110 



CONGRESS, UNITED STATES (1865). 



tion, 252; his views of the bill of last ses- 

 sion, 252 ; the President's will undid the work 

 of his friends in the last Congress, 253; 

 case of Arkansas, 253 ; Louisiana, 253 ; what 

 does this bill contemplate and propose ? 253 ; 

 a temporary Provisional Government over 

 States in rebellion, 253 ; confirmation of eman- 

 cipation, 254; disfranchisement of civil and 

 military officers of the Confederacy, 254 ; for- 

 mation of new State constitutions, 254; to 

 incorporate certain conditions, 254; if the 

 State refuses these conditions, it is to remain 

 a Territory, 254; what is the effect of all 

 this ? 254 ; the bill is one to abolish slavery and 

 to enfranchise the negroes, and disfranchise 

 white men, 255 ; to change the social and in- 

 dustrial system of eleven States, 255 ; where 

 is the power of the Government to do these 

 things? 255 ; the same bill received the assent 

 of the last Congress, 256 ; state the case and 

 predict results from one course or the other, 

 256 ; bill laid on the table, 257 ; another bill 

 reported, 257 ; laid on the table, 257. 



In the House, a bill to forfeit the fee of in- 

 surgent landholders, 258 ; passed, 258. 



In the Senate, a joint resolution to exclude 

 the electoral vote of certain States, 258 ; 

 amendment moved to except Louisiana, 258 ; 

 a distinction between Virginia and Louisiana, 

 258 ; if we decide to receive her vote, we de- 

 cide a State government to be in existence 

 there, 259 ; position of that State, 259 ; none 

 of these States can be out of the Union, 259 ; 

 are the local authorities of Tennessee, Louisi- 

 ana, and Arkansas, now in insurrection ? 260 ; 

 is it competent for Congress to legislate with 

 reference to counting the electoral votes ? 260 ; 

 have we any guide in the Constitution ? 260 ; 

 it is not silent on this subject, 260 ; part of 

 wisdom to settle this question, 261 ; this is all 

 wrong, all uncalled for, 261 ; amendment pro- 

 posed, 262; has Congress any authority to 

 legislate on this subject, 262 ; are the votes of 

 States in rebellion to be counted ? 263 ; to re- 

 store the States to their rights, is it necessary 

 to enact a law that the rebellion was sup- 

 pressed? 263; the act of Congress and the 

 declaration of the President, 264; what are 

 the facts about these acts? 265 ; will we carry 

 out the arrangement of the President, or vio- 

 late it? 265; effect of this joint resolution, 

 266; what is it proposed to answer to the 

 loyal minority of Louisiana? 266; can any 



portion of a State attempt to govern the 

 whole? 267; motion to postpone, lost, 268; 

 what is the actual state of the case in relation 

 to Louisiana? 268 ; the policy of the President 

 is denounced as a military usurpation, 268; 

 has Congress no power to act on the question 

 whether those States should be reorganized or 

 not? 269; the power of the United States 

 over a conquered State is the ordinary power 

 of a conqueror over the conquered, 269 ; mo- 

 tion to except Louisiana lost, 270 ; joint reso- 

 lution passed, 270; passed in the House, 271. 



In the Senate, an amendment of the Consti- 

 tution in reference to representation offered, 

 271. 



Counting the electoral votes, 271-274. 



In the Senate, a motion to refer the creden- 

 tials of Joseph Segar, successor of L. J. Bow- 

 den, of Virginia, deceased, to the judiciary 

 committee, 274 ; the credentials are proper on 

 their face, 274 ; there was no such objection 

 made to the predecessor, 274 ; duty of the 

 committee to ascertain if these credentials 

 come from a proper source, 275 ; the whole 

 country needs to be enlightened on this ques- 

 tion, 275 ; its magnitude not exaggerated, 276 ; 

 we are a progressive people, 276 ; duty of the 

 Senate to inquire into the origin of credentials, 

 276 ; state of the question, 277 ; laid on the 

 table, 278. 



In the Senate, a joint resolution recognizing 

 State government of Louisiana, 278 ; amend- 

 ment moved and lost, 278 ; whence does the 

 President derive the power to prescribe the 

 qualifications for voters in Louisiana? 278; 

 how was the government formed ? 279 ; in 

 what respect is it not republican in form? 279 ; 

 no act of secession can take a State out of this 

 Union, 279 ; can the Government thus inter- 

 fere with the right of suffrage in a State ? 279 ; 

 propositions stated, 280 ; an amendment offered 

 in the form of a bill, 280 ; words of the Presi- 

 dent's proclamation, 281 ; nature of the State 

 governments, 281 ; Definition of a State in the 

 Union, 282 ; how it becomes out of the Union, 

 283 ; what the laws of nations allow the con- 

 queror, 283 ; the Government must hold the 

 South in the iron gripe of war, 284 ; has it the 

 same rights of conquest over a State? 284; it 

 must be final judge how long military occupa- 

 tion shall last, 284 ; the facts out of which this 

 question has arisen, 285 ; the judiciary com- 

 mittee thought it not to be in the power of the 



