, 1866-02-09
STEVENS ON RECONSTRUCTION.


leader be recently laid down the law which
should govern in dealing with the States. late in
rebslliOn< From bis speech, as publlsbsdIn the
Congregational Gid5t, we quote as fOllows.
THE REBEL STATES TO Be RRpucED TO THE ooxD,.
TIoS OF TRRRIToRIEs.
1t n obvious that the first duty Of Congress is to
pass law declaring the condition Of these out
side or defunet States, aud providing proper civ
u governments for them. Since the conquest
they have been governed by martial law Mill
tary rule is necessarily despotic, aud ougs. net
TO exist longer than is absolutely necessary. As
there are no symptoms that the people Of these
provinces will be prepared to pArticipatein u con-
sututional government for some years, know
OF no arrangement so proper for them as tetrito-
rial governments There they can learn the prin-
cipes Of freedom and eat the fruit of foul rebel
lion. Under such governments, while eleetng
members Of the Territorial Legislatures, they
will necessarily mingle with those to whom Con-
gress shall extend the right Of suffrage. In Ter
ritories, Congress fIes the qualifications Of cleo
ors; and know Of no better place nor better oc-
casion for the conquered rebels and the con-
queror to practice justice to all men, and accus-
tom themselves to make and obey equal laws
As these fallen rebels cannot at their option
re-enter the heaven which they have disturbed,
the garden Of Eden which they have deserted
and flaming swords are set at the gates to secure
their exclusion, it becomes important to the well
fare Of the nation to inquire when the doors shall
be re-opened for their admission.
rHE CONSTITUTION TO BE ANESDED so AS TO con-
TINUR The PRESENT PARTY IN POWER.
According to my judgement they ought never
to be recognized as capable of acting in the
Union, or of being counted as valid States, un-
he pela1 - !
as to make it what its trainers intended; and so
as to secure perpetual ascendancy to the party
Of the CniOni and so as to fender our republican
Government firm and stable forever. The first
Of those amendments is to change the basis of
representation among the States from Federal
numbers to actual voters. Now all the colored
freedmen in the slave States, and three-hfths Of
the slaves, are represented, though none of them
have votes. The States have nineteen represen-
tatiyes Of colored slaves. If the slaves are now
free then they can add, for the other wo.fifths,
thirteen more. making the slave representation
thirty two. suppose the free blacks in those
States will give at least five more, making the
representation Of non-yotng people of color
about thirty-seYen. The whole number of rep
resentatIyes now from the slave States is seventy.
Add the other two-ffths aud it will be ninety
three.
DANGER OF THE DEMOCRATIC FARTY RETURNING TO
POWER.
If the amendment prevails and those States
withhold the right of suffrage from persons of
color, it will deduct about thirty-seven leaving
them but tforty-fve. With the basis unchanged
the eighty-three southern members, with the
Democrats that will in the best times be elected
from the North will always give them major
ity in Congress and in the Electoral College.
They will a: the very first election take posses
sion Of the White House and the Halls of Con-
gress. need not depict the ruin that would
follow. Assumption Of the rebel debt or repu-
dation of the Federal debt would be sure to fol-
low. The oppression OF the freedmen; the
amendment Of their State constitutions, and the
rs-establshment ofslavery would be the ineyit-
able result. That they would score and disre-
gard their present constitutions, forced upon
them in the midst of martial law, would be both
natural and just. No one who has any regard
for freedom of elections can look upon those gov
ernmeats, forced upon them in duress, with any
favor. lfthey should grant the right of suffrage
to persons of color, think there would always
be Union white men enough in the South, aided
by the blacks, to divide the representation, and
thus continue the Republican ascendancy. If
they should thus refuse to alter their election
laws it would reduce the representatives in the
late slave States to about IOrty-6ye and render
them powerless for evil.
summated before the dsfunct States are admitted
to be capable of State action, or it never can be-
CONGRESS- TO IHPosE DUTIES on EXPORTS.
The proposed amen 1ment to allow Congress to
lay duties on exports is precisely. in the same
situation Its Importance can net be we'll over
stated. 1t is very obvious that for many years
the South will not pay much under our internal
revenue laws. The only article on which we
can raise any considerable amount is cotton.
1t will be grown largely at once. With ten
cents a pound export duty it can be furnished
cheaper to foreign markets than they could OBJ
tain it from any other part of the world. The
late war has shown that. Two million bales e1-
ported, at FIVE hundred pounds to the bale,
would yield $lOO, 900, 900 This seems to be the
chief revenue we shall derive from the South.
Besides, it would ue protection TO that amount
to our domestic manufactures. Other proposed
amendments-to make all laws uniform to pro-
hibit the assumption of the rebel debt-are OF
vital Importance, and the only thing that can
prevent the combined forces of copperheads and
secsssionists from legislating against :he inter-
ests of the Union whenever they may obtain an
accidental majority.
EMANcIPLrED NEGROES TO BE FURNISHED WITH
HOMEsTEkDs.
But this is not all that we ought to do before
these inyeterate rebels are invited to participate
in our legislation. We have turned, or are about
to turn loose four million slaves without a hut to
shelter them or a cent in their pockets. The in
fernal laws of slavery have prevented them from
acquiring an education, understanding the COM
monest laws of contract, or Of managing the or
binary business of life. This Congress is bound
to provide for them until they can take care Of
themselves If we do not furnish them with
homesteads, and hedge them with protective
laws; if we leave them to the legislation of their
late masters, we bad better have left them in
bondage. Their condition would be worse than
that of our prisoners at AndersOnVille. If we
fail in this great duty now, when we have the
power, we shah deserve and receive the execra-
of history and of all future ages.
REBEL STATES TO TAKE NO PART IN AMENDING TIE
CONSTITUTION.
Two things are Of vital Importance.
l. So to establish principle that none Of the
rebel States shall be counted in any of the
amendments of the Constitution until they are
duly admitted into the family Of States by the
law-making power of their conqueror For more
than six months the amendment of the Consttu-
ton abolishing slavery has been ratified by the
Legislatures Of three-fourths Of the States that
acted on its passage by Congress, and which had
Legislatures, or which were States capable OF
-