CONGRESS, UNITED STATES (1867). 



what power has the President over a subject 

 till Congress has legislated upon it ? 206 ; 

 though the President is Commander-in-Chief, 

 Congress is his commander, 206 ; Congress 

 denies the right of the President to reconstruct, 

 206 ; further views of policy, 207 ; Congress 

 denies that the old rebel States have any exist- 

 ence, 207; to be regretted that inconsiderate 

 Republicans ever supposed the slight amend- 

 ments proposed to the Constitution would 

 satisfy the reforms necessary for the security 

 of the Government, 207 ; this bill an absolute 

 necessity, 207; insure the ascendency of the 

 Union party, 207 ; what is negro equality ? 207. 



Two bills now pending before the House, 

 208 ; attempts made by these two measures to 

 induce the House to depart from what has 

 hitherto been agreed upon by the Committee 

 on Reconstruction, 208 ; what has been done 

 thus far by the Committee on Reconstruction, 

 209 ; article of amendment to the Constitution, 

 its object, 209 ; a declaration of the judgment 

 of the joint committee, 209; this bill totally 

 ignores the first duty of Congress to give the 

 protection of law to life and property in dis- 

 organized States, 209 ; what do the Legislatures 

 of the loyal States say ? 209. 



Object of the bill to remove certain incon- 

 gruities in the Constitution, 210; to get rid of 

 the Constitution, 210 ; the decision in the 

 Milligan case denounced as infamous, 210; is 

 the Court to be stricken down ? 210 ; three 

 leading objects in this measure, 210 ; to get rid 

 of the Supreme Court to depose the President 

 to correct " incongruities " in the Constitu- 

 tion, 210 ; the doctrine that this Government 

 can make conquest of any of the States of this 

 Union is at war with the fundamental idea of 

 the Government, 211. 



If this becomes a law, it will be found de- 

 fective in that it does not afford any protection 

 to the loyal class of the inhabitants of the 

 Southern communities, 211 ; how do we stand 

 to-day? 211 ; efforts made relative to impartial 

 suffrage in the Territories, 212 ; will any thing 

 more favorable be granted to the rebel States 

 than is required of the Territories? 212 ; if this 

 bill should pass, and we go on with the im- 

 peachment, all the great interests of the coun- 

 try will stand still, waiting the result, 212 ; the 

 people have already decided several points of 

 this great controversy, 213 ; that they would 

 trust to Congress rather than to the Executive, 



213; what does the bill propose? 213; have 

 we the power to pass it ? 214 ; demands of the 

 national will for certain changes in the Con- 

 stitution, 214; relative to future attempts at 

 secession, 214. 



Amendment offered to sixth section of the 

 bill, 215; referred to the joint Committee on 

 Reconstruction, 216; report of the committee, 

 216 ; a bill to put under governments ten States 

 now without governments, 216; reason why 

 no governments have been provided, 217; for 

 two years in a state of anarchy, 217; features 

 of the bill, 217 ; most complete of all the plans 

 proposed, 217; founded on the law of nations, 

 217. 



What does the bill provide? 218; on what 

 is it founded? 218; the preamble does not 

 embrace a single truth, 218 ; these States are 

 States within the Union, 218 ; no constitutional 

 power to pass this bill, 218 ; power claimed 

 under the law of nations, 218; what is the 

 territory of these States? 219; who are the 

 people of these States? 219. 



This bill is the exercise of the highest pos- 

 sible power of legislation which can be exer- 

 cised under the Constitution by the represent- 

 atives of the people, 219 ; every act of legis- 

 lation thus far excludes the doctrine that these 

 are conquered States, 219 ; how, then, can 

 military governments be fastened on them? 

 219; by the rebellion they succeeded in over- 

 turning their previously existing State govern- 

 ments, 219 ; ready to set aside by law all these 

 illegal governments, 220 ; on the state of facts 

 presumed by the opposition it is monstrous to 

 pass this bill, 220 ; character of the bill, 220 ; 

 a simple abrogation of all attempts for the time 

 to protect the Southern people by the ordinary 

 exercise of civil authority, 220 ; the most ex- 

 treme measure that can be enacted by this 

 Congress or any legislative body, 221 ; a ne- 

 cessity calls for it, 221 ; proper course for this 

 Congress, 221 ; not a precedent we should be 

 willing to establish, 221 ; what the bill pro- 

 poses to do, 221 ; moved to refer to Judiciary 

 Committee, with instructions, 222 ; lost, 222 ; 

 original bill passed, 222. 



In the Senate, the bill considered, 222 ; 

 amendment offered, 222; impartial suffrage 

 wanted, 223 ; amendment moved, 223 ; wisest 

 course is to pass this bill, then the Louisiana 

 Bill, 223 ; principle of the bill that the rebel 

 States have been conquered, 223 ; held by the 



