Year: 1866




The Reconstruction Plan.


The plan proposed by the Recon
structiOn Committee of Fifteen for re-
storing the Union, is a mere plot to
make disunion, and the political power


of the dominant party permanent. No
surer device to this end could have


been elaborated. A careful and can
did examination of its several provis-
ions will satisfy the one who makes it


that anything rather than speedy and
substantial restoration is intended


They have concocted a scheme which
they purposely meant the South should


not accept, that it might be said of the
| people of that section that they were
| still too rebellions to be admitted to an
| equal representation with the other
| States in Congress. 1t was necessary
that some sort of plan should be
| brought out, for the fall elections were
beginning to throw their ominous
shadows backward so as to reach the
existing situation, and the Radical
! leaders were reminded once more of
the reserved power of the people. And
| this is the fruit of q whole winters
scheming, during which a Congress of
the United States shsmefully pledged
| to remain in a state of silent incompe-
tency, until a secret directing cabal
should give it permission to resume its
rightful functions.


We charge upon this bill that its
plain meaning and intent is TO make
disunion permanent,-Yhich would in
eyitably be the case if an arbitrary dis
franchisement of whole people be-
yond another Presidential election is
insisted on. The men concerned in
this scheme never meant by it to for
ward the work of restoration. They
have put conditions to their proposals
such as no people of intelligence who
had once tasted freedom would con-
sent to accept. They know, and chiefly
fear, that the vote OF the South will be
! given in solid figures against their can
didate in the next general election. 1t
/ is merely to tide the matter over the
| next Presidential canvass that this


anomaly Of q reconstruction plan has


been proposed, to give the South
! ern States their representation in Con-
! gress and their rights in the Union. So
| far, in fact, as Congress has anything
| to do in this business, there is nothing
| left to it but TO admit such representa-
| tives from the districts of the several
| Southern States as can prove their 10y
atty to the Constitution and the regu-
larity of their election. The State Gov
ernments are already set up and in op-
Grafton. The people are electing their
own local rulers, and administering
their own local affairs With these,
while nowise at variance with con-
stitutiOnal requirements, Congress can
claim to have nothing to do. Peace
| has been proclaimed by the President
/ The courts are exercising their appro-
pirate authority Law is in the ascend
ant. But one thing remains, and that
is to admit every member to his seat
! in Congress who shall show that he has
been legally elected and is true to the
Constitution and the Union. A simpler,
palmer case could hardly be made up
in politics.


The tumble of inconsistencies to be
found in this plan of the Committee,
and in their conduct relative to this
whole matter since the present session
| of Congress began, il would task ones
patience to expose; but we will speak
in this place of one only, and that
rather incidentally than at length and
in all its parts. This Committee say
they will have only the handful Of men
who took no part in the rebellion elect
representatives to Congress. Were
this requirement carried out, an ex-
ceedingly small number of votes would
choose representatives, whose number,
however, is to be based on the over
whelming majority which is thus dis
franchised This is the very objection
the radicals have been making from
the beginning, against permitting the
whites of the South to elect representa-
tives at all, whose number was to be
based on the white and black popula-
tions together If it were so wrong,
the blacks having become free, to count
them in with the white population as
basis of representation until they
themselves be allowed to vote, it can
certainly be none the less wrong, if it
is not even more hagrantly so, to dis
franchise nine hundred and ninety-nine
thousandths of the white population,
and then count them into the basis of
representation which is to be chosen by
the remaining one-thousandth Radi-
cal llogic ke 'ps even pace, however,
with the radical sense of justice.
Neither is calOu ated to perform much
service or bear much fruit


There is an additional consideration,
in this particular connection. It is to
be observed that this Committee of
Reconstruction do not venture to as
sail the existing State Governments of
the South at ali. They propose to car
~ out their plan in the very field in
which the local governments are al
ready working. Indeed, they could |
not well do anything with their new
machinery except IS the ground has
been already prepared, and Is still kept |
in condition for them, by the local gov
ernments which the people are them |
selves directing to-day. For instance |
this very proposal of the Committee |
must be submitted TO the State Legis- |
latures for their approval, before it can
become an Incorporated part OF the /
common Constitution. These legisla- |
lures are elected by the people, and of
course by the people whom this Com
mittee propose to disfranchise and dis
aualify and no hint or threat is dropped /
that they may not continue 10 elect |
them, even after their disqualification
for choosing Representatives to Congress-
And ike the profundities in wisdom
that they are, they expect their plan TO
be ratified By legislatures elected by !