114 



CONGRESS, UNITED STATES (1866). 



that he did not extend his invitation to all the 

 loyal men of the Southern States, including 

 the colored as well as the white, 167 ; the pre- 

 judice of the army was against negro suffrage, 

 167; we complain that the President has not 

 exercised the power to extend to freedmen the 

 right of suffrage, when Congress never has 

 done it, 168 ; we have never conferred the 

 right to vote on negroes in Territories, 168; 

 what are the two great systems of policy with 

 regard to reconstruction and reunion on which 

 the minds of the people are now divided ? 168 ; 

 one or the other must be adopted, 169 ; im- 

 possible that the public mind can be diverted 

 by any other question, 169 ; what is the present 

 condition of the Southern States ? 169 ; the 

 character of the Government under which we 

 live, 169 ; is the Government created by the 

 Constitution a national Government ? 170; not 

 only is the power of the Government limited 

 in its legislative department, but it is equally 

 limited in its judicial department, 171 ; the 

 Constitution naver contemplated that the States 

 should cease to exist, 171 ; it is asserted that 

 their relati(Jns as States to the Government 

 have terminated, 171 ; the resolution of 1862, 

 171 ; what provision is there in the Constitu- 

 tion which puts it in the authority of this body 

 to deny to any State an equal representation 

 with the other States, 172 ; a cardinal principle 

 that each State should be entitled to equal suf- 

 frage in the Senate, 172 ; what are we doing ? 

 172 ; it is said to be an error to suppose that 

 the insurrection was put down by using that 

 clause of the Constitution, "to suppress in- 

 surrection," 172 ; decision in prize cases, 173 ; 

 what was the question before the court? 173 ; 

 blot out the States, and the Government is 

 ended, 173 ; case in point, 173 ; why are these 

 courts in these States ? 174 ; the right of war, 

 174; what, the Government conquer States, 

 and by virtue of that conquest extinguish 

 States? 174; rights of conquest, 174; a great 

 many thought the insurrection had a just 

 foundation, 175; meaning of this resolution, 

 175 ; two purposes intended by the resolution, 

 175 ; it undertakes to establish the idea that 

 these States have to be brought back into the 

 Union by act of Congress, 176 ; all abolition- 

 ists now, 176 ; who dare say he is not an abo- 

 litionist? 176; we shall prevail, 176; in one 

 month, every man here who claims he is not 

 a Radical will wish he had been, 177 ; let us 



for a minute contemplate this most extraordi- 

 nary proposition, 177 ; a setting aside of the 

 Constitution itself, 177; the whole is mon- 

 strous, no matter in what light it may be viewed, 

 177; we have no right to do this, 178; the 

 action of the two Houses should be kept sepa- 

 rate, 178 ; has not the Constitution settled this 

 question? 178; in the act of March 4, 1862, 

 178; the resolution is revolutionary and de- 

 structive, 179 ; I would keep out traitors, not 

 keep out States, 179 ; the country is alarmed, 

 the people are anxious, 179 ; why these new 

 measures? 179 ; who introduced this cause of 

 dissension ? 179 ; if we choose to admit or 

 refuse to admit Senators on this floor, what 

 has the House of Representatives to do about 

 it? 180; this body is independent of the House, 

 180; a division between what are called the 

 Radicals and the Conservatives, 180; if our 

 Radical friends do not want to get run over, 

 they had better get off the track, 180 ; this is 

 to overcome the letter of the Constitution by a 

 resolution of both Houses, 181 ; nothing said 

 about the right of each House in the resolu- 

 tion, 181 ; the question of admission is always 

 in the hands of a majority, 181 ; we owe it to 

 ourselves that this matter shall be properly 

 investigated, 181 ; resolution adopted, 182. 



In the House, a resolution relative to the 

 continued contumacy in the Southern States, 

 182. 



Resolution for amending the Constitution 

 relative to the power of Congress to make laws 

 affording protection to persons and property, 

 182 ; resolutions relative to the power of Con- 

 gress for the protection of emancipated slaves, 

 freedmen, etc., 182. 



Joint resolution for amending the Constitu- 

 tion reported by the committee on reconstruc- 

 tion, 182. 



A bill to provide for restoring' the States 

 lately in insurrection to their full political 

 rights, 183. 



A bill declaring certain persons ineligible 

 to office under the Government of the United 

 States, 183. 



In the House, the joint resolution for amend- 

 ing the Constitution considered, 183 ; magni- 

 tude of the task imposed on the committee, 

 183 ; would not refuse to do what was possi- 

 ble, 183 ; the proposition is not all that the 

 committee desired, 184 ; the great labor of the 

 committee, 184; provisions of the proposed 



