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INDEX OF CONTENTS. 



the Constitution by the representatives of the people, 

 219; every act of legislation 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 overturning 

 their previously existing State governments, 219; 

 ready to set aside by law all these illegal govern- 

 ments, 220 ; on the state of facts presumed by the op- 

 position it is monstrous to pass this bill, 220 ; charac- 

 ter of the bill, 220 ; a simple abrogation of all attempts 

 for the time to protect the Southern people by the or- 

 dinary exercise of civil authority, 220 ; the most ex- 

 treme measure that can be enacted by this Congress 

 or any legislative body, 221 ; a necessity calls for it, 

 221 ; proper course for this Congress, 221 ; not a pre- 

 cedent we should be willing to establish, 221 ; what 

 the bill proposes to do, 221 ; moved to refer to Judicia- 

 ry Committee, with instructions, 222 ; lost, 222 ; origi- 

 nal bill passed, 222. 



In the Senate, the bill considered, 222 ; amendment 

 offered, 222 ; impartial suffrage wanted, 223 ; amend- 

 ment 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 sword and the right of conquest, 224 ; the bill is 

 simply in the nature of an article of war, 224 ; if con- 

 stitutional government is struck down, it matters 

 little whether there is impartial suffrage or manhood 

 suffrage, 224 ; what are we doing ? 224 ; the Southern 

 people will prefer military government to universal suf- 

 frage, 225 ; difference of opinion as to the condition in 

 which the States are placed in consequence of rebel- 

 lion, 225 ; recognition of the Executive and Judicial 

 Departments of the Government, 226 ; facts, 226 ; what 

 is proposed by the bill without amendment, 226; a 

 confession to the world that our institutions are a 

 failure, 227; objections to the amendment, 227; other 

 objections, 228 ; I shall not vote to degrade suffrage, 

 228 ; what is this measure ? 228 ; its features, 228 ; 

 powers of the commanders, 229 ; the bill is an open 

 confession that republican government is a failure, 

 229 ; amendment suggested, 229. 



Motion to strike out all after the first word of the 

 preamble, and insert a new bill, 229 ; the new bill, 

 229; amendments offered, 230; the principle of the 

 bill is contained in the first two lines, 231 ; its fea- 

 tures, 231 ; the rebellion has swept away all the civil 

 governments in the Southern States, 231 ; States or- 

 ganized by the former President, 232; the grounds 

 upon which this bill is put for justification are not 

 correct, 232 ; what is the signification of the first line 

 of the preamble ? 233 ; what is meant by legal State 

 governments? 233; not governments in the sense of 

 the Constitution, 233 ; amendment agreed to, 233 ; bill 

 passed, 233. 



In the House, the question on concurring in the 

 amendments of the Senate considered, 233; it pro- 

 poses to reconstruct the State governments throug-h 

 the agency of disloyal men, 234; it contains every 

 thing but protection, 234 ; we take the management 

 from the General of the Army and put it in the hands 

 of the President, 234 ; why so anxious to proclaim 

 universal amnesty 1 235 ; pass this bill, you open the 

 flood-gates of misery, 235 ; what does it demand of 

 the Southern people ? 235 ; details, 235 ; puts the 

 bayonet to the breast of every rebel in the South, 236 ; 

 most wicked and abominable measure, 236 ; abrogates 

 the Constitution of the United States, 237 ; House re- 

 fuse to concur with the Senate, 237. 



In the Senate, a motion to insist considered, 237 ; 



what will be the result of a conference ? 237 ; if you set 

 aside a conference, you set aside every just and benefi- 

 cent measure of protection, 238 ; such a bill as we want 

 cannot become a law at this session, 238 ; the question 

 is a radical elementary principle, which cannot be 

 abandoned under the report of a conference commit- 

 tee, 238 ; how are we to compromise ? 239 ; a pocket 

 veto to be avoided, 239 ; the bill is horridly defective, 

 240 ; its good features, 240 ; its defects, 240 ; it places 

 the ballot for the first time in the hands of the whole 

 negro population of the Southern States, 240; it crip- 

 ples the negro by no restriction, 241 ; we want neither 

 black nor white oligarchies, 241 ; Senate amendments, 

 as amended, concurred in, 241. 



In the Senate, the amendments of the House con- 

 sidered, 242; do. concurred in, 243; bill returned by 

 the President with objections, and passed, 243 ; acts 

 passed at this session, 214. 



Objections of the President to the army appropria- 

 tion bill, 244 ; deprives the President of constitutional 

 functions as Commander-in-Chief, 244 ; change of time 

 for the meeting of Conf ress, 244 ; close of the second 

 session of Thirty-ninth Congress, 244. 



First session of Fortieth Congress convened, 244; 

 list of members, 244 ; motion to elect a Speaker, 245 ; 

 sixteen absent States, 245 ; not a legal constitutional 

 Congress, 245 ; protest of members, 245 ; choice of 

 Speaker, 246. 



In the Senate, resolutions relative to reconstruction, 

 246. 



In the House, resolution relative to reconstruction ; 

 also, to continuing the investigation of the charges 

 against the President offered, 24C ; a bill to provide 

 for a more efficient government in the Southern States 

 reported, 247; its features, 247; passed, 248. 



In the Senate, a substitute adopted for the House 

 bill, 248 ; passed, 249. 



In the House, amendment of the Senate amended 

 and concurred in, 249 ; Senate refuse to concur, 250 ; 

 conference, 250 ; report, 250 ; agreed to, 260 ; bill 

 vetoed, 250 ; passed, 250 ; bill relative to confis- 

 cation reported, 250 ; postponed, 251 ; recess taken, 

 251. 



Second meeting of Congress, 251 ; members present, 

 251, 252 ; resolutions offered, 252 ; further supplement 

 to the Reconstruction Act reported, 252 ; the bill, 252 ; 

 amended and passed, 253. 



In the Senate, House bill amended by a substitute, 

 253 ; the substitute, 253 ; passed, 253 ; amended in the 

 House and returned, 254; report on the House amend- 

 ments, 254; the Senate non-coucur, 255; conference, 

 255 ; report, 255 ; adopted, 255 ; vetoed by the Presi- 

 dent, 255 ; passed over the veto, 255 ; subsequent ad- 

 journments of Congress, 255. 



Connecticut. Democratic Mass Convention, 256; assem- 

 bling of the Republican Convention. 256; resolutions, 

 256 ; meeting of the Democratic State Convention, 256 ; 

 resolutions,. 256; result of the election, 256; political 

 standing of the Legislature, 256 ; Workingmen's Con- 

 vention, 256; debt, 257; State tax, 257; expenditures, 

 257 ; valuation of property, 257 ; school fund, 257 ; war 

 claims, 257 ; banks. 257 ; charitable institutions, 257 ; 

 penitentiary, 257 ; births, 257; increase of population, 

 257; marriages, 257; deaths, 257; militia, 258; Gov- 

 ernor's views on Federal affairs, 258 ; taxation of Fed- 

 eral bonds, 258 ; manhood suffrage, 258 ; State capitals, 

 258 ; temperance laws, 258 ; preservation of fish in 

 rivers, 258. 



CONNESS, JOHN. Senator from California, 131 ; on recon- 

 struction, 237. 



