New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1866-06-09
THE REPORT OF TIE RECONsTRUC-
TIOy COMMITTEE.

The final report of the Reconstruction Committee
which was yesterday submitted to the Senate by Mr.
Fessenden and which print this morning
in full, will command the undivided attention Of
the country. The great question of the present year
is Reconstruction. To secure Reconstruction on the
basis of Justice and freedom is the task which the
party that conquered in the campaigns of 1860 and
1864 has now to perform. The report Of the Recon
struction Committee is the complete. and, we may
say, the official declaration of the principles which
the Republican party is bound to carry through, and
in the advocacy Of which, we feel confident, the whole
party will soon be n unit.
The report begins with advcrting briefly to the
tho Committee found It necessary to adopt. They
had been directed by resolution Of Congress to in
quire into the condition Of the Confederate States and
report whether they were entitled 10 representation in
Congress- The former of these points admitted Of
dispute. The South in state of utter exhaustion
Congress having failed to provide for the contingency
the duty Of the President obvious. He had no
power except to execute the laws Of the land and to
establish as far as he could, system Of government
All his acts were those of military commander but
no authority was given him By the law over the SUBJ
ject Of reconstruction.
On the meeting of Congress in December, the presl
dent officially announced the organization of local
Governments and urged the readmission Of the late
Rebel States With regard to this recommendation,
Congress must either have acted blindly upon the
opinion Of the President proceed to collect for itself
the necessary information. The latter course was
chosen Its first duty to call upon the President
for the information in his possession as to what had
been done. The information, which was not communi-
Gated until six weeks after the Committee had been in
actual session. appeared to the Republican members Of
the Committee incomplete and unsatisfactory Under
these circumstances, it appeared that but course
remained, viz, to investigate thoroughly and
carefully the state of feeling among the people
Of the Southern States, and hence to infer whether
it was safe TO readmt them to Congress. To obtain
this information the Committee had recourse TO the
examination Of witnesses whose position had given
them the best means Of forming an accurate judg
ment. The results OF this examination have been
heretofore published.
The report Of the Committee next proceeds to
examine the claims Of the South for readmisson TO
Congress All discussion Of the question whether
the recovered States are ont Of within the Union
ia waived, and the report assumes as beyond dispute
that the people Of the Rebel States had in fact nth
drqrn from The Union and made themselves subjects Of
another gOrernmcnt The Government Of the United
States had undoubtedly right to exact indemnity
for the injuries done, and security against
their recurrence in the future; otherwise the Govern
ment would be powerless for its own protection The
Government had equally the duty to protect those in
the South who had remained true and loyal. The
Committee was unable to find in the information
obtained, any satisfactory proof that it was safe to re-