The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1866-12-05
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.
4Fyy1osc- Cssissas Of dse Senate and
THOnse of ReDresentatiUes

L
House of Representatives.: :
After a brief interval the Congress
of the United States resumes Its an
nuag legislatiEe labors.> An all-wlse
! and mereiful Providence has abated
the pestilsnee which visited our
shores. leaving it's calamitous traces.
upon SEINE portions of our country;
4 Peace. order and tranquility, and
civil authority have been formally de-
\ clared to,exist throughout the whole,
of the United Statese lin all OF the
States civil authority has, superseded
I the coe1xi on fef iarmsy and the people,
| by, their, voluntary action, are main-t
tanning their lTeEeFpfneslts ln,fHll &C
'tivfty and complete opeYation.s The
enforcement of the laws Is no longer
sobstructed in any. State, By coHbina,
tons too, powerful to be suppressed
by the ordinary purse 1of Judicial pro-
ceedings,s and the ,aIimesities efgen-
dered by the war are rapidly yielding
to. the beaefceRt Influences of our
free ihstitntions, ana to the Kindly
effects of unrestricted SOCIAL and com
! mercial ffntercohrse,Ie An entire resto-
ration Of. fraternall feeling must be the
earnest wish, of every patriotic heart,
and, we will have = accomplished our
| grandest national achievement, when
!; forgetting the sad l,ewepts of the past,
Esand remembering only their instruc
tive lessons, we resume our onward
course as a free prosperous, and
united people, AS NAa slL
j ~ no REsTOR ALTON POLICY.
[TsIn my message of the 4th of De-
eember, 1865, Congress was informed
of the measures which had been IN
situated by the Executive, with a
view to the gradual restoration Of the
States in which the instruction oc-
CURED, to their relations with the
General Government. Provisional
Governors had been appointed, con-
ventions called, Governors elected,
legislatures assembled. and Senators
and REPRESENTATIVES chosen to the
Congress of the United States. Courts
had been, opened for the enforcement
of laws long in allegiance The block
ade had been removed, custam houses
re-established, and the internal rev.
enue laws put In force ainsorder that
the people might contribute to the,
national income postal operations.
had been renewed. ~ Efforts were
being made to restore them to their
{ former condition of efficiency. The
States themselves have been asked to
take part in. the high function of
amending the Constitutions and of
thus sanctioning the extinction of,
African slavery as one of the legiti-
mate results of cur internecine strug-
gle. Having progressed thus faprthey
Executive next found that ii had ac-
complished nearly all that was within
the scope OF its constitutional au-
ythority. One 0thing, however, vet
remained to be done. before the work
of restoration could be completed,
ard that was the admission, to Con-
gress of loyal Senators and Represen-
tatives from the States. whose people,
had rebelled againstt Che lawful author
ity Of the General Government. This
question devolved upon the respective
Houses, which, by the Constitution
fare mades the Judges of the KeIection
returns and qualifications 5of tf6ila
own members, and its consideration
at once engaged the attention of Con-
gress. In the meantime the .executive
department-no other plan having
been proposed by Congress-contifS4
ued its efforts olspeffect, as far as
practicable, the restoration T4of the
proper relations between the citizensq
of the respective States; the Ststes1
and Federal Government extending
from time to time, as the public intafkd
est seemed to require, the judicial rev.
enue and postal systems of the coun-
try; with the advice and consent of
the Senate the necessary officers
were, appointed, and appropriations
made by Congress for the paw
ment of their salaries. The prop |
osition to amend the Federal Consti !
tuition SO as to- prevent the existence |
of slavery within the United States.
or any place subject to their jurisdic-
ton. was ratified by the requisite |
number of States, and on the 18th day |
of December, 1865, it was officially |
declared to have become valid as a
part of the Constitution of the United
States. All Of the States in which
the insurrection had existed, prompt
ly amended their constitutions so as
to make them conform to the great
change thus effected In the organic
law of the land declared null and
void all ordinances and laws of seces
sion; repudiated all pretended debts
and obligations created for the revo-
lutionary purposes of the insurrec-
ton, and proceeded in good faith to.
the enactment of measures for the
protection and amelioration of the
condition of the colored race.
Congress, however, yet hesitated to
admit any of these States to represent
tation, and it was near the close of the
eighth month of the session that an
exception was made in favor of Ten
nessee. by the admission of her Sena-
Tors and Representatives 81
rra ! d tss1 It It subject of profound re-