Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1866-03-06

federate States Of Alnericase end FePosF Il
whether theF, or my a them, are epps
tied e be represented Ia either House
of Congress"
msnt of joint committee IN this unex-
ampled condition Of the country, with q
war of four years lin which eleven
States had been engaged against the
United States) just closed, after all the |
expenditure Of blood and treasure that |
had been made in the country, 81 the
irstmeeting of Congress, which occurreo
after actual hostilIhe5 in the heid nad
ceased-for what pHrpose2 To inquire
into the condition of those States and |
report whether they were entitled 70
REPRESENTATION. That simple provision
for acquiring information in order to
enable the House and the Senate TO
Judge understandingly upon this inn
portant question affecting themselves,
has been represented by gentlemen and
by newspapers as assuming authority
which did not belong to Congress.
But the President undertakes to
say that legislative power has been
granted to this committee; that the
power of legislation which Congress
possessesAhe calls it the power of leg.
islation lover the question OF the ad-
mission. OF Eehators and Representa-
tives, has been passed out Of the hands
of Congress, and given to a central
power.
Mr.. Ramsey" Central Directory
Mr.. Fessenden-A central directory;
which chooses TO exercise this power.
Sir, is this Committee of Fifteen any
thing more than the servant Of Congressr
Can any member Of il, or the whole of
II, set DIP its will for single day, or q
single hour, OF, q single moment against
the bodyvhieh constituted it3 Wewere
appointed for q special purpose--to
make iRquiries, and to report to Com
gress the result Of our inquiries-and
for what reason2 What was the great
resson2 Simply that neither branch
acting without sufficient information,
might take a course from which the 9TH
er branch would differ, and thus bring
about Q collision between the two bodies
which constitute the Congress. ~
If the Executive-and l mean to
speak of the President with respect, be-
cause entertain for him respect-has
an idea that the several points which he
has suggested as preliminary to the adj
mission of Senators and Representatives
from these States, the question arises,
whois TO exercise that judgmentf Does
us,if the Senator presents
himself here, to ascertain in the first
place if those conditions have been COM
piled with on the part OF these States, or
does it belong to him2
THE RIGHT TO LEGIsLATE FOR THE REBEL
STATES.
/ do not contend that he says in so
many words that we have nollegaI right
to pass bill: hut the objection.that he
makes goes to determination, that no bill
affecting the rights or interests of the
so-called Confederate States shall be
passed by Congress until Representatives
and Senators from those States are per-
mitted to take part in our deliberations.
1t follows necessarily, if that be COR
rect position, that in relation to those
States which have been recently in re-
bellion, which have fought for four years
against the Government and endavored
to overthrow it, we can pass no law af-
fecting them, or restraining them, or pro-
viding anything, no matter what, with
reference to change of the Constitu-
ton or anything else, until we admit
their Representatives and their Senators
upon the, floor Of Congress- ! uuder-
stand that to be the necessary inference.
The President argues it, he states it ar
gumentatively, to be sure, but then il is
L. &Lnk
right to legislate upon anything which
affects their interests 10 gone; and par
ticularly, that we have no power to pass
any law or any rule, or make AMI. con-
sdit.on with regard to them, but.that we
are bound to take them just as they are
upon their say so; and when they are
here, acting with us, we may proceed to
legislate. / decline to give my assent to
any such proposition.
shall not read any more from the
message, though il contains other Ian
guage which goes to confirm the same
idea. If i have mistaken the view of
the President, / shall be very glad TO be
corrected by him, or by anybody that 10
authorized TO speak for him, and one
would think that there are plenty Of
*
II the President does not mean that,
then the question ia for Congress to de.
eide. IL be does mean that, the issue
Of which ! spoke is directly presented to
Congress- For myself, could not rest,
as a Senator. Of the United States, con-
tent with, my position; I could not be-
lieve that Twas faithful to the great in-
terests committed to my care, connect
ed with. others as i am, by the State
which sent me here, il I yielded for a
moment to the idea,. come from what
source it may, that anybody but Con-
gress had the right with reference to
Senators and Representatives to settle
preliminarily the question whether the
States that sent them here were entitled
to have Senators and Representatives or
not 49,, t... -. -. -
Sir, we should be yielding everything,
We should have no power left, we should
be less than children, we should hardly
be entitled to call ourselves slaves, if a
question upon which the very existence
Of these bodies, the Senate and House of
Representatives, may depend, the qnes-
ton of whether a State, or q body OF
men, or an organization anywhere, 10
entitled to- representation here, is not
for ms TO settle, and MS alone, so far 90
those proposed members are concerned,
without any dictation from any body; aye,
without any advice from any body. The
President is by the Constitution author
ICED and required to give information
to Congress from time to time on the
state Of public affairs; but upon a
question affecting the representation in
the Senate or in the House of Represent
atives, he is not competent even to adj
wise rs, from his position and from the
necessity that exists that sll these differ.
emit branches Of the Government should
be entirely Independent of each ether.
I am free to say / should consider myself
az sitting in a body bound hand and foot,
having no power, no rights, no independ-
ence, no character, if / thought was
compelled to ask the opinion of any one
with regard to the right of Senator to
sit apoh this floor, and heright of the
State which sent me here to be repre-
scented upon this floor. 1t is a question
| for m and oulv far ma 80