President Johnson also rec
ognized the "Re-organized'' government,
| recognized by MIR. Lincoln and by Con-
/ gress. Blaine, in his Twenty Years in
Congress- speaks sneeringly of this Viz
ginia government, and quotes Thaddeus
| stephens as having said that this govern
/ ment carried all of its records. archives
and effects to Richmond from Alexandria
in one ambulance. Both Blaine and
| Stephens seem to have forgotten that it
| was this 'Reorganized government, and
consef.f 70 the creation of the state Of
West Virginia out Of part. of the state
of Virginia and which ratified the thir-
teenth amendment to the Constitution OF
| the United States.
Provisional Governments
The proclamations appointing provis-
ional governors in the seven southern
States instructed each Governor. at the
earliest practical moment, to call a con
vention of his State for the purpose or
amending the Constitution of the state,
so as to restore the State to its 'pracu-
| cal relations TO the Federal Government
Every delegate to this Convention. and
the electors of delegates. by this proela-
| nation were to be qualified under the
Constitution and laws of the state prior
| to the ordinance of secession, which of
| course. limited the franchise to the white
| males. who were to subscribe to the oath
| of amnesty. which oath was to obey the
| Constitution and laws of the United
| States. and all proclamationS and laws
| of the Federal Government made during
| the war with reference to the emancipa-
| ton of slaves; and the Legislatures which
| were to prescribe the qualifications of
| future electors. Cor these proclamations,
| see Richardson, Vol g.
| From the benefits of this amnesty proc
| Iamation fourteen classes of persons We're
excepted. which was a greater number
| from the benefits of the proclamation is
sued by President Lincoln on December
| g. 1853. but President Johnson used the
| pardoning power literally and extensively.
| The provisional governors of all the
States called conventions. which met.
was required, VIZ: abolished slavery, de
clared the ordinances OF secession void.
repudiated all debts contracted in aid of
| the Southern ConfedeTacy, and estab-
lished new governments, based the
Constitutions of 1861, minus slavery. Pro
visionaI governors now gave way to those
elected by the people Legislatures cleo
ted by the people met and elected United
States Senators. Representatives in Con-
gresS had been elected when the Cover
nors and Legislatures We're.
Having complied with all of the condi-
tons Of the s2i@aIled KecG on IEtnrad
| to their former Federal relations. and
would their Senators and Representative
be accorded their seats in Congress? The
President and Congress had assured them
that they would But let us see
South Ratified 18th Amendment
| In February 1863. President Lincoln
signed the joint resolution proposing to
the Federal Constitution. This amend
ment was proposed to all the States, in
GLIDING the seeding States, for ratifica-
least five of these seeding states, il
| would not to-day be one of the amend
msnts to the FEDERAL &c, Gonstitotiop H.
Constitution Vol. l. SAD
The Southern States were now required
condition precedent TO their being ad-
mitted to representation in Congress
CThoppe Vol ;; Pr PIP, S29: al 22$ So southern
States with the exception of Mississippi
and Texas, ratified this amendment
In his annual message to Congress, or
1 December 4. and in a special message OF
December IS. 1865. Richardson, Vol g.
the President reported what he had done
Southern States had done. viz: that the
thirteenth amendment had been ratified
by all of the Southern States except Mis-
SisSippi Florida and Texas (Florida rati-
fed the thirteenth amendment on Deem
Der % 1859; that every condition OF
so-called reconstruction had been COM
piled with. and that the Southern sena
tors and representatives should be ac-
corded recognition Congress, however
refused to admit the Southern senators
and representatives. Notwithstanding the
fact that the Southern States. without
which the thirteenth amendment would
not have received the approval OF three
fourths of the States necessary TO make
it part OF the Constitution, had ratified
the amendment, and had complied witt
all other conditions of reconstruction
with the explicit understanding that by
| so doing they would be fully restored L
their old Federal relations--CThorpe. Vol
3. 23e. 297-)
, 1t is true that the Constitution make!
. each House OF CGnGreSs the judge OF th'