The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1866-02-10
Remarks Of EsOn. Ii. e.. Cook.

III SHe tIOdSc VI pESScit'ttINrr' bdll. -fl1
in iavor OF the proposition to amend the
constitution OF the L. 5. by striking on;
the present article fixing the basis of rep.
reseutation, and inserting the following:
AkrrcLr.--i;epresenta and direct Ia xes
.hali be appnrt .oaei among the several States
which may be included withiug this Union
according to Their respective numbers, count,
ing the whoe uumbsr - persons in each
State. excluding Indians not taxed: P-orid-
ed, That Nheugvertnc ,te.ti :e franchise shall
be deniei "r Abridged any State on ac-
count OF race Cr cnoT, q, -r.5G1S -':crein of
sach race or color shall be excluei from the
basis OF representation.
Mr.. Ross IF ~ J having the ..oor, yielded
il for ~ rl.ai = 60 Mr.. Coos
Mr- Cook. Ir. Speaker. from carefully
preraret statement which / hold in my h md
il sppcars that under the cersus OF 1850
there would BE- III this nouse nineteen mem
Lers elected upon the basis uC representation
which includes three fths OF the former
slaves oCxhe South. These men have no
zconstituel.Hs :. representative is on" who
represents another, Is the exponent of his
views and the executor OF bis VIII. The men
having seats in this House upon Il slave basis
merely were no, chosen by and did not inGI-
cate he will OF those who have the const,u-
tional designation of three fifths of all other
peraons. So ta- - 5eiCg heardin this House,
or their wishes expressed. they might as we'll
have been in Africa Is America.
The practical fact with which We have to
deal Is this the white people in certain
S,ates were granted an unequal and disTTO-
oortionate number of Representatives upon
.his floor because they wee the owners OF
slaves, SO that in tho1e States each voter had
a greater power and influence in the Govern
=:r,eut than :lIy voter ~ any free state and
20 such extent WIS tLIS inequality carried
!.hat in some districts III Mississippi .. man
WAS the equal, ii power and init.encc in The
election of members of this House and Of
the President and Vice President # tie
United States Of any two men III the district
represent The Yen elected on this basis
were TIE Representatives OF the slave power
which proved itself dangerous 10 the Repub-
lie while Ill lived, and is now dead. The f0un'
datisa is gone, the suneratrnctu- should fI!l
with il.
But by the fact that slavery - dead this
inequality Of representation IS Increased
instead al nineteen :nemberS. upon the basis I
OF 1859, the Number would he Increased two
fitths, the three ffhs OF Il person ha, become |
n whole person. The reward If treason will /
be an Increased repre- ,en;atiou in this House, t
an Increased irhience in the Government 10 |
the traitors "h' have sworn and s;iive., u I
destroy it, /: seems to me impossible that /
aay caudI! raau can seriously contend that /
loyal men Who have loved their country and /
suffered for it should not have the same voice !
Ill the government of the country with the I
men who have fought to destroy 1t.
Ii gentlemen on the other side desire to |
make this issue to the country | hope that It !
viii h.. l,--, 7 Of fIs
issue be iOineI, aII I,t Us = to Tie con, try !
.pon it. Lean and appreciate tie re:.:ar !.
why gentlemen oa thc o;her side Of this Hall
oppose this amendment. Tue men elected
on this IrIl b.s are their Al les, from
whom ,hey are now anyiUuslv loosIli-; 'Or
reiaiorctrneIGts TO enable them to regain til"
q ascend encv III this House and IN the national
Government which they lost wtie:. ,k0se allies
deserted them.
;Ye have now, as believe. the golden OPP
por,i. uty 10 remedy this e' il which VIII meyer
ronic a. ,ain TO she men of this gener4 ton.
The s;s;eni OF sidvery has fallen. The states
whose rel; rese Tiatirn was Increased by II have,
with two Or three exceptions. destroyed their
oval and ler;.I state governments. and now
,e.k reconstruction. The committee on res
ha. n repC, - i this mendmeErt.
infer that they will, il tnls anIe:'dmehti sub
mitted to the State Legislatures by Congress,
that its adoption bv tie states LATELY
in rebellion &c one OF the guarantees to he ~
,istei upon "a Il condition precedent !" their
taking cqua! authority aud rank in the U,lon
With the loyal states.
-H,rprose We refuse 10 pass this proposition
,ow. Is there any probability that it can be
,.sse.i yo hen the rebel states are q aain rep
.se,,4ed u .lJ.. .'i;s floor with their unequal
snrcsept,t,Jn? luI if it can, il Is not GER
ain ,ha. it ". ii not he III. :ed by the States
rbo are benefited By il, unless 1t IS made
condition urecedent "a ''... reconstruction?
The honorable genti7 7u.au from New York
Mr.. Brooks said til - q-G-t.on was
pressed n,arelI for tie sake Ut agitation, Chat
ma rriw;.ys been used W protect
wrong aud inius.;ee,) and he SID only that
il was folly 10 5el.a 90. II would be successful.
b.iere tia; +. is ely 10 believe hat 1t Will
.yer be successful unless 1t IS successful now.
Some OF the State Legislatures are no" IN
session which vii EGt again meet Tor t"o
years Il W. az going 10 pas this measure
at all it must be passed ao".
l confess. Mr.. Speaker, t-si, .ec'ias Inc
immense Importance of this question, II IS
with great pain and with some lmpaiience
that have listened 20 the efforts 10 deleat i.
on this side of The House, ana | wish to con-
SIder briefly the objections urgtu 10 IL.
/. 1t is insisted that the basis of repre-
sertation should be voters only.
To this proposition there are these objec-
tions:
l. 1t is difficult to enumerete voters accu-
rately: their qualifications are fixed By state
laws We cannot send Federal officers into
every state to adjudicate, in disputed cases,
the rights of those claiming to be voters |
under the state laws, we should have to do. /
2. 1t would not be u.t; the voters OF tie /
country are equally distributed. The old |
states have fewer, tie new states more, voters
according to tie white population. In other
words, there is greater proportion of wo>
men and children in the old states These |
should be and nre represented. They are
represented. in the true sense CT that word. |
by their fathers and bTOtbcrs. .e .l,... :. ..o !
represents them does so really and practical- !
i, and not by legal fiction, ike the man who |
represents " three Giths Of all other persons" |
3 1t takes from the basis Of representa- on
AL naturalized foreigners. i do not wish to |
discuss the question whether this would be |
ludIciouS or MT, but do not want q measure
OF this almost supreme Importance .Jaica !
jeoPardized by the incorporation Of proyis- !
ions which would render it SO liable 20 attack |
And misrepresentation.
There Is this other objection it ten thou |
sand men in any state are disqualified by a |
state law from voting By property ona!ifca |
lion. We shall also detluct them from the basis |
Of representation for want ofproperty qualif. !