The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1866-06-25
This bin commences as follows!

ture peace and safety of the Union. be
restored to full participation in all ponti'
cal rights"
The title and the Vhereas are very
| promising. Are we then at last TO nave
what we have been so long and so anx'
iously looking for, full and speedy res
toration of the Union? Let us examine
the bill further.
] After reciting the amendment proposed
by Congress to the constitution OF the
United States, the bill proceeds as fol
lows: .azsI :, -
"a Re it enacted. DC, That whenever the
above reeited amendment shall have be-
come mart of the constitution, and any
state lately in instruction shall have
ratified the same, and shall have modified
;ts constitution and laws in conformity
Herewith, the Senators and Representa-.
tiyes from such State, if found duly
elected and qualified, may, after having
taken the required oaths OF office, DC au-
mitted into Congress-
| Such is the provision for the practlcal
restoration of the Union, reported by
THap. STEVENS committee. and now
under consideration in Congress.
No State lately in insurrection is to be
| restored to the Union, until 1.-THE above
recited amendment shall have become
part of the constitution; and yet we
are told by our neighbors of the Intel
Hgeacer, and the same thing has been
openly avewed elsewhere, that it is not
to be expected that this amendment Will
ever be ratified by the requisite number
| of States. I
But suppose it should be ratified. Only
those States which have ratified it are
allowed to come back--the others are
still to be excluded. The Union is not
yet to be restored.
Suppose the amendment to be ratified
by three-fourths of the States, and that
any one of the States lately in insured
tion has also ratified it; the Senators and
Representatives from such State are
still to be excluded from Congress, until
tho State shall have modified its con
stitution and laws, in conformity with
the amendment. ........ ..
This last provision is wholly unneces'
sary. When the amendment has become
should that ever be the case, part Of the
constitution of the United States, it will
be the supreme law of the land, and
anything inconsistent with it in the con-
stitution or laws of any State will be OF
no effect whatever. But however un-
necessary the provision may be, it has
it's object The actual modification Of
it's constitution and laws in the manner
| prescribed is made the necessary condi-
ditiou to the restoration of every South
ern State to the Union This provision
of the bill will still serve the purpose OF
excluding votes that are not likely to bt
cast with the Radical party. The statute
books of the State must all be carefully
examined in committee, before such State
can be admitted, and session of Con
gress may pass before such examination
is completed Some protest that law
has not been sufficiently modified can
easily be started, and State which has
omitted, even Inadvertently, to modify
a single law as required, must be exclu
ded. though she has complied with every
other condition,
But the bill provides that when all
these conditions have been fulfilled, the
Senators and Representatives from such
States mag be admitted into Congress.
If the Radical majority 500 proper, they
may be admitted, but they cannot, even
then, demand admission as matter of
right
This Lill-has been aItfully constr ucteI.
1t certainly is not a bill to provide for
the restoration Of the States lately in
rebellion to their full political rights"
The title and the preamble profess one
thing the actual enactment Win he
very ditlerentin its effect 1t is IN fact
not plan TO restore the Union, Int to
obslruct the restoration as long "a it
may suit the dominant party to lo so {;
and under lis operation, we need not OK
pect real restoration of our Union UNI
til the present generation shall have
passed away.
ANOTHER ANECpOTE OF GEN SCOTT.