CONGRESS, UNITED STATES. 



In tho House, on December 12th, Mr. Ray- 

 mond, of NV\v York, pn.-fiitod tlio credentials 

 .1 in Ti-niK's.M'O to scats in tho 

 House, that tlu-y mitfht como before tho House. 



Mr. < !' lVnn.-ylv:mi:i, -aid: "I rise 



to a question of order. I do not mean to op- 

 pose tin- main object of tho gentleman from 

 New York (Mr. Kayraond). But I hold that 

 this is not a question of privilege. The State 

 of Temit>:-i.v H not known to this Honso nor to 

 Congri -:. It' the gentleman will put hi.s prop- 

 t in another shape, -and not present it as 

 a question of .privilege, I will not object to it. 

 But if ho pn-f-onts it as a question of privilege, 

 I make tho point of order that it is not such a 

 question." 



The point of order was overruled by the 

 Speaker. Mr. Raymond followed, saying, that 

 his object was merely to get the papers in a 

 position to bo acted upon. The disposition 

 which should be made of the papers was a mat- 

 ter of indifference to him. He moved their 

 reference to the joint Committee of Fifteen, 

 when appointed, which was approved. 



On July 19th, in the House it was resolved, 

 by a vote of yeas 70, nays 27, to reconsider tho 

 vote by which a joint resolution relative to 

 Tennessee had been recommitted to the Com- 

 mittee on Reconstruction. 



Mr. Bingham, of Ohio, then withdrew tho 

 motion to recommit, and offered the following 

 substitute : 



Joint resolution declaring Tennessee again entitled to Sen- 

 ators and Representatives In Congress. 



Whereas, the State of Tennessee has in good faith 

 ratified the article of amendment to the Constitution 

 of the United States, proposed by the Thirty-ninth 

 Congress to the Legislatures of the several States, 

 and nas also shown to the satisfaction of Congress, 

 by a proper spirit of obedience in the body of her 

 people, her return to her due allegiance to the Gov- 

 ernment, laws, and authority of the United States : 

 Therefore, 



Be it resolved "by ihe Senate and House of Representa- 

 tives of the United States of America in Congress as- 

 sembled, That the State of Tennessee is hereby re- 

 stored to her former proper, practical relations to the 

 Union, and is again entitled to be represented by 

 Senators and Representatives in Congress, duly 

 elected and qualified, upon their taking the oaths of 

 office required by existing laws. 



Mr. Boutvvell, of Massachusetts, in opposition 

 to the resolution, said : " I will state briefly the 

 reasons why I shall vote against this proposition. 

 I have two prominent reasons against it. I 

 would have yielded somewhat of one of them, 

 provided I had seen a single shadow of hope 

 coming from the State of Tennessee itself. I 

 find, on the examination of the constitution of 

 Tennessee, that the voting power is confined 

 exclusively to the white population. If Ten- 

 nessee would have even yielded to allow tho 

 colored men who had been soldiers to vote ; or 

 if they had even initiated a policy which might 

 have grown to fulness hereafter, I might have 

 consented to the proposition. Since the prop- 

 osition that is now before tho House assumes to 

 dictate terms to tho State of Tennessee, and of 



ri^ht ii.-siinifs it, we a)-.-, have tho power to in- 

 rist that that State shall recognize tho great 

 principle of which 1 have spok 



" My second ol.'n'i'tion to thi.s proposition J8 

 that tho amendment of the Constitution sub- 

 mitted by Congress to the Legislatures of tho 

 several States, although ratified by tho Legis- 

 lature of tho State of Tennessee, has not be- 

 come a portion of the Constitution of the Uni- 

 ted States. And since it has not become a 

 part of tho Constitution, then tho restrictions 

 that are contained within it have no applica- 

 tion upon that State whatever. And Tennes- 

 see, if admitted at this session of Congress, will 

 be admitted with the same number of Rep- 

 resentatives that the State had when the rebel- 

 lion commenced. "We will thus find tho rep- 

 resentation of the several States very unequal, 

 and it seems to me that the people of the free 

 North will express not only dissatisfaction but 

 indignation at such a- proposition. I think 

 there certainly should have been a restriction 

 here, to the effect that before the proposed 

 amendment becomes a part of tho Constitution 

 of the United States, Tennessee shall not bo 

 entitled to any more representation than she 

 would bo were the amendment in full operation 

 and effect. I have briefly stated the two prin- 

 cipal objections with mo to the adoption of this 

 resolution, arid will not occupy more time of 

 the House." 



Mr. Bingham, of Ohio, said, in reply: "Mr. 

 Speaker, Tennessee to-day is as republican as 

 Massachusetts on tho principle that the majority 

 of the law-abiding citizens of a State who havo 

 not forfeited their privileges by treason have 

 tho right to control its political power. That 

 is the primal principle of American institutions, 

 and that is the principle which the gentleman 

 from Massachusetts comes here to-day to re- 

 pudiate. 



" The restoration of the State of Tennessee, in 

 tho mode proposed, to her proper relations in 

 the Union is no surrender of that principle, 

 unless you set up here the right of the rebels 

 lately in arms to govern the loyal people, tho 

 rebels whom you undertake to disfranchise 

 by the constitutional amendment, and which 

 amendment I trust in God the American people 

 will ratify and thereby disfranchise those who 

 compassed the nation's life and filled the land 

 with the graves of the nation's defenders. If 

 tho rebels are to bo excluded from political 

 power, then, sir, the men who speak this day 

 from Tennossee are the majority, overwhelm- 

 ingly tho majority of its free population, black 

 and white included. 



"But, says the gentleman, they exclude from 

 the elective franchise loyal black men who bore 

 arms for tho defence of the Republic. I admit 

 it. So does Ohio, so does Pennsylvania, and 

 BO, also, do <i majority of the States of the 

 Union. Is that any reason, sir, that Tennessee 

 should be denied representation in this House? 

 It would be better if justice, equal and exact 

 justice, were established in every State." 



