Year: 1866

ny WuNu peEmit tueu W ieo. S"n'1e 'no'A
Site .koyernmeuts, elect legislatures, &C.,
ana, no far as Executive acts could do so,
would restore them to their position in
the Union of States.


They had so far accepted his conditions
that he did not regard the experiment as
a failure, but as success. He had ac.
cordlngly reorganizcd the Post-ofice De-
partment everywhere among them, had
reopened trade and removed restrictions
thereon through the Treasury Depart
ment, and in like manner in all the exc,
cutiye departments, recognized them as
Stltcs in the Union, only keeping enough
of a military hold to protect the freed
men, as he has before stated, and to in
duce them to do something more thor
ough in that direction. Now but one
thing remained in which those States did
not exercise the full rights of States, nd
that is representation in Congress. In
this he had advised that the same prin-
ciple of stimulating loyalty be applied as
in the Other respects which he had named.


lie woald admit only such repretenta-


tvcsas were in fact loyal men, giving
satisfactory evidence of this. Whenever
a State or district sent loyal man,
properly elected and qualified, he would
think it right to admit him the same as
from any other State, and he would ad-
nit none but such loyal men, 50 that
other States or districts might be thus in.
duced to elect and send similar men,


When they had all done this their repre-
sentation would be full, and the work
would be done.


Such was his plan He did not ask to
be the Judge of the elections and qualifi-
cations of members Of Congress, or of
their loyalty. Congress was its own judge,
and he had no dream of interfering with
its constitutional rights; but he felt like
urging upon them, and upon the country,
that this mode of finishing the work, was
the only feasible one which had been pre-
sented, and that it was impossible to ignore
the tact that The States were exercising
tkoir rights and enjoying their privileges
within the Union-were, in short. restored
in all other respects, and that it is too
late to question the fundamental right Of
representation.


| then remarked to him that | had
heard it suggested that legislation could
properly lie made by Congress, purely
civil in its character, providing for the
protection of the freedmen by United
States courts Of inferior jurisdiction, in
all cases where the States did not do SO
He replied that such an idea
would run exactly parallel to his plan,
but he had not thought it yet time to fix
his own ideas of the precise mode of ac-
complishing this end, because we had a
margin of time lasting till after the next
session of Congress, during which the
present freedman's bureau could continue


in operation and, if before that time the
Southern States should recognize the ne
cessity Of passing prorsr laws themselves,
and providing proper system of protec-
ton fer the freedmen, nothing further on
our part would be necessary. 1fthey did
no: do what they ought: there would then
be time enough to elaborate plan.


lie then referred briefly to the fact,
that rlen who have been dlsloyal were re-
joicing ovei his veto message, saying, that
if these men, in good faith, adopted the
views Of the policy he had himself held
and acted upon, and which he had SO freely
in his annual message and cx-
planned to me, the country surely could
have no cause for sorrow in that. If dis
loyal men and rebels everywhere, North
and South, should cordially give in their
adherence to the conditions of restoration
he had uniformly insisted upon, be thought
that was precisely the kind Of pacifcation
Ioya! men everywhere should rejoice in.
The rore they we're committed to such a
course the better he would like it, for if
they were not sincere, they would at least
diminish their power of dangerous oppo
5ition in future. His whole heart was
with the body of true men who had car
rled the country through the war, ard he
earnestly desired to maintain cordial
and perfect understanding with them.


This sentiment and purpose he regarded
as entirely consistent with determined op-
position to the obstructive policy Of those
Who, as he believed, would
keep the country in chaos till the aoso-