Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1866-06-13
Report Of the Reconstruction Committee.

mlttee, made report last week, presenting
Unanswcrable arguments against the pro
posed admission Of rebels to power until
sufficient guarantees for their further goed
behaviour we're secured. After showing
that the war left the Southern states en-
tirely exhausted, and that they " had pro-
tracteG their struggle against the Federal
authority until all hope of successful resis-
{ance had ceased, and only laid down their
arms because there was no longer any
power to use them," he proves from the
Presidents own words that those States,
when the rebellion was crashed. were
deprived of any civil government, aEd
must proceed to organize anew Failing
topr0curc information from the President,
the Committee was compelled to seek for
it elsewhere, and find little in the condi-
tiontjf the rebel States to justify a conf
eleuce that they are more loyal now than
akt,v were at the commencement Of the
War.
On the Presidential project of admitting
such persons into Congress, the report
says
1t il moreover contended, and with APP
parent gravity, that from the peculiar ma
tIrc and character of our Government no
such right on the part of the cOnquerOr
can exist; that from the moment when
rebellion lays down its arms, and actual
hostilitics cease, all political rights of re-
belli0us communities are at once rcstOrcd
Thad because the people Of Il State of Jlle
Union were once an organized cOmmuni-
ty within the Union they necessarily so
remain, and their right to be represented
in Congress at any and all times, and to
participate in the government Of the coun-
try under all circumstances, admits Of
neither question nor dispute. If this is
indeed true then is the Government of
the United states pOwerlesS fer its own
protection, and fragrant rebellion carried
to the extreme of civil war is a pastine
which ANY State nay play at, rot only
certain that il can lose 2aoSlsin@ in anT
event, Fut may he the gamer by defeat.
If rebellion succeeds. it 2ccOmpljshCs lis
purpose aitd destroys the Government. If
it fails the warhas been barren Of rcults,
and tho battle may be fought out in the
Legislative halls OF the country. Treason
defeated in the field has only to take pos
session of Congress and the Cabinet.
On the new cry of mo taxation with
cut representation, the reply is conclu-
sivC-
That taxation should be only with the
consent of the people, through their own
representatives., is Il cardinal principle of
all free governments but it j. not true
that taxation and representation must 90
together under all circumstances and at
every moment of time, The people eff
the District of Columbia and Of the Terri
tories are taxed, although not represented
in Congress. If it be true that the pco-
pie of the so-called Confederate states
have no right 10 throw off the authority
of the United States, it is equally truethat
they are bound at all times to share the
burdens of government. They cannot
either legally or rquitably refuse la bear
their just proportion of these !,urtIvuS IN~
voluntarily abdicati1g their rights and
privileges as States of the Union, and re-
luslng to he represented i'm thc councils
OF the nation, much less bv rebellion
ag3iuSi national authority al4d lcvvinr
War +" held shat by ~ doing they coi,Id
escape taxation, wUuid Ie t0 uffcy a pre-
MUM for instruction, 10 reward in
stead Of punishing treason.
1t must not be forgotten that The Prcsi-
dents policy against all amendments Of
the National Constitution is, in fact. in
tended to leave the authors of the rebel
lion with greater power because of the
acts of emancipation and the imcorpora-
ton into the body Of the population of
the persons heretofore called slaves How
the people of the insurrectionarv States
responded to the Presidents appeals, and
how ready they are for immediate admis-
sion into Congress, the committee ex-
plains:
80 far as the disposition Of the people of
the insurrcCtionary States and the proba-
bIlItY OF their adopting measures conform
ing To the changed condition of affairs
can he inferred from the papers submitted
bY the Presldent as the basis Of his action
the prospects are far from encouraging,
1t appears quite clcarthat tthcanti-sIayery
amendments, both to the State and Fed
cral constitutions, were adopted with re-
luctance by the bodies which did adopt
them and in some States they have been
either passed by in silence or rejected.
fhe language ot all the provisions and or
dinances of the States on the subject
amounts to nothing more than an unWiI-
ling admission of an unwelcomc truth
As - the ordinance of secession il is i'm
some eases declared null and void, !" and
III Others simply Repeatedly and i'm no
case lS retutation of this deadly heresy
considered worthy of place in the new
constitutions
If, as the President assumes, these in
surrectionary States were, at the close of
the war, wholly without State govern
ments, it would seem that before being
admitted to participate in the direction Of
public affairs such governments should
he regularly organized. Long usage has
established, and numerous statutes have
pointed out, the mode in which this should
be done. y convention to frame Il form
OF government should be assembled under
competent authority. Ordinarily this
authority cmanatcs from Congress, but
uilder the peculiar circumstances your
committee Is not disposed to criticise the
Presidents action in ASSUMING the novcr
L.Ncrl.i.nl l.. D. N, :, n. :.