The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1866-06-14

| Urdh JUc OulbtQ ObdU6S bIOOpo AAOAA
States that should, by their acts, mani
fest disposition to preserve order
among themselves as loyal citizens of
a great country, bat further than that
he could not go.
The first action of Congress on as
sembling in December last was to OBJ
tain facts relative to the condition of
the insurrectionary States. To this
end the President was called on for
documents and facts in his possession
bearing on the important subject. The
President, however, did not seem to
be communicative, and when he did
furnish the documents, they were far
from increasing the desire to imme-
diately admit the Southern delegation
into the halls of Congress. The re-
suit of the Southern elections were
well known 1t was notorious that
most of the successful candidates were
bitter enemies of the Union and al
ways had been That they still boast
ed of their treason. and were arrogant
and impudent in their demands That
they claimed admission to Congress,
not as a boon, but as a right. This
right the Committee investigates at
length, 1t goes back to the begin
ming Of the war and portrays the I'M
justifableness of the rebellion; the
bitterness and ferocity with which the
rebels carried on the struggle; the
Completeness of their defeat; the abb
jectness of their submission when hos
tilities ceased, and The right of the
Government to demand indemnity
and security for the future The
thoFoughness with which all these
points are elucidated must carry con
victiOn to every mind not predeter-
mined to discard the truth.
Next, the Committee proceeds to
examine the doctrine that the actual
cessation of hostilities re-invested the
rebel States with all the rights and
privileges that they enjoyed previous
to taking up arms against the Govern
ment This doctrine it demolishes by
logic as irresistible as was the artillery
and musketry fire of the Union army
in the field The Committee proves
that while the rebel States had it in
their power, and might when they
chose abandon privileges in the Go
cations; or, after failing in an attempt
to do so, restore their rights.
The next item in the report that
comes up for consideration, is how
best to secure the rights of the friends
of the Government, especially in the
Southern States. The Committee is
unanimous in the opinion that these
rights can alone be secured through /
Constitutional amendment 1t goes
further and insists that political power
must be based on the exercise of the !
right of suffrage theinfuence of
States in Congress ought to be in pro
portion to their voting population
fair and honorable conclusion. We
are anxious to see the party that will
dare to go before the people on the
principle that five voters in one State
ought to WELD the political Epower
which is exercised by ten voters in
another State.
The Committee next proceeds to
demonstrate that no evidence has been
laid before Congress, showing that the
insurreetionary States have been ,orare
in condition to resume their relation
to the General Government. 1t main
tains that the Conventions and Legis-
latures called togetherby Provisional
Governors were illegal, and that their
PROCEEDINGS are liable at any. time 10
be set aside by the people as without
law, and therefore, not obligatory.
This is most important matter, and
deserves the closest and calmest in
Next we have detailed the processes
necessary to organize legal State
Government, and the points enumer-
ated wherein the lately rebel States
have not been organized according to
law. The committee afirms, that,
with the exception of Tennessee, none
of the States have adopted legal Con
situations, and that all their elections
have been without authority of law.
The Committee comedies that Con-
gress is competent to admit the States
at once, but thinks it would be mad
NO.. 70 10 sn .,rt;l q L. $500 ccc.... \