Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1864-06-16
Dolhital.
RECONSTRUCTION.
= Il Ic Il Gil
HON. GEORGE II. pENDLET0N,
OF OHIO,
Delivered IN the House Of Representatives., on N,
An Ddy of My, 1864.
RECONSTRUCTION.
= II Ic L G II

Delivered IN the House Of Jecpresentatircs. on N,
An Day J Nay, 1864.
The House having under consideration
the bill to guarantee to certain States whose
governments have been usurped or over
thrown a republican form of government
Mr. PENDLETON said
Mr.. SPEAKER l avail myself of the in
diligence granted me by the House to en-
force quite at length the views which
deem pertinent to this debate The de
tails OF this bill require examination as wei
as its general policy. 1t provides that il
all the States whose governments are usurp
cd or ovcrthrown by persons in rebellion the
President shall appoint a military governor
whose pay and emoluments shall be those
of a gadier-General that so soon a,
this governor is satisfied that the people Of
the State shall have sufficiently returned
to their obedience to the Constitution and
laws Of the United States" he shall cause
an enrolment to be made of all the white
male citizens resident in their respective
counties by the marshal and his deputies
who shall tender to each one the oath to
support the Constitution. If one tenth
part of the persons enrolled in each county
shall take this oath, he shall by procama-
tion invite the loyal people Of the State to
elect delegates to Il convention. He shall
then divide the State into election districts,
assign to each its number Of delegates, dcs-
ignate the day and the place for holding
the election, appoint commissioners to su
perlntend the voting, aud froytie an ode-
qudte force to Keep tie pcdce. The bill pre-
scribcs the qualification of electors. They
must he loyal, white male citizens of the
United States resident in the county, ell
rolled as aforesaid, and must have taken the
oath prescribed by the act of 1862 and nc
person who has held any Office, civil or mil
itary, State or confederate, under the rebc
usurpation, or who has voluntarily borne
arms against the United States, shall be en-
titled to vote for or to be elected us delegate.
The oath shall be taken by every person
before he shall be allowed to vote, and his
vote shall be excluded if the commissioners
Notwithstanding his oath, shall believe that
he has held any such Office or voluntarll,
borne arms. The returns of election shall
be made to the governor, who shall canvas,
them, declare the result, convene the dele
gates, administer to each Of them the sale
oath, and preside over their deliberations
The bill then provides that the convention
shall declare
Fira. That no person who has held or exer
cised any Office, civil or military, state or con
ffeGe,te fr M unaer .ne 9sshaPing sur power shall yot
nor. '' ' O' N0'|'
,,, Second. That Involuntary seryitudP is foreve
Guaranteed in % said State. '' u p''''''
-, 9%.'1; NJ Nodsbt state or s9nfeierate, create
shall be recognized OF paid by the State.
And having done SO it shall proceed t
establish State Constitution which sha
be submitted for ratification TO tbc clccto,
who choose the delegates IF thn const;tu ]
ton an be ratified bv them i shall bc . cnrt;f;e
tn Tho Prcs;Jont who rhoII with tLe nssnn
Of Of % Tnnercss hv ,rocIamat;on % raconu;]e @ 18Th th,
Stotn s,vsr ny "nd nonS,;tut;on NV th
const;t ;tnt;onaI Gnwernment Of sncb Staton
ond from ond after sucb recoon;t;n, ~, & Ranre
sentat;ves Senators and electors far pes;
DENT AND Vice P1e ,ident @ mav b be- elected M ID, !,
sucb Stote ACCORDING to the laws of th,
State and of the TInited States
Ifthe convention refuse 70 make thc pa
ouired declaration the governor shall dis
solve it. but a new convention NAV at an,
time afterwards be ordered by him unde
the advice of the President.
The governor shall see that the laws ofth,
United States, and the laws of the State il
thrown. shall be faithfully executed h,
shall assess and collect the same amount q
taxes as was provided for bv the State i,
the wear preceding its secession and shaj
amply the money SO collected to the expen
ses Of his administration, and shall pay owe
the balance to the Trensurv of the Unite,
States. The President shall appoint sucl
officers as were provided for in the Stat
constitution, but neither they nor the goy
ernor shall recognize or regard any law O
custom whereby any person was held to in
voluntary servitude in the State.
The bill then provides that inyoluntar,
servitude is forever abolished in all tn,
States in rebellion, that persons held in bon
dage are set free, that they shall be dis
charged on hdJeas corpus, and that to restrai,
them of their liberty shall be punishable b.,
fine and imprisonment and by the last sec
ton it is enacted that any person who, af
ter its passage, shall hold any Office, civi
or military, State or confederate, in the reb
cl service shall not be a citizen of the Uni
ted States.
These are the provisions of this bill. Th,
gentlemen from MARYLAND (Mr. Duyis) face
tiously entities it "a bill to guaranty to Ger
tan States whose governments have becl
usurpcd or overthrow republican form o
government"
At last the mask has been thrown off. A
last the pretenses have all been laid aside
Three years of war have done their work
and the purposes and objects of the repub
lican party have been at last acknowledged
This bill is the consummatiop of it's states
manship, the fruit of its experience, th
demonstration of its purposes. The gen
tlomon from M.ryl,nd Introduced IL Il /;
understood to be distasteful to some of hi