Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1866-08-21
Proceedings Of the F9rst Day.

all the wFlle, g Rally Round the Flag"
/" Way Down in Dixie" 8. The Star Spangled
Banner, J" and yankee Doodle" Men waved
their hats, clapped their hands and cheered
voclferously, and the ladies present waved
their handkerchiefs.
Mr.. Hogan, member of Congress from Mis-
souri,, then called for three cheers for the
thirty,six States and all loyal and in the
Union, which call was Justify responded to, as
were also other calls for like honors to Presi>
dent johnson. the Union. to the Red, White
and Blue, &C. The Convention. thus seemed
to open under promising auspices as to har-
mony and general good feeling.
MIR. RANDALL CALLS THE CONVENTION TO
ORDER.
Mr. Randall, advancing to the front of the
stage, said
The Convention will please come to order.
For the purpose of efecting temporary or
ganization of this convention, [ propose the
name OF Gen John A. Dix, of New York.
as temporary chairman Of this convention.-
[Applause.
ADDRESS OF GEN. DIX
General Dix then came forward and said
Gentlemen of the Convention and Fellow
Citizens of the whole Union: [Applause1 l
return to you my sincere thanks. for the honor
you have done me in choosing me to preside
temporarily over your deliberations. [ re-
gard it as a distinction of no ordinary charac
ter. not only on account of the high social
and political standing of the gentlemen who
compose this convention, but because it is a
convention OF the people of all the States of
the Union, [applause, aud because we cannot
doubt, IT its proceedings are conducted with
harmony and good judgment. that it will lead
to most important results. Applause
1t may be truly said that no body of men
mas met on this continent under circumstances
SO momentous and so important since the year
1881, when our ancestors assembled in this
city to form better government for the States
which composed the old confederation-a
government which has been confirmed and
made more enduring, as we trust, by the fear
tu trials aud pcrils which it has encountered
land overcome. Applause
The constitution which they came here to
frame we are here to vindicate and restore.
We are here to assert the supremacy of repre-
sentative government. We all are within the
confines of the Union. A government which
cannot, without violation of its fundamental
principles, be extended over any but those
who are represented in it. Over those who,
by virtue. OF that representation, are entitled
to voice IN the administration of public
affairs.
formed and pnt in operation. 1t is such a
government which we are bound by every
principe of fidelity and justice and good
ia tn to defend and maintain.
Gentlemen, we are not now living under
such governn8t:nt. Thirty-six States have
tor years been governed by twenty. five States
Eleven States have been wholly without rep
resentation in the legislative bodies of the ma
ton. The numerical proportion of the rep
resented and unrepresented States has lust
been changed by the admission of the dele
cation from Tennessee. A unit, taken from
the smaller, has been put to the larger num-
Der, but the States are still denied ropresen-
tatIon in Congress, to which they are entitled
under the constitution.
1t is this wrong which we have come here
to protest against, and, as far as in us lies. to
redress. When the President of the United
States declared that armed resistance to the
authority of the Union was over, all of the
States had right to be represented in the
legislative bodies. They had right under
the constitution. They had right under the
resolutions passed in both houses of Congress
in 1861.
Those resolutions were not concurrent. but
tncy were substantially Identical Moreover.
they were entitled to be represented on other
srounds-taIrness and good faith. The Pre-
noL III pursuance OF any constitutional
power had called on the Coufederated States
to accept the conditions for their admission
70 the exercise of their legitimate functions
as members of the Union. The ratification
OF the amendment to the constitution abol-
lshing slavery, and the Reputation of debts
contracted to tooverthrow the government, were
those conditions They were met and oc.
cepteu' ihe exaction of new conditions is
unjust, aud violation of the faith of the
government, subversive of the purposes of our
political system, and dangerous to the nnbIic
prosperity and peace.
Each Sl house of Congress may, as the Judge
OF the qualifications of its uwn members re-
Ject individuals for just cause, but the two
oodles acting conjointly cannot exclude an en-
tire delegation without an unwarrantable os-
Congress has not only done this; it has
gone further. 1t has incorporated new con-
dltIons, with amendments to the constitution
and an submitted them for the ratification of the
States. There is no probability that these
amendments will be ratified by three efourths
OF the States of this Union. TApplause II
To insist on the conditions they contain is to
prolong indefinitely the exclusion of more
than one-fourth of the States from their rem
resentations in Congress. GApplause.l
Is this the government our fathers fouobt
to establish? Loud cries of t.No.''l Is this
the government we have been fighting to pre-.
serve! [''No, no."l The President has done
aNN IL