White Cloud Kansas chief. [volume] (White Cloud, Kan.) 1857-1872, 1865-11-16
HOW SHALL THE NEXT CON.
GRESS BE ORGANIZEDi
McPherson's Course.

MIR. Mcpherson, the Clerk OF IL
House. has written Q letter defining the
course he shall take relative to fhe max
ing up the roll of members Of that body.
He ssys:
In the several theories OF rsorssniza.
ton. the controlling power in the prem
ises is vsriously supposed to b lodged
sometimes 10 the President. sonnet lines in
Congress. The letter is likely to incline
to the latter view, and in any event is mol
likely to permit members to be forced in
to the House and Senate until. in accor.
dance with the Constitutional guarantee,
those bodies ,hemselves have passed up.
on the claims of the applicants.
But the law Of tho cses IL plain. 1t
provides-in . resolution 6uuplingly
worded, but prepared ssd passed with
direct reference to such contingency as
an effort by . tricky Clerk to food the
House with illegitimste members-tbs,
tho CLERK ehall make Q roll, and place
thereon the names of oil the persons. and
of such persons only. whose credentials
show shst they were regularly elected, in
accordance with the law OF the States
[Statutss at Large. Vol. XII. P. s04.
On tbis il is clear:
First. That no law of the United
States authorizes tho election of Repre-.
sentatives in any Of the iDsurrecti ionary
States.
Second, That no law in any of the
States authorizes an election held at the
call of provisional Government. and
from which large numbers Of legally re-
cognized voters the uusworn rebels are
excluded.
How then can any names be placed on
the roll as from these States Z?
It will be seen that those "Demo ocr ats
who talk glibly against. and act in favor
Of, Q centralization of power. and who
wonld glaily have taken out Of the hands
Of Congress. and placed in the hands o
the Clerk of the House. the decision oil
the whole question Of reconstruction. il
he would bnt have lent himself as thar
tool. are foiled in their revolutionary pur'
pose.
The presentation Of bis reasons BY Mr.
Mcpherson is admirable. and not only
sustains his position. but renders it i'm,
prsgnable against attack. 1t is clear that
no law of The United States authorizes
the election of Representatives in any o
the States North or South. The Federal
Constitution merely provides that they
shall be chosen "by the people of the
several Ststes:" that they shall have GER
tain qualieGAtions Of age and residence
and shall be spportioned among the
States in a particular manner. But il
leaves to the several States to pass laws
"snthorizing" their election. This al
the estates" have done, and when the
Southern States passed the ordinance o.
secession. there were on the statute book
of each. laws "suthorizing' the election
of Representatives. But to holi ths
those laws are now in force, would set il
force also the Ststs laws prescribing wht
should vote. and ~ould. therefore, allow
all whites to vote. regardless of whether
they take the oath Of allegiance prescrib
ed BY President johnson. or not. Th.
President, therefore. in his reconstruction
proclamation does not hold that thes'
State laws are in force now, but refers t.
them as laws which were in force imme
diatsly prior to the passage Of the ordin
snce of secession. As the members wht
have been elected are elected not in ,
manner "suthorized" by any State laws
but in = manner authorized solely BY
President johnson. it follows that Mr.
McPherson's second point is as incontro-
vertible as bis first. Their election. Q,
made. ia neither authorized by the law
of the United States. nor of any State
Chicago Tribune. Norensber 4M, IS.