The Portland daily press., 1866-06-12
Report Of the Committee of Fifteen.

|
tee, except two who were absent 1t is un-
derstood that Senator johnson will present a
minority report. After reviewing the testi-
mony received, the report proceeds as follows:
With the evidence before them, it is the
| opinion OF your committee,
l. That the States lately in rebellion were,
at the close OF the war, disorganized commu-
mites, without civil government, and without
constitutions or other forms, by virtue of
which political relations could legally exist be-
tween them and the Federal government.
III. That Congress cannot be expected to
recognize as valid the election of men from
disorganized communities, which, from the
| sent their claim to representation under those
established and recognized rules, the observ-
ance of which has been hitherto required.
| III. That Congress would not be justified
| in admitting such communities to participa-
| ton in the government of the country without
first providing such constitutional or other
guarantees as will tend to secure the civil
rights of all citizens of the republic, just
equality of representation, protection against
claims founded in rebellion and crime, tenn
porary restriction of this right of suffrage to
those who have actively participated in the ef-
fort to destroy the Union, and the exclusion
from positions of public trust of at least por-
ton of those whose crimes had proved them
| enemies of the Union and unworthy of pub
| lie confidence.
We now propose to restate as briefly as pos
sible the general facts and principles applica-
BILE to the States recently in rebellion.
First. The seats of the Senators and Rep
resentatives from the so-called Confederate
States became vacant in the year 1861, during
| the second session of the XXXVIth Congress,
by the voluntary withdrawal of their incllm-
bents with the sanction and by the direction of
the legislatures or conventions of their respec-
tive States. This was done as hostile act
against the Constitution and government of
the United States, with declared intent to
overthrow the same by forming Southern
confederation. This act of declared hostility
was speedily followed by an organization Of
the same States into confederacy which lev
led and waged war by sea and land against
the United States. This was continued more
than four years, within which time the rebel
armies besieged the national capital, invaded
the loyal States, burned their towns and cities,
robbed their citizens, destroyed more than
| 100000 loyal soldiers, and imposed an increas-
ed national bun den of not less than $780,
100000, OF which seven or eight hundred mil
lions have already been met and paid. From
the time that those contederated States thus
withdrew their representation in Congress
and levied war on the United States, the Great
mass of their people became and were insur-
ts-rebels-traitors; and all OF them occu-
pied the political, legal and practical relation
of enemies of the Unites States. This posi-
ton is established by acts of Congress and jul
| dcial decisions, and is recognized repeatedly
by the President in public proclamations, doe
uments and speeches.
Second. The States thus confederated pros
ecuted their war against the United States to
| final arbitrament, and did not cease until all
| their armies were captured, their military DOW
er destroyed, their civil officers, State and
confederate, taken prisoners or put to flight,
| every vestige of State and confederate govern
ment obliterated, their territory overrun and
occupied by the Federal armies, and their peo-
pie reduced to the condition of enemies con-
| quered in war, entitled only by public law to
such rights, privileges and conditions as might
be vOuchsafed by the conqueror. This posi-
| ton is also established by judicial decisions,
and is recognized as sound by the President in
| public proclamations, documents and speeches.
| Third. Having voluntarily deprived them
selves of representation in Congress, for the
criminal purpose of destroying the Federal
Union, and having reduced themselves by the
act OF levying war to the condition of public
enemies, they have no right to complain Of
temporary exclusion from Congress, but, on
the contrary, having voluntarily renounced
the right OF representation and disqualified
themselves by crime from participating in the
government, the burthen now rests upon
them, upon claiming to be reinstated in their
former condition to show that they are quail
he'd to resume Federal relations. In order to
No this, they must prove that they have estab-
lished, with the consent of the people, repub-
can QEppafft ana fawssa in d harmQnY with
States, that all hostile purposes have ceased,
and should give adequate guarantees against
future treason and rebellion, guarantees which
shall prove satisfactory to the government
against which they rebelled, ard by whose
aims they were subdued.
Fourth. Having, by this reasonable with
drawal from Congress, and by fragrant rebel
lion and war, forfeited all civil and political
rights under the Federal Constitution, they
/ can only be restored thereto by the permjs-
sion and authority of that constitutional pow
er by which they were subdued.
| Filth. Those rebeliOus enemies were con-
quered by the people OF the United States.
acting through the coordinate branches Of
the government, and not by the Executive
Department alone. The powers of the con-
queror are not so vested in the President that
he can fix and regulate the terms of settle
ment and confer congressional representation
on conquered traitors, nor can he in any wav
qualify enemies of the government to reverse
It's law making power. The authority to re-
store rebels to political power in the Federal
| government can be exercised only with the
concurrence OF all the departments in which
political power is vested, and hence the sever
al proclamations OF the President to the peo-
pie OF the Confederate States cannot be con-
sldered declared, and can only be regarded as
provisional permissiOns by the commander-in-
Chief OF the army to do certain acts, the effect
and validity whereof is to be determined by
the constitutional government and not soelv
by the Executive power
Sixth. The question before Congress is then.
whether conquered enemies have the RIGHT
and shall be permitted, at their own pleasure.
and own TERMS to participate in making laws
for their conquerors. Whether commenced
rebels may change their theatre of operations
rom the battlefield, where they were defeated
and oyerthrown, to the halls Of Congress. and
their representatives seize upon the govern
ment which they fought to destroy; whether
the national treasury, the army of the nation,
It's navy, Its forts and arsenals its whole civil
administration, its credit, its pensioners. tbe
widows and orphans of those who persisted in
the Wharf.-The public honor, peace and safety
shall all be turned over to the keeping of IFS
recent enemies, without delay and without
imposing such conditions as, in the opinion of
Congress, the security OF the countrys insti-
buttons may demand.
seventh. The history of mankind, exhibits
no example OF such madness and folly. The
instinct Of self preservation protests against
It. The surrender of Grant to Lee, and by
Sherman to johnson, would have been disas-
tiers Of less magnitude, for new armies could
have been raised, new battles fought, and the
government saved. The anti-coerciye policy.
which under pretext OF avoiding bloodshed. al,
lowed the rebellion to take form and gather force.
would be surpassed in infamy by the matchless
wickedness that would surrender the halls of
Congress to those so recently in rebellion, until
proper precautions shall have been taken to
secure the national faith and the national
safety.
Eighth. As has been shown in this report
and IN the evidences submitted, no proof has
been afforded to Congress of constituency in
any one of the so-called confederate States,
unless we except the State of Tennessee,
qualified to elect senators and representatives
in Congress. No State constitution or amend
ment to State constitution has had the sane