Year: 1865

meet this evening, not in sorrow, but in
glsdness of heart. The evacuation Of Pc
tersburg and Richmond, and the surrender
of the principal insurgent army, give
hopes of righteous and speedy peace,
whose joyous expression cannot be re-
strained. In the midst of this, however,
he from whom all blessings flow, must
not be forgotten. A call for q Ma
tional Thanksgiving is being pre-
pared, and will be promulgated duly.
Nor must those whose harder part gives US
cause Of rejoicing be overlooked; their
honors must not be parcelled out with
others. my self was near the front, and had
the pleasure of transmitting much of the
good news toSou; but no part of the hon
or for the plan or execution is mine-to
General Grant, his skiflul officers and brave
men all belongs. The gallant navy stood
ready, but was not in reach 10 take active
part.


By these recent successes the reinaug1r-
alton of national authority, and reconstruc-
ton, which has had a large shared of thought
from the first is now pressed much more
closely upon our attention. 1t is frsught
with great difficulty. Unlike case of
war between independent nations, there is
no authorized organ for Us to treat with.
No one man has authority to give up re-
bellion for sny other man. Wo simply
must begin with mould from disorganized
and discordsnt elements. Nor is it small
additional embarrassment thst we as loyal
people differ among ourselves SIS TO the
mode, manner and measure of reconstruc-
tion. As general rule l abstain from
reading reports of attack upon myself,
wishing not to beprovoked by thatto which
1 cannot properly offer answer. In spite
of this precautiOn, however, it comes to my
knowledge that 1 am much censured for
some supposed agency in setting up and
seeking to sustain the new State Govern
ment of Louisiana. In this have done
just SO much, and no more than the public
know.


In the annual message Of December,
1863, and accompanying the proclamation
I presented a plan of reconstruction which
I promised, if adopted by any State, would
be acceptable to, and sustained by, the
Executive Government. 1 distinctly said
that this was not the only plan which
might possibly be acceptable, and 1 also
distinctly protested that the Executive
claimed not the right TO say when OF
whether members should be admitted tc
seats in Congress from such States. This
plan was in advance, submitted and sp-
proved by every member of the Cabinet
One of them suggested that l should
then and in that connection, apply the
emancipation Proclamation to the hereto
fore excepted parts of Virginia snd Louis
lana; that 1 should drop the suggestion
about apprenticeship for freed people, and
that 1 should omit the protest against my
own power, in regard to the admission Of
members of Congress; but even he sp-
proved every part and parcel of the plan
which has since been employed or touched
by the action of Louisiana. The new
Constitution of Louisiana declaring eman-
cipation for the whole State, practically
applied the proclamation to the part pre-
viously excepted.


Every member of the Cabinet fully ap.
proved the plan. The message went tc
Congress, and I received many conmends.
tions of the plan-written and verbsl-and
not single objection to it from any pro,
fessed emancipationist came to my knowl.
edge until after the news was received al
Washington that the people of Louisiana
had begun q move in accordance with it
From about July, 1862, L had correspond.
ed with different persons, supposed tC
be interested in seeking a reconstruction
of the State Government for Louisiana
When the message of 1863, with the plan
before mentioned, reached New Orleans
Gen. Banks wrote me that he was conf.
dent the people with the aid of hismiitary
corporation would construct substantially
on that plan. 1 wrote him, and some Of
them, to tryit They tried it, and the re-
suit is known. Such has been my only
agency in the Louisiana movement. My
promise is made, as have previously
stated, but as bad promises are better
broken than kept, L snail treat TINS as 3
bad promise, and break it whenever ]
shall be convinced that keeping it is ad-
verse to the public interest, but / have
not yet been SO convinced. L have been
shown letters on this subject, supposed to
be able ones, in which the writer express.
es regret that my mind has not seemed
to be definitely fixed on the question
whether .'seceded ;;states, so called, are in the
Union or out of it; 1t would have added
astonishment, to his regret, were he &c
learn that since have found professed
Union men endeavoring to answer that
question have purposely forborne any
PuDAC oAPIoSolOh uPOn' - appears "
me that the question has not been and is
not yet practically material one, and that
the discussion of it while it remains prsc-
tically immsterisl could have no effect 9th
er than the mischievous one of dividing
our friends. AS yet, whatever it may be-
come, that question is bad baseof dispute
and good for nothing at all We all
agree that the seeded States so called,
are out of their proper practical relation
with the Union, and that the sole Object
of the Government, civil and military, in
regard to those States, is to again
get them into thst proper relation
| believe that IL is not only no=sihIe brf