Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1865-1869, 1866-03-08
HISTORY OF PRESIDENT JoHNsoN's POLICY
The Provisional Governors--Correspondenc Be
tween Them and the Executive.

The following message was received in the House
Tuesday:
To the House Of Representatives.
In answer to the resolution of the House of Repre-.
sentatves of the 10Th Of January last requesting in
formation in regard to provisional governments OF
certain States transmit report from the Secretary
of State, to whom the resolution was referred.
ANDREW JOHNSON.
WASHINGTON, March g. 1866
| To the President:
The Secretary of State, to whom was referred the
resolution of the House of Representatives of the
! 18th of January last, has the honor to state that
copies or originals of all the v0lqminous papers
called for by the resolution have been, with the re-
ports from this department of this date, laid before
the President to enable him to answer smier reso-
luton of the Senate. As these papers will undoubt-
eddy be printed for the use of the Senate 1t Is pre-
sumed to be unnecessary to have another copy made
TO enable the President TO answer the resolution OF
the House Of Representatives.
Respectfully submitted,
WILLIAM II. SEWARD.
| In a similar communication sent to the Senate,
Mr. Seward says " Ii will appear that all the per-
sons appointed Provisional Governors were required
to take the oath prescribed by act of Congress, eX
| cept W. w. Holden, appointed Provisional Cover
nor of North Carolina The omission of the require
ment in his is believed to have been entirely
scrbed in the Presidents proclamation Of May %,
1867 There is no record in this department of the
oaths which were taken by the several Provisional
Governors"
In a supplementary report TO the President he
saws: at now appears that the foregoing report
was prepared in this office bn the Odd of January
last by Acting Secretary of State William. Hunter.
The delay OF transmitting il due To the fact that
it held for revision by the undersigned Seward
But neither the preparation OF the report nor the
| fhnI fiat. = .t.l.
known to the Secretary of State until they were
brought to his knowledge after the passage of the
Senate's second resolution"
The papers accompanying the Presidents message
embrace dispatches, proclamations, and cOmmun-
cations many of them heretofore published, relative
to the restoration of the Government of North Caro-
lima from May % 1860 to January % 1866 relative
to Mississippi. from June 49, 1865, to December a.
1869 1.-THE latter communicating the election Of the
constitutional amendment by the Mississippi Legis
lature relating to Georgia. from October II, 1862
to December o. 1865; relating to Texas, December
g. 1865, from Provisional Governor Hamilton pro-
missing to lay before the Legislature the United
States constitutional amendment prohibiting slavery
on Alabama affairs, from June 81 to December % !;
South Carolina matters, July 81 to December 10;
Florida, from.July IA to December 80.
Among the South Carolina dispatches is one,
November G. from Secretary Seward to Governor
Perry declaring that the President is not satisfied
with the action of the Convention and the Legisla-
ture, and that adequate ordinances were necessary,
declaring all insurrectiOnary action unlawful
and void db initiO and that objection 10 the last
clause of the Constitutional Amendment was queru-
lous; that an acceptance Of the amendment was ne
cessary to restoration.
November 9, the Secretary telegraphed again that
the early adoption of the amendment was deemed
important by the President, who regretted that
neither the Convention nor Legislature had pro-
nounced State obligations for the Rebel debt null
and void, and that the State seemed to decline ac
ceptance of the amendment to the United States
Constitution.
November 10, the Secretary again urged the Presi-
dents request to repudiatc the rebel debt. At the
same date Governor Perry declared the State had
passed the constitutional amendment, and hoped
The doors of Congress will now be open to members
from South Carolina. On the 9th he dispatched
that the convention had adjourned. and therefore,
could take no action relative to rebel debts.
December TO- Governor Perry announced the gov
eminent of South Carolina complete, and the people
loyal and asked fultilment Of the promise to with
draw the United States troops.