Year: 1865

President yohnsen's = speech . tAs oolorsd
Olsrgynsn-SeanA Views.


In TIE speech OF President Johason, on Thurs
day last, to . visiting deputation Of colored
clersymen we have some sound views, lndioat-
Ing on his part careful and humane policy In
the transfer Of the blacks Of he South from
slavery to liberty. First on the emancipation
question there can be no mistaklng bis posi-
ton. He holds that "maa cannot hold property
IN man." and be reminds the oolored race that
che was the nrst man Who stood up In slave
community and announced the fact that the
slaves Of Tennessee had a. much right to be
free az those who claimed them - their pro-
perty." This Is equivalent to an ofacial decla-
ration that President johnson, In bis policy OF
reconstruction, will start from this initial land
mark that throughout the rebellious States, by
the rebellion and the events Of the war, slavery
is abolished. - 0


Next comes the question Of the treatment Of
the blacks in their transition state from the
impediments Of bondage to the practical enjoy
ment Of the advantages Of freedom. Upon this
subject President johnson says:-'There is .
difference in the responsibility which persons
residing in the slave States had to take from
those who reside out Of them;" that at was
very easy for men who lived beyond their bor-
ders to get up sympathy and talk about the
condition Of colored persons, when they knew
nothing about IT." that there were men in the
South, occupying the position Of masters who
had done much to ameliorate the condition Of
the colored men, and who felta deep interest
in their welfare. and that the experience and
knowledge of such men must be respected in
this important work of clothing the slave in the
garments of freedom. President Johnson ad-
monishes him that he must not expect to "fall
back Oh the government for support and live in
idleness and debauchcry;" that "freedom simply
means liberty TO work and to enjoy the product
Of mans own TOLL" and that he means this
Gin its most extensive sense" Much work will
be required to get this system Of freedom into
good, practical shape, as the President evidently
comprchends from his suggestion to these
visiting colored clergymen that, in commencing
their task of reform, they shonld proceed to
correct that "open and notorious system Of
concubinage" which, under slavery, has con-
tribnted so much to the degradation of the four
millions of the black race Of the Southern
States.


President Johnson promises to do all in his
power to secure their protection and an eliorate
their condition, and he "trnsted in God that the
time may come when all the colored people
would be gathered together In one country best
adapted to their condition, If it should appear
they could not get along together with the
whites" Now, from these views and suggestions,
we have very careful and humane policy in
regard to the African race Of the South in the
reorganization of the rebelious States. The
ional military arrangements for putting the iibe-
rated blacks to work, and probably some such
system oflabor and compensation as that adopted
by General Banks in Louisiana, and approved
by President Lincoln, may become the general
rule. In regard to the question Of negro sut-
frage, we infer that President johnson will fol-
low up his policy, adopted as Military Governor
of Tennessee in the reorganization of that State.
First, under this system Che N itary or pro-
visional governor will provide for the election
of loyal State convention and appoint the
time and place for its meeting. This conven-
ton will frame new State constitution, de-
claring slavery abolished and interdicted, but
will leave the question Of negro suffrage at the
discretion of the Legislature. The provisional
governor will then, under this new constitution,
call for the election OF q regular governor and
other State officers and members Of Congress,
and with these elections the State will be fully
re-establshed for business as loyal member
of tho Union, after the modoi of Tennessee, as
reinstated under President Lincoln's Military
Governor, Andrew Johnson.


With regard TO the planting The blacks In
country to themselves. we shonld not wonder
il the experiment initiated by General Shcr-
man in regard to sle free colony at Hilton
Head were to settle the question. That expert
ment contempiates the removal OF the white
supervisors, middlcmen and hucksters, 80 that
the blacks may manage their owa affairs for
themselves, and put the profits Of their labor in
their own pockets, and be seIf-sustaining
black community, under the common protec-
ti0n OF the general government very nkeiy,
in the course Of time, all that rich and extern
sive lowland country from the northern line Of
South Carolina to the Mexican border, embrace
ing the sea island cotton, rice and sugar re-
gions Of the South, will be densely populated
by blacks, and with very few whites among
them. We think 30 because Of the climate in
those regions, which gives health and strength
to the black man, but Is almost as fatal to the
white in outdoor labor as the coasts Of Africa
where the negro was planted by the laws Of
nature, and where he attains bis highest physi-
cal development


For the present, however, we find in this
speech Of President johnson to his visiting
colored clergymen the opinions and suggestions
of an experienced statesman, who, in working
ont his programme Of reconstruction Of the
youtharn Statas and Southern societv for the