US Presidency
1867

Among the most sacred guaranties of that instrument are those which declare that each State shall have at least one Representative, and that no State, without its consent, shall be deprived of its equal suffrage in the Senate. Each House is made the judge of the elections, returns, and qualifications of its own members, and may, with the concurrence of two-thirds, expel a member. Thus, as heretofore urged, in the admission of Senators and Representatives from any and all of the States there can be no just ground of apprehension that persons who are disloyal will be clothed with the powers of legislation, for this could not happen when the Constitution and the laws are enforced by a vigilant and faithful Congress. When a Senator or Representative presents his certificate of election, he may at once be admitted or rejected; or, should there be any question as to his eligibility, his credentials may be referred for investigation to the appropriate committee.