Franklin Repository

Two speeches have been delivered in the popular branch of Congress which present the impending struggle on reconstruction in all its aspects. Mr. Stevens has spoken in behalf of the policy that accepts the rebellious States as suicides, and dependent upon Congress for renewed life and government, and it need not be said that he presented his position with masterly ability and the eminent candor that has ever characterized him in dealing with public issues. Mr. Raymond has replied in vindication of the doctrine that secession, however accomplished in fact, is a legal impossibility and therefore the States lately in rebellion have never lost their rights in the Union and under the constitution they attempted to destroy. Many other speeches will be made on both sides we presume, but they will be but cumulative support to one or the other of the utterances already given by the distinguished members who are fitly recognized as the leaders of their respective doctrines.

Let us look practically at this question of reconstruction. The President, Mr. Raymond and a few other Republicans, with all the Democrats and every one lately in arms against the government insist that there has been no secession because it is a forbidden crime, and this doctrine is made the foundation-stone for the re-admission of the insurgents into Congress, to participate in the determination of the penalties for their own treason and to work out the results of the war. On the other hand Mr. Stevens accepts the formal declaration of treason that it has withdrawn from all protection under the constitution and laws, and now that it is conquered, he would renew the life of the insurgents within the Union on such conditions only as will give satisfactory guarantees of future peace and Union, and protect the loyal men of all sections from the crushing evils of the treason they manfully resisted.

It is worthy of notice in considering the logical consequences of the two policies proposed, that the one advocated by Mr. Stevens can be carried to a consistent result, while that of Mr. Raymond comes in direct conflict with itself when it reduced to practical operation. Mr. Raymond says that he regards the seceded States "just as really and truly States of the American Union now as they were before the war," and in another portion of his remarks, when he comes to the admission of these "really and truly States of the American Union," he would "exact from them" various conditions precedent to their exercising the powers and rights of sovereign States. In one sentence he insists that they are States without any limitation of their rights, and in another he proposes himself to define the terms and conditions on which they shall exercise the rights which he insists belong to them. It is clear that Mr. Raymond's logic is sadly defective, or that he does not believe his own doctrine. To assume that the rebellious States cannot impair their relations to the general government, when the President has as yet denied them any rights whatever--ruling them with the most despotic power--is an absurdity that can approach the dignity of an argument. On the very day that Mr. Raymond delivered his speech, the President notified the Governor elect of South Carolina that he might now assume his duties, because, "in the judgement of the President of the United States, the care and conduct of the proper affairs of South Carolina may be remitted to the constitutional authorities chosen by the people thereof, without danger to the peace and safety of the United States." Thus does the President treat a State that Mr. Raymond declares to be "truly within the jurisdiction of the constitution." If Mr. Raymond be correct, then is the President, who he assumes especially to defend, a usurper of the most desperate and dangerous character, and Mr. Raymond is merely playing fantastic tricks before the Nation to earn the favor of an Executive whose policy he alternately approves and condemns in most discordant strains of eloquence.

We have not stopped to look into legal abstractions in the determination of this momentous question. The President, Mr. Raymond and Mr. Stevens all agree in the practical duties to be performed. They differ in details--in the extent to which they would carry Mr. Raymond's "conditions," "guarantees" and "exactions;" but all agree that these States, or Territories, or Provinces, or conquered Belligerents, or whatsoever else they may be called, must come into the Union with some "indemnity for the past and security for the future." The President demands in peremptory terms the repudiation of the rebel debt, and the ratification of the constitutional amendment, and then very properly submits their case to Congress. Mr. Raymond goes farther and exacts obedience to the Freedmen's Bureau, and reserves to himself a "rigid scrutiny into the character and loyalty of the men whom they may send to Congress" before he would allow them "to participate in the high prerogative of legislating for the nation." Thus would Mr. Raymond vindicate the sovereignty of the States and maintain their constitutional rights as States "within the jurisdiction of the constitution." Mr. Stevens would go still farther, acting, however, on the same practical doctrine, and deny the admission of those States until the just and full fruition of the war is attained. He would amend the constitution in all respects necessary to prevent the festering sore of treason from again polluting the body politic, and while the President and Mr. Raymond would "exact" a limb, Mr. Stevens would on the same principle take the head of the dead carcass and create anew the States which have organized and maintained revolt, in all the departments of governmental power, for four years on principles which he regards as essential to justice and freedom.

Widely as these men profess to differ in theory, they agree in fact when they come to the application of their theories, with the single exception that they reach different degrees of "conditions" and "guarantees." We deem it idle, therefore, for parties to divide on abstractions. Start where they may, they all come in the end to the foundation on which Mr. Stevens rests his views of reconstruction, and the sooner all department of the governments recognize the fact and go to the practical work of reconstruction, the better. It is for Congress to define the penalties and guarantees precedent to the restoration of the States lately in revolt; and a country staggered with debt, and bereaved in almost every household by treason's causeless war, will demand that "mercy to traitors is cruelty to the nation." The conditions and guarantees must be such as will secure lasting unity and peace--such as will afford the amplest protection to Union men of all classes and conditions in the South--such as will make treason infamous, and inaugurate thoroughly Republican Government in the regenerated Union.

The subjoined official proclamation of Mr. Seward, Secretary of State, announces to the people of the Union and to the World, that slavery has ceased to stain the fair fame of the Republic. This consummation, so long and earnestly labored for, alike by the patriotic founders of the government and by the faithful men who in later days braved the supreme power of bondage in behalf of Freedom, comes at last hastened by the madness of its devotees, and deeply crimsoned with the blood of wanton war; but it comes in the fullness of complete triumph, with its malignant foes confessing obedience to Universal Manhood. Sad as have been the sacrifices demanded by this crowning crime of the Nation, all will now rejoice that our bereavements have not been vain, and that the deadly struggle of Treason to overthrow our free institutions has but made the great Republic of the world disenthralled and the home of regenerated Freedom. The following is Mr. Seward's proclamation:

Washington, Dec. 18, 1865.

WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State of the United States, [illeg] whom these presents may come, greeting:

KNOW YE, That whereas the Congress of the United States, on the first of February last, passed a resolution which is in the words following, namely:

"A resolution submitting to the Legislatures of the several States a proposition to amend the Constitution of the United States.

"Resolved by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, two-thirds of both Houses concurring. That the following article be proposed to the Legislatures of the several States as an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which when ratified by three-fourths of said Legislatures, shall be valid to all intents and purposes, as a part of the said Constitution, namely:

"Article XIII. Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

"Sec. 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."

And whereas, It appears from official documents on file in this department that the amendment to the Constitution of the United States, proposed as aforesaid, has been ratified by the Legislatures of the States of Illinois, Rhode Island, Michigan, Maryland, New York, West Virginia, Maine, Kansas, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Ohio, Missouri, Nevada, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Vermont, Tennessee, Arkansas, Connecticut, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Alabama, North Carolina and Georgia--in all 27 States.

And Whereas, The whole number of States in the United States is thirty-six;

And Whereas, The before specially-named States whose Legislatures have ratified the said proposed amendment, constitute three-fourths of the whole number of States in the United States;

Now, therefore, be it known that I, William H. Seward, Secretary of State of the United States, by virtue, and in pursuance of the second section of the act of Congress approved the twentieth day of April, 1818, entitled "An act to provide for the publication of the laws of the United States, and for other purposes," do hereby certify that the amendment aforesaid has become valid to all intents and purposes as a part of the Constitution of the United States.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, and caused the seal of the Department of State to be affixed.

Done at the city of Washington, the 18th day of December, in the year of our Lord 1865, and of the independence of the United States of America the ninetieth.
Wm. H. Seward,
Secretary of State.

Few persons have any thing like a just conception of the onerous and responsible duties discharged by Col. Francis Jordan, Military Agent for Pennsylvania at Washington. Under the laws of our State he is instructed to collect bounties, back pay, procure pensions, &c., for soldiers and their families free of charge, and he has most energetically and faithfully performed this duty. As a matter of public interest we copy his report entire:

HEADQUARTERS MILITARY AGENCY OF PA,
Washington City, Dec. 16, 1865.

To His Excellency, Andrew G. Curtin, Governor of Penna:

SIR: In compliance with your recent request, I have the honor to submit the following annual report of the transactions of this Agency for the past year, ending on the 15th December, inst.

The happy termination of the war since the last yearly report, and the consequent disbanding of the armies, and breaking up of nearly all the hospitals, have greatly modified the character of the labors devolving upon this agency, whilst the amount of work to be done has not materially changed.

The duties are so miscellaneous, that any complete classification of them in any reasonable space is hardly practical, yet an arrangement of the principle ones under the following heads may be found advantageous:

I.--COLLECTION OF PAY, BOUNTY & PENSIONS.

The act of the Legislature, making it the duty of this agency to collect the pay, bounty and pensions for our soldiers, and for the relatives of such as are deceased, free of charge, was approved on the 4th of May, 1864. As soon as practical thereafter, I prepared the books, forms and blanks necessary to the organization of this branch of duties. The first claim was filed on the 6th of June, 1864; and a total of 729 applications had been entered at the date of my last annual report.

Since then 1,920 applications have been filed for arrears of pay, bounties, &c., and 1,075 have been audited, and certificates issued, or money paid, as follows:
To fathers of dec'd soldiers, 385, amounting to $87,141.66
To mothers " " 88, " 18, 762.16
To widows " " 149, " 31,327.22
To brothers and sisters of deceased soldiers, 8; amounting to 2,101.02
To widowed mothers and wives of prisoners, 14, amounting to 1,407.36
To discharged soldiers, 431, amounting to 81,831.81
Total, $222,571.23

Of the total number of these claims filed this year and last year, one hundred and two have been rejected, and one thousand three hundred and thirty remain yet undisposed of.

In addition to the above, three hundred and fifty-three applications for pensions have been prepared and filed. One hundred and twenty-six have been allowed, and certificates issued therefor as follows:
To widows 74, amounting to $9,458.84
" mothers 4, " 1,397.59
" invalids 48, " 2,090.63
Totals, 126, amounting to $12,947.06

Of the total number of claims filed for pensions this year, and last year, three hundred and fifty-nine yet remain to be finally acted upon by the pension office. One hundred and ninety certificates for pay and bounty were received from soldiers and their representatives, and the money collected upon them and paid over, amounting to forty-five thousand one hundred and forty-one dollars and eighty-five cents.

Thirty-five pension vouchers were also received and collected for the parties entitled thereto, amounting to two thousand one hundred and eighty-three dollars and sixty-two cents.

Thus making the total amount collected by this agency, during the fiscal year, two hundred and eighty-two thousand eight hundred and fifty-three dollars and seventy-six cents.

Under the regulations of the departments, claims are acted upon in the order of the death of those in whose right the claims originate; and the total number of applications is so immense that this agency, and others, are only now receiving the arrears of pay and bounty in right of those who lost their lives one year ago or more.

II.--TRANSPORTATION

The Legislature, at the session of 1862, authorized the issue of transportation, in certain cases, at the expense of the State. In pursuance of this authority, sundry arrangements were made with the railroad companies, by which the remains of Pennsylvania soldiers, dying of disease or wounds, or killed in battle, and for one person to accompany them, might on application of the relatives of the deceased, be transported from Washington to the railroad station nearest home.

During the past year transportation has been issued by this agency as follows:
For the remains of deceased soldiers, 313.
For Persons to accompany the same, 331.
For other persons, 250.
Total, 894.

The excess of persons over bodies transported is accounted for by the fact that in some cases the parties failed to recover the remains, and in other cases the parties were female relatives, and out of money, when transportation would be issued for two.

The transportation for persons not in charge of bodies, was nearly all for soldiers discharged from Pennsylvania regiments, some sick, some wounded, and all without the means to get home.

III.--MISCELLANEOUS.

A great many applications are made to the agency every day, in person and by letter, by officers and men, their relatives and friends. Some for assistance in settling their accounts with the Government; some for aid in drawing their pay, bounties and pensions; to get transfers, furloughs, discharges and transportation; to be reinstated after dismissal from service; for Executive pardon upon sentence of court martial; to procure removal of charges of desertion and of absence without leave; to ascertain the fate of soldiers who have not returned home, and generally, for information and instructions upon all conceivable subjects. Due attention to this heavy correspondence, is no small item of the labors of this agency. Our postage account for the last year is five hundred and forty-four dollars and fifty cents ($544.50) and for the last three months the expenditure for postage stamps has been almost two dollars per day.

The persons employed here are the same as at the date of my last annual report. On the 23d of June last, under authority given by an act of the Legislature at its last session, and by reason of an immense pressure of labors consequent on the large number of troops then going out of service here, I appointed Edwin H. Kinsloe an additional clerk. On the 31st of August following, I dispensed with his services, believing I could get along with my former force.

My intercourse with the President, Heads of Departments, and others, has been pleasant, and attended with a reasonable measure of success in my various efforts to serve our people and State; and my knowledge of business routine and friendly relations with the authorities give promises of increased efficiency.

I cannot close this report without the expression of my cordial thanks to your Excellency, and to every department of the State Government, for the prompt and hearty co-operation this agency has at all times received.

I have also to acknowledge my indebtedness to Assistant Surgeon General Dr. Samuel G. Lane, for intelligence, devotion and efficiency in his branch of the service, and to Lieut. Col. James Gilliland, my assistant, and to Captains C. R. Miller and John R. Gilliland, my clerks, for the fidelity and zeal with which they have labored during the past year.

Hoping this hastily prepared report may give you the desired information, I have the honor to be, most respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
Fr. Jordan,
Colonel and Military Agent of Penn'a.