The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1866-04-13

The power. Therefore, Which congreeo exert.
Cd In the PARTICULAR legi ietion 70 which the
honorable member reverted 10 just the power
which they exert when they provide for the
punishment Of any man who oountsrfsits the
currency of the United Ssatss, or FORCES its
pepsr. or forees it, bonds, or intsrfsfes with
the administrasion Of the post Office depart
msnt. These are all powers incidental 70
tho possession of the exprsss power. and in
the case 70 which he adverted the express
power was one necessarily belonging to the
government, because il was . power belong.
ING to and regulated BY the Law of nations,
and not by any municipal regulation.
The honorable member from Illinois tells
M that these powers should b granted, and
granted now: that the presidents obi cotton,
that there are IL states mot now represented.
10 entitled to no consideration whatsvsr.-
The honorable member seems to suppose
that the president advsrtsd to the fact that
there were ii states not represented as show
ing that congress possessed no constitutional
authority to lsgislate upon the subject, sup.
posing that they would have had the author
isy if those states were represented. That is
mot the view taken by the pres,dent; it 10 an
entire misapprehension of the doctrine of the
president, He says NO such thing, and he
intimates NO such thing. But assuming,
what in another part of the message he de
MES, that the authority might be considered
as existing, he submits as 9 question of poll
cy whether it is right to change the whole
domestic economy of those IL states in the
absence of any representation upon this floor
from them. My honorable friend asked
whose fault il is that they are not represent
cd not for the purpose of an ad captdndnm
appeal, for that. suppose. he is incapable
of, as be animadverted upon 1t when the
president was imagined to have INDUCED in
such tbing-not In the spirit OF the dema
gogus, which he never intimates-he asked
whose fault 10 it? Why are they not here
He says their hands are reeking with the
blood Of loyal men that they are unable to
take the oath which a statute that he as
eumes to be constitutional has provided and
ate to believe that that 10 the reason why
they are not here. IL that the fact, Mr. Pres
ident? These states are organized, and how
organized? What have they dones They
have abolished slavery by an astonishing
unanimity; they have abolished nearly al
the distinctions which aptecedently existed
between the two races. They have permit
ted the negroes to sue; they have permitted
them to testify they have not yet permitted
them to vote. Some of them have elected &c
congress men who have gone further than
nv honorable friend from Illinois in efforts
to SUPPRESS this rebellion, men who have per
Tiled their lives upon many . battle field fol
that end, and who can take that oath just a.
conscientiously as either Of Us and yet they
are not received.
Why are they not received? Because, in
the judgement of the senate, before the state.
can be considered a. restored. congressional
legislation on the subject is necessary
Whose fault is it that there has not bsen con
gressional legislation? Is it the fault Of the
ii statssg Certainly not; it is our OWE
fault. And why is il that we are in point Of
considered as fault or not? Because we
want TO inquire into the condition of these
states Why, in the name of Heaven, how
long have We been here? We same here
early in December, and this is the month Of
April; and here we may remain until July
or, as rumor has it, until next December, and
shall We be satisfied within that time that
congressional legislation may be safely adop-
ted? And are those states to blame How
are they to be Judged? By the conduct OF
individual men ? l can 90, have no doubt,
into the state SO ably represented by my
friend from Illinois and find men there by
the hundred who are just az disloysl as the
same number of men who can be found in
any OF the states formerly in rebellion that
is TO say, disloyal In the sense in which the
term is used in modern times-disloyal in
not having confidence in the powers that be.
Formerly it was want OF confidence in the
president. Now, confidence in the prssidsn,
is evidence of disloy atty now. disloyalsy is
want of confidence in congress; and if any
citizen of the south or anywhere else says,
what be believes, that the course of the legls
lative department. of the government 10 calcu-
lated to continue the state of things which
now exists, and continue to all practical pur
poses the war, he is considered a. disloysl.
How are these states. now, to pursue the
thought step further? The executive
branch of the government recognizes them az
in, to all intents and purposes. The judicial
department Of the government has done the
same thing. l took occasion upon previous
day to advert to an order of the supreme
court that subject. which demonstrated
that in the opinion OF that tribunal the states
were now in the Union, 80 far as that depart
ment of the governments is concerned. Since
then, under an order passed by themselves
some four weeks ago, they have bsen hearing
cases from those states, and the last day of
the courts sitting said that all the cases from
the southern states would be called in their
order at the beginning of the next term.
Then, with reference to the other two de-
partments of the government, these states
are now in the enjoyment of all the rights
which the constitution OF the United States
can give them.
We alone stand in the way of complete res
toraton. The oath does not keep all out.
have reason to believe that great many men of
the party to which my friend from Illinois be-
longs are of opinion that the oath should be mod
fled; but if you adhere to the oath, the states
can and will send representatives. who can take
it. But that will not do; there is some appre-
hension that if they are represented here, some
mischief may be the result. Mischief of what
knde Mischief of party character? That
should not influence the deliberations of the sen
etc, and have no reason to suppose it does
But irrespective of mischief of party character,
what possible Inconvenience or disadvantage can
result ftOm the fact of their being represented on