The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1866-02-27
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THE NORFOLK POST

will read another short paragraph from
that speech Says the President:
am free to say, as your Executive, that
am not prepared to take any such posi-
ton. said in the Senate, in the very
inception of the rebellion, that states
had no right to go out-that they had no
power to go out That question has been
settled, and cannot turn round now
and give the lie direct to all profess to
have done in the last five years. can
do no such thing. say that when they
comply with the CONSTITUTIONS; when
they have given sufficient evidence OF
their loyalty, and that they can be
| truste 1; when they yield obedience TO
the law, l say extend to them the right
hand of fellowship, and let peace and
union be restored.n So say / |; 80 say
all When they do that there will be
no objection to their representation.
Mr.. Sumner. There Is no difference
in that question.
Mr.. Fessenden. And the President
himself, instead of saying anything DIFF
ferent from US, says whene yer they have
complied with these conditions then
they ought to be admitted.
MIR. Fessenden continued, advocating
the right of Congress to inquire whether
the conditions named by the President
had been complied with. The special
committee was organized for the purpose
of making these inquiries. He stated
this that the country might understand
what all this noise was about with refer
ence to the appointment of this COM
mittee. Is this committee of fifteen,
said he, anything more than a servant
OF Congress? Is any other committee,
joint or special, anything more than
servant of Congress? Can IL set up it's
will against the will Of the body which
constituted it? We were appointed for
the special purpose of making inquiries,
and reporting to Congress the result OF
these Inquiries. And for what reason !?
Simply that neither branch, acting
without sufficient information, might
take course upon which the other
branch would differ, thus bringing about
collision between the two bodies that
constitute Congress. Now, under these
circumstances, 1t is quite fair to desig-
nate the Committee of Fifteen al i GEN.
trail directory--as u power assuming to
judge and decide questions which do not
belong to it? Is it quite fair tO'designate
it as central power, sitting here with
view to get up government of few
against a government of the many?-
because / cannot understand the Ian
guage of the President in any other
way. If any gentleman can propose any
other construction for it, would like
him to do it. lam unwilling to rest
under any such imputation. Now, cir,
IL the Fxecutive-and / mean to speak
of the President respectfully, because
entertain respect for him--if the Presi-
dent has an idea that all these matters,
these several points which he has sug-
gested are preliminaries to the admis-
sion of Senators and Representatives,
the question arises, Who is to exercise
that power ofjudgmeut? Does it belong
to us, if Senator presents himself here,
to ascertain whether these conditions
have been complied with, or does it
consin 1 uhhdeet1 akess IS ARHtfr If9r Win
something that, 1 think, he Will find l
did not say. Probably lie anticipated
that 1 should say ii. He s.s.vsifiI said
what he attributes to me miscu "strued
the Presidents language. That brippn
me to the consideration of the veto
message. will say, sir, with regard to
that message, that have no very great
attachment to the which was thus
vetoed. In some PARTICULARS it did not
meet my approval. / think some of the
reasons given by the President for not
approving it are such as will commend
themselves to public consideration. 1t is
bill upon the provisions of which there
might well be very considerable diff
ference of opinion. l yielded nv oh
jectiOns to it because [ thought that
the power did exist and that it was es-
pecially necessary to exercise it. and the
Dill therefore received my vote. Had
the President confined himself to
objections to the bill-to criticism
OF tue bill itself-it is very pos
sible that 1 might have waived NV
own feelings in regard to the bill and
sustained the veto. But, sir, in looking
at the veto message and the reasons
given forit, and after passing through
the consideration of the provisions or
the bill, he gave other reasons which
rendered IL impossible for me as a nem-
Der OF this Senate, with a due respect
for him, myself, and the views of Com
gress, to vote otherwise than to sustain
the bill, because vote in the negative
was an endorsement of the opinions
expressed in the veto. so considered
1t. At any rate, did not mean to inf
myself in the position of endorsing or
giving my assent to the closing parts Of
this veto message. Now, sir, what do
understand by the closing parts of this
veto message? That in the judgment Of
the PRESIDENT Congress has, as at pre-
sent organized, no right to pass spv'bill
affecting the interests of these 40 called
Confederate States while they are not
represented here. Does the Senator from
Wisconsin say that that sentiment il NOT
definitely expressed? 5Ah s,f's'f
MIR DOolittle, Read It. W0ft
Mr.. Fessenden. i certainly under.
stand that to be the purpose of the
remarks 1 refer TO. The President ave.
| cannot but add another verv vrav.
objection to the bill. The Constitntion
imperatively declares, in Connection
with taxation, that each state shall have
at least one Representative, and fixes
the number to which in future times
each state shall be entitled" Now.fsir
ne does not state in SO many words that
we have no right to pass a bill. The
objection he makes goes to the founda-
ton. and INSERTS that no bill affeGfino
the interest of the southern states ough3
to ba passed by Congress until Renra.
sentatives and Senators from those
states are admitted to take part in onr
deliberations. 1t follows, If that he a
correct position, that no law LAYING anu
restraint upon those states recenflv "
reoeiiion, which fought for four wears
against the Government, can be nsssed.
that we can pass no law affecting then,
or restraining them, or proyitling fnr
any change in the Constitution or on ~,
thing else, until we admit their Sena a1y
and Representatives to the floors of Cons