The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1865-12-23
THE SOUTHERN STATES TO BE
TREATED As TERRITORIES.
Savage Attack on the President.
ANDREW JOHNSON A "DREAMlNG
THEORiST.n

The house being In committee OF the whole
ON the state of the Union, Mr.. Stevens said ::
A candid examination of the power aud
proper principles OF reconstruction can be OF
tensive 10 no one, and may possibly be pro-
ftabls by exciting inquiry. One OF the sug-
gestions of the message which are now
considering has special reference TO this
Perhaps il Is the principle most interesting
to the people az this time. The president
assumes what no one doubts, that the late
rebel states nave lost their constitutional re-
lations with the Union, aud ere incapable of
representation In congress. except by permls-
sion of the government. 1t matters but lit
tie, with this admission, whether you Gall
them states out of the Union and NV con-
quered territories, or assert that because the
constitution forbid them TO do what they did
do; that they are therefore only dead as to
all national aud political action, and shall re-
main so until the government shall breathe
into them the breath of lite anew and permit
them to occupy their former position-iu OIb-
words, that they are not out OF the I nlon
but only dead caroasses lying within the
Union. In either case, 1t is very plain that
it requires the action OF congress to enable
them TO form a state government, and send
representatives to congress.
Nobody, | believe, pretends that with
their old constitutions and forms Of govern .
ment. they can be permitted to claim their
old rights under the constitution. They
have torn their constitution into atoms, and
built on their foundations fabrics of o totally
different character. Dead meu cannot raise
themselves dead states cannot restore their
own existence as 1t was. Whose especial
duty is it to do it ? La whom does the consti-
tuition place the power2 Not In tie judicial
branch of the government, for it only aiiud
lcates and does not prescribe laws. Not in
the executive. for he only executes and does
not make laws. Not in the commander in
chief of the armies, for he can only hold them
under military rule until the sovereign leg.
isative power of the conqueror shall give
them laws There ia fortunately no difficulty
in solving the question. There are two pro
visions in the constitution under one of which
the case must fall. The fourth article says,
New states may be admitted by the con-
gress into this Union"
In my Judgment this is the controlling pro
vision in this case. Unless the la " of ma
tions is q dead letter. the late war between
two acknowledged belligerents severed their
original compacts, and broke all ties that
bound them together. The future condition
of the conquered power depends on the will
of the coneueror, They must come in az
new states, or remain as conquered provinces
TeDrpsQnT-
atives-with the concurrence of the presi-
dent, is the only power on earth that can act
ON the matter. But suppose. as some dream
ing theorists imagine, that these states have
never been out of the Union, but have onlv
destroyed their state governments, 70 as To
be incapable of political action, then the
fourth section of the fourth article applies
which says: The United States shall guar
antee to every state in the Union a renubl,c.
an form of government" Who is the United
States? Not the judiciary, not the president:
but the sovereign power of the people exer
cised through their representatives in con.
gress, with the concurrence of the executive.
1t means the political government, the con
current action of both branches of congress
and the executive. The separate action of
each anouots to nothing, either in admitting
new states or guaranteeing republican gov
srnmsnts to lapsed or outawed states
thence springs the preposterous idea that
slther the president, or the senate, or the
A00se OF representatives. acting separately