Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1865-12-15
Kentucky RENOUNCES POLITICAL
DISABILITIES.
1t gives us great pleasure to lay before
our readers the following proceedings of the
Kentucky Legislature on Tuesday last:

!
! amend chapter Is Of the Revised Statutes, en-
titled Citizens. Aliens and REPATRIATION" and N
Benton's substitute, which bill and substitute ar
as follows:
Whereas. 1t has been officially announced tina
the National authority has been restored in all tn
States and Territories Of the Union aud whereas
mere territorial Union is worthless, unless cement
| ed and strengthened by general good will and fra
tenal feeling: therefore,
l. Be Il enacted bv the General assembly Of n.
Commonwealth al Kentucky, That act entitleC
y" An act TO amend chapter Is Of the Revised Stat
utes, entitled Citizens. EXpatriatiOn and Aliens
passed March II, 1862, be and the same is hereby
! repealed. and all persons coming within the pur
| view Of said act hereby declared restored e
! and POSSESSED Of all the rights. privileges and i'm
munlues that they may have had under the cen
| stitution and laws Of this Commonwealth before
the passage Of said act.
=. This act shall take effect and be of force from
! and after its passage.
Mr.. Benton offered the following az a sub
stitute:
SEC. I. BE Il cnacfcd by the General AssemJEl
| NJ the Commonwealth al Kentucky, That any per
| son who shall have been a resident for the year
preceding his application, and has been a citizen
Of kentrcky, and shall have forfeited such citizen
! ship by having engaged in or having been con
nccted with the late rebellion against the Govern
ment Of toe United States, or against this State
! and shall have received pardon from the Presi-
| dent Of the United States or having accepted the
| terms Of the amnesty prescribed by the Presi-
dent, may be restored to citizenship by producing
such pardon or bis oath Of amnesty. before any
court Of record of this Commonwealth, in the
county where be resides, and shall prove TO the
satisfaction Of the court, by at least two Witnesses
citizens ofthe State that said applicant has for a
! year past behaved himself as a man of good moral
! character, has concerned 10 the requirements of
said oath OF pardon, and IS attached 10 the princ!
| pies Of the Constitution of the United States and
| 10 the GOyernment Of this State.
Sec. ., That said court, being satisfied the ap-
pllcatiOn should be granted, shall cause the pro-
ceedings to be recorded, and make an order re-
storing such applicant to all the rights Of citizen
Mr.. Lilly proposed to strike out the words any
court of record in the LIST sec. and insert any
Circuit Court" which was rejected.
Mr.. Benton advocated the adoption of the sub-
stitutc, a. also did Mr.. Black, and the same was
opposed by Messrs. Bolts and CORN. the last
named gentleman arguing against the constitu-
tlonality Of the act as imposing pains and penal
uos before conviction.
Mr.. Lilly proposed to amend the substitute By
excluding from the benefit of the act all such "a
may have been guerrillas. Which was adopted
and ;hen as amended was rejected. Yeas, l5
nays p.
Mr. Benton moved to amend so that the act
should take effect from and after January LIST, 1867
which was rejected
Mr.. J. j. Landram proposed to add to Sec lst
that all persons who had actively engaged in the
rebellion should be required to swear allegiance
TO the United States and the State Of Kentucky.
Yeas 49, nays H.,
The vote was then taken on the passage of the
bill as amended, and rejected Yeas 30, nay g.
IN THE HOUSE.
The House then took up the bill to repeal an act
entitled " Au act TO amend chapter Is. Of the Re
vised Statutes, entitled, Citizens, Expatriation
and Aliens"
Said bill reads as follows:
/. BE IL enacted by The G,Herai isscyuJly Of The
Commonwealth of KeHtuckU, That act, entitled
An act TO amend chapter Is, of the Revised
Statutes, entitled Citizens, Expatriation and
Aliens" passed the 1lth day of March, 1862 be-
and the same is hereby repealed and all disabih-
ties created by said act are hereby removed.
2. This act shall take effect from its passage.
Mr.. Harlan moved the following as Il substitute
for said bill. which was adopted, viz:
BE II enacted. &c. Sec. |. That an act entitled
" An act to amend the 18th chapter of the Re
yiscd Statutes, entitled Citizens REPATRIATION and
aliens" passed March II, 1862, be- and the same is
hereby repealed, and all persons who may have
lost any constitutional legal. or other right and
privilege by the operation Of said act, shall be,
and are hereby restored to the full and free use
and enjoyment Of the same as completely as If
said act had never been passed.
Section >. This act shall be in force from its
passage. and may be plead in bar to any prosccu-
ton or further prosecution, Of any Indictment, or
other penal proceeding. growing out Of said act.
Mr.. Bell offered the following amendment to
the substitute, viz:
R,solped, That said persons do not take and
have recorded in the County Court Clerks
Office Of the respective counties of their residence,
en- oath to support the constitution Of the United
States end State Of Kentucky, before they have
the benefit of this act.
Mcssrs. Bell, Woolford and Stout advocated the
adoption Of the amendment, and Mcssrs. Law
renee, J. w. Davis. Couklin, Butler Kennedy
Bradley Druilin, Lillard, Newell and Mcllcnry,
opposed ats adoption.
Mr.. Stout moved 20 refer the bill and amend
ments TO 10 the Committee on the Judiciary, with
instructions to report bill, cmbodying the pro-
visions Of Mr.. Bells amendment
Adopted
Mr.. Stout's motion was rejected
The question was then taken upon the adoption |
oil Mr.. Bells amendment, and was decided in the |
negative |
The bill was then passed, yeas 81; nays 80.
The prompt action of Kentucky in thus
removing the civil and political disabilities,
which it was deemed necessary to impose on
certain Of her people during the rebellion,
and by vote so nearly unanimous,
evinccs n spirit Of magnanimity and ius-
tice in the highest degree creditable. 1t |
will go farther towards restoring unity and |
harmony to her people, and healing the as
perities Of feeling which naturally grew out
Of the war, than any other act that could /
possibly have been done. Ii is now certain
hat the Legislature will deal in a CORES
pondmg spirit with the subject Of State pros
,cution for treason, to which Gov BramIette |
,allcd their attention in special message,
which We published yesterday. This is the
rue way to restore peace. The Governor
md Representatives and people of Kentucky
ire satisfied that the war lasted long enough;
md, so far as their own State is concerned,
hey are determined to have peace, and to
'esume at once the old order Of things
In every State, any considerable portion
II whose people participated in the rebellion,
With one solitary exception, the political
lights and privileges are the same as before
he war Our own State Of Tennessee is
hat exception. 1t may be possible that
here is wisdom in the policy which induced
he Legislature TO disfranchise so large a
PORTION of the people Of Tennessee, and now
induces them to adhere to it; but we are sure
inc-tents Of our population regard it differ
ntly. What public good is to be accom-
,lishcd by it, what substantial benefit to
ccruc from il are invisible 20 the general |
We trust that the Repres-
ntatives Of our State will think better OF
he matter before their final adjournment,
nd fall gracefully into the cline Of safe
,rccedents," SO wisely and happily pursued
L ,ny,,,l-,y