Year: 1865

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fire from it against the administration In .
resolution referring to the oath of loyalty
required Of one class of men entering upon
the duties of any public Office, and remark
Ing that Hwhereas it is reported that, noswith-


standing the acts Of Congress-, certain persons
have been allowed to enter upon the duties
of Office (Treasury Department. and TO receive
the salary and emoluments thereof without
taking the prescribed oath, and certain per
sons have been appointed to Offices not author
lied by any previously existing law, there
fore resolved, that the Secretary Of the Treas
ury be requested, so far as the records OF
his department allow" &C., to furnish the
needful information ON the subject This reso-
luton, over the shoulders Of the Secretary of
the Treasury, was evidently aimed at the
President and at his proceedings in reference
to certain provisional officials Of his In the
Southern States. Under the rule 1t lies over
day, and when called up again we may, per-
haps, have IN interesting debate upon 1t.


But the little passage at arms which followed
between Mr.. Sumner and Mr.. Doolittle touched
the kernel Of the main question. Mr.. Doolittle
moved to refer that portion Of the Message
which treats Of the existing relations Of the
late rebel States to the Judiciary Committee.
Mr.. Sumner remarked that there was now
on the Secretary's table q resolution Uhat
of Mr.. Stevens from the House) providing for
the appointment Of joint committee TO whom
this subject should be referred. 1t would be
better he thought, to await the passage Of this
resolution and then let the subject PRESIDENTS
Message in relation to the SOuth) 60 to that
special committee. Mr.. Do0little thought that
the joint resolution itself ought to 60 to the
Judiciary Committee, and just here the House
proposition for an adjournment over to Monday
came in and cut off any further proceedings.
Here we see against Sumner leading rcpubli-
can Senator from the West boldly taking his
position on the side of the President. The
result will probably be such modification Of
the Stevens resolution as to leave each house,
as the constitution ordains, the judge of the
qualifications OF its members, instead Of tying
up and handing over both houses and the
President to the care of joint committee.


In any event, the policy of Southern restora-
tion which President johnson has adopted
having been approved by all parties through
out the country, he has no other course to
pursue. Let him adhere to it, do all he can to
secure from the States concerned the fulflment
of all his conditions, and, having fulfilled them,
let him submit the rights of said States to
restoration to Congress. They may be rejected,
but then the issue brought before the
people in the elections for The next Congress
will be a decisive victory for the admnistra-
tion. The President holds the impregnable
ground that the excluded Southern States are
not out of the Union, aud never have been;
that they only need a reorganization under the
constitution and existing laws Of the Union to
be entitled TO all the rights in the general
government which belong to the other loyal
States. He has only to adhere to this ground
to secure the establishment of his policy in this
Congress or the next. We believe, however,
from the cooling down Of fthe radicals on the day
after the reception Of the Message, that whole
some reaction has already commenced which
will make the Presidents policy the programme
of the present Congress. When such old radical
campaigners as Thaddeus Stevens begin to
tack ship it is because they sec breakers
ahead.