Year: 1866

JOHNSON AND CoyGREss.-The London Daily
Neps, liberal English paper, and one OF those
who persistantly adhered to and advocated the
Union cause throughout the war, in recent is
sue, states the points of difference between
Johnson and Congress, and after alludlng to
the provisions of the proposed Constitutional
Amendment, says go 1t contains nothing he
himself has not advocated, and nothing which
North and South would not have agreed upon at
once had Johnson joined with Congress in recon-
mending it. But it was not needful that Con-
gress should consult him in making the proposal,
and it passed him over. Then it was that john
son was found wanting. Had he put aside all
personal pique, and thought only of his country,
he would have taken the Congressional proposal
as an olive branch, the South would have accept
ed it at his hands, the Northern States would
have assembled their legislators in special ses-
sion to ratify it, and by the time Congress ad-
j0urned, not only Tennessee, but all the South
ern States, excepting Texas, might have been en-
joying the privilege of representation IN Con-
gress. But johnson failed his country. At the
moment when he could have done the Union
essential service be chose to serve himself. An
ill-tempered message was Illuminated against the
proposal of Congress, and the word went forth
that the Union was not to be restored if it could
not to be restored in Johnson way. From that
moment he threw himself into the arms of the
South Everywhere the Democracy, who would
have closed the war by installing Davis in Lin
coin s place, rallied around new leader, and the
fight for Southern ascendency was re-opened on
the field of Northern politics. The protests
against radicalism bind-the ascription to
Congress of the blsme of delay is pretense; the
real object of the movement which the Philadel-
phia Convention has sanctioned is the restoration
of the South without the guarantees the Congress
ional proposal provides. The choice IS not be-
tween what Congress has talked and what the
President has tried to do, but between what
Congress has done and johnson desired. The
real issue is whether the Constitution shall be
amended so as to give equal civil rights to the
freedmen and equal political representation to the
North with the South. or whether the old Union
shall be restored with Southern preponderance
and provision for the protection Of the freedmen
in their rights. Congress represents the policy
of caution, and the wise healing its proposals
would bring; johnson represents policy OF
concession which would give back to the South
nearly all that the sacrifices of the war have
purchased from it. Congress is for lasting
Union, founded on equal justice to both races and
sections. Andrew johnson is for leaving the ne
gro to his fate and the North to its diminished
share of Federal power. Congress would take
precautions which are admitted to be wise and
just before entering again into federal alliance
with those who have msused their power =
johnson would have no real precautions taken,
but would re-marry the surrendered sections in
hurry, leaving the North to repent at leisure


We are not, therefore, at all surprised that
our contemporaries who supported the South
all through the war are loud in their sup
port of johnson now but the same desire for
the welfare of the great people who have sprung
! from the lons of England which decided our
sympathy for the Northern cause and made US
rejoice in the Northern victory, determines our
best hope and wishes to the side Of Congress,
which really represents all the interests OF hu-
man progress in the reconstruction strife
which is raging now.