The Portland daily press., 1866-05-01
Report of the Committee on Reconstruction.

Report of the Committee on Reconstruction.
A meagre outline of the forthcoming report
| of the Congressional Committee on Recon-
struction, was received by telegraph in season
for publication yesterday morning. The gen.
eral features OF the report ale such as have
been anticipated The Southern States, late
members OF the Confederacy, will be allowed
to send representatives to Congress, whenever
they are reasonable enough to ratify constitu-
tional amendments, 1. Securing the rights Of
all citizens in every State. 2.Basing represen-
tation on numbers, excluding all classes who
are excluded from the polls. 8. Repudiating
the rebel debt. 4. Giving Congress power to
enforce these amendments by appropriate
legislation. Finally, leading rebel officials
are to be by law declared ineligible to Office.
The general bearings of the second and
third of these propositions are by this time
first has not attracted SO much attention. For
tunately it is designated in the telegraphic re-
port as the Bingham proposition" and we are
consequently able to give its exact words
Some time in February, Mr.. Bingham of Ohio
| a member of the House branch of the Recon-
struction Committee, reported joint resolu-
ton, proposing constitutional amendment,
as follows: M
ARTICLE :. The Congress shall have power
| to make all laws which shall be necessary and
proper to secure to the citizens of each State
all privileges and immunitieS of citizens in the
several States, and to all persons in the several
{ofn r,rn in, fha RIGHT of
liberty, and property.
This provision, followed by appropriate leg
islation, will in time, it is hoped, render the
Southern people less exclusiye-to phrase it
mildly-than they have been and still are
| At present white traveller is nearly as safe
in Central Africa as in Dixie The Union
will not be what it should be, until an Amer
lean citizen can, in calm and decent language,
set forth his political opinions wherever he
may be, without danger Of being shot from be-
hind. VIGOROUSLY, that-is not now the case
in the Southern States. Sensible Northern
men yield to the necessity and hold their
tongues; but they do not settle in that region.
Mr.. Shellabarger, of Ohio, has already intro
duced bill in the House of Representatives,
which indicates the kind of legislation need
ell. We give the first section:
Be 1T enacted by the Senate and House of Rep
resentdtSUes of the Oaaated States of america an
| Congress assembled, That every person, being a
| citizen OF the United States shall, in right of
| such citizenship, be entitled, freely and with
| out hindrance or mOlestation to go from the
State, Territory, or district Of his or her resi-
| dence, and to pass into and through and to So
journ, remain and take permanent abode within
each OF the several States, Territories, and dis
tricts of the United States, and therein to ac-
quire, own, control, enjoy and dispose of prop
erty, real, personal and mixed; and to do and
transact business, and to have full and speedy
redress in the courts for all rights of person
and property, as fully as such rights and privi-
leges are held and enjoyed by the other citizens
of such State, Territory, or district; and, more
over, therein to have, enjoy, and demand the
| same immunities and exemptions from high or
v--~six.1
| as are enjoyed by such other citizens under the
laws or usages OF such S ate, Teri itory, or dis
trict and to have, demand, and enjoy all other
privileges and immunities which the citizens of
the same State, Territory, or district would be
entitled to under the like circumstances.
The remaining sections provide for the en-
forcement of this declaration of rights. As
the bill will now await action upon the Bing-
ham amendment, its working apparatus of
pains and penalties is not of pressing interest.