Sioux City register. [volume] (Sioux City, Iowa) 1858-1871, 1864-08-20
Manifesto from Benz. f.
Wade and H. Winter
..' . "'~ Davis. .>


The PreeAd snt's Usurpations...AM In
II Erposurs of end Psosess A8Ssnst
them from an Unexpseted Quar.
ter..M anifesto from b. r. Wade
Chairman OF tho Senate Comm It.
zee, and II. Winter Davis, Chair.
man Of the House Committee on
the Rebellsous states--The Presi.
dent skinned and Hts Hide ON the
Tence--To the Supporters Of the
Gevernmcnt.
We have read without surprise, but no,
without Indignation, the proclamation oi
the President of the Sth Of July, 1864.
Tne supporters OF the administration are
responsible to the country for its conduct
and it is their right and duty to cheex the
encroachments Of the Executive on the
authority Of Congress, and to require it to
coniine itself to the proper sphere.
1t is impossible to pass in silence thia
proclamation witt out neglec,ing that duty
aud, having taken as much responsibility
as any others in supporting the adtninis'
tration, we are not disposed to fail in the
other duty Of asserting the rights of Con
gress.
The President did not sign the bill "to
guarantee to certain States whose govern
ments have been usurped a republican
torn Of gosernment"-passed by the sup.
porters. of this administration in both
houses OF Congress after mature deliber
aticn.
The bill did not therefore become la,r !;
and is therefore nothing.
The proclamation is neither approval
nor veto Of the bill; it is therefore a
document unknown to the laws and con.
sttu,ion of the United States.
So far as it contains an apology for not
signing the bill. it is political manifesto
agalns. the friends Of the government
SO far as it proposes to execute the bill
which is not = law, it is grave Executive
usurpation. '-
1t Is fitting that the facts necessary to
enable the friends of the administration to
appreciate the apology and the usarpa.ion
be spread before them.
The proclamation says:
"And, whereas, the said bill was pre-.
seuted 70 the President Of the United
States for his approval less than one hour
before the sine die adjournment Of said
session. and was not signed BY aim"
II that be accurate, still this bill was
presented with other bills which were
signed.
Within tha: hour, the time for the sine
die adjournment was three times postponed
by the votes OF both Houses and the
least iltimation of desire for more time
by the President to consider this bill
would have secured further postpone.
ment.
Yet the committee sent to ascertain il
the Presden, had any further communi.
cation for the House Of Representatives
reported ,ha. he had none and the friends
Of the bin who had anxiously waited on
hi1, to ascertain its fate, had already been
informed that the President had resolved
not to sign it.
The time of presentation, therefore, had
nothing to do with bis failure to approve it.
The bill had been discussed and con-
sidered for more than q month ia the
House of Representatives,, which it passed
on the Alb OF May; it was reported to the
Senate on the 9Th Of May without mate.
rial amendment, and passed the Senate
- it came from the House On the I'd of
July.
Ignorance Of its contents is out of the
question.
Indeed, at his request draft of bill
substantially the same in all material
points, and identical in the points objected
to by the Proclamation. had been laid be.
fore him fer his consideration in the win
ter Of 1862, 1863.
There is, therefore, no reason to suppose
the provisions Of the bill took the President
by surprise.
= On the contrary. We have reason to be
lieve them to have been so we'll known
that this method Of preventing the bill
from becoming u law without the consti,u,
tional responsibility Of q veto had been
resolved on long before the bill passed the
Senate. r@~s =.s ,~g E>49#t@ 8@@ .aa.}
We are Informed by gentleman enti-
tied 10 entire iconfdence, that before the
22d Of June in New Orleans it was stated
by member of Gen. Banks staff, in the
presence Of other gentlemen in ofiicial po.
sitions, that Senator Dooli,tle had written
letter to the department that tho House
reconstruction bill would be STAYED off in
the Senate to period too late in the ses.
sion 10 require the President TO veto it in
order to defeat it, and that Mr.. Lincoln
would retain the bill, ii necessary, aud
thereby defeat it. -
The experience Of Senator Wade, in his
various Efforts to get the bill considered in
the Senate, was quite in accordance with
that plan; and the fate Of th. bill was ac.
curately predicted by letters received from
New Orleans before it had passed the
Senate. vi .slr..,.....u.. H..
Had the proclamation stopped there, it
would have been only one ether defeat OF
the will Of the people by an Executive per.
version Of the Constitution.
Bat goes further. The President sAys
"And ovhesess, ths vsid bill contains,
among other things. : plan for restoring
the StaleS in rebellion TO their proper