Baltimore daily commercial. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1865-1867, 1866-04-17
THE RECONSTRUCTION COMMITTEE,

yesterday. 1t is voluminous, and We abstract it as
follows:
HON. ALEXANDER 4. STEPHENS TESTIMONY.
Mr.. Stephens stated that at the time of Gen Lee 5
surrender and until the 11th of May When he was ar
rested and brought North he was at his home in Craw
fordsville Ga Afterwards his return home his in
tercourse by visiting. by letters and through inter
yicEs with prominent and influential people of the
State well with themasses itwas his decided opn
ion that overwhelming majority of the inhabitants
ofGeorga exceeding iOus for therestoration
of the Government and for the State to take her
former position in the Union: to have her Senators
and Representatives admitted into Congress, and tc
enjoy all her rights State under the Constitution
of the United States as it stands amended Concern
ing their views of the rebellion he said that the
exercise by them of the right of secession was re-
sorted from desire to render their liberties and
institutions more secure, and belief that this
| necessary thereto. Whatever opinion they may now
cherish to the right Of secession, he gave his
settled conviction that there is any idea at
all in the public mind of Georgia of ever again re-
sorting to secession, of exercising this right by
and Justice and to the halls of legislation and the
courts for the preservation Of the principles of
| stitutional liberty.
He could not answer to the existence of an opin-
ion generally that the idea of secession as right still
remained among the people, though he did say that
it would be difficult as well as unusual for whole
| people to change their convictions upon abstract
truths and principles The war by its practical ope-
ration themselves in its result from their own
authorities on their individual rights of person and
| property. and the breaking down of constitutional
barriers, had influenced change Of opinion to the
policy of seeess9n notwlthstanding the almost unan
support which the Southern cause had received
upon the proclamation OF Mr. Lincoln, in 1861 call
Had the ordinance of secession been submitted
! within a reasonable time, or Immediately after its
adoption majority Of the people would have adopt-
ed it. but if South Carolina and the other States had
not acted, perhaps very decided majority would
| have been against it in Georgia. The majority Of
members of the convention in favor of secession,
elected by the people, was perhaps so out of about
800. In the mountain districts the Union sentiment
was prevalent at first, though the cities and towns
were generally for secession. but there never was
| anything like sectional division in the State.
| The belief of the people that their constitutional
| liberties were asSailed. repoSed mainly in their
social polity and their apprehension from the gem
eral consolidating TENDENCIES OF the doctrines and
principles Of that political party which had recently
succeeded in the choice of a President He thought
that the apprehension of subversion of the Consti
tGtion and It's essential guarantees of public liberty
by this successful party the sincere honest
yiction in the minds of the people of Georgia. which
| led them to act as they did
| At present Mr.. Stephens thought that the eman-
| cipatiOn of the slaves generally acquiesced in
and accepted in good faith, with the disposition to do
| the best that can be done under the order of
things, the relations subsisting between the white
and black people being quite good as that exist
ing anywhere else in the world between like classes
| of employer and employed. Since Christmas. the
freedmen. having gotten rid of their ideas of 90
| tanning land from the Government were RAPIDLY
| settling themselves down to work and readily en-
| tering into contracts though previous to having
their minds dsabused Of this error they were not
disposed to make engagements for labor. There are
still idlers. out the number is comparatively
| few, and the behaviour OF all, he said was much
| better than the most hopeful had looked for They
appear principally to desire protection of person and
property, and to be dealt by fairly and justly, and
the State laws which had been enacted secured these
| rights to them. Though nothing had been done by
| the State authorities for educating the negroes
schools being established under other auspices
and all desrous to educate their children. The
laws recognize those negroes living together man
and wife, as legally such, and there is difference
| of licenses to marry.
The voting population of Georgia in 1860 was sta
| ted by MIR. Stephens to have been 100000, and at
| present he approximated it at S000O The amended
State constitution had never been submitted to the
| been ratified by nine-tenths. The general opinion
of the State is much averse to any extension of
the right of suffrage. He did not think the people
would ratify proposition of representation pre-
cedent condition to the restoration of the State
political power in the Goyernment They feel
| now that they are entitled uuder the Com
! sttution of the United States to representation,
without further conditions. They would not object
| to exchange and discuss views in the common coun-
| ellis Of the country with the other States upon anv
proposition to amend the Constitution, change any
ofits features, and they would abide by such change
if made the Constitution provides They are will
ing he thought to leave the basis of representation
where the Constitution leaves it, and while they are
| disposed to deal generously with the freedmen
| would not be willing make any change in tho Con-
stution that would give Congress jurisdiction over
the question of suffrage and especially would they be
averse to the exercise of such jurisdiction, unrepre
sented in Congress and with no voice in the cOun-
ellis. He did not believe the people would accept as
condition precedent, either to extend suffrage to
| the negro, or to exclude him from the basis of
| representation, because they hold that Congress
| has no right, under the Constitution. to pre-
scribe anything Of the sort. If Georgia is a
State in the Union, she is entitled to representa-
| ton, if she is not an equal. then she could not
| be admitted as equal, and at the same time be
trammelled with conditions not applied to all the rest
of the States of the Union alike. General universal
suffrage among the negroes, they now are would
be regarded about great political evil as could
befall the people of Georgia.
| Question-WouH they extend suffrage to those who
could read and to those who adserved the Union as
soldiers?
| He thought the people would be unwilling to do
more than they had done for restoration. Restricted
or limited suffrage would not beso Objectionable but
it is matter for the State alone to regulatea ques
ton exc luslvely of State policy, as they believe
The only view. in their opinion, that could justify
| the war which was carried on by the Federal Gov
ernment against them was the idea of the indivis-
ibility of the Union: that those who held the ad-
| mini istration for the time were bound to execute
| under the Constitution. This having been accom-
plished and those advocating secession and reserv
! ed sovereignty of the States having abandoned
| their cause, and the Administration triumphant
| in maintaining its idea upon which was
proclaimed and ,waged and on which alone it
supposed their State was Immediately entitled to all
| her rights under the Constitution. That was his
| opinion and he thought they would be unwilling to
do more precedent to being permitted to enjoy the
full measure of their constitutional rights The peo-
pie expected Immediately on the abandonment of the
confederate cause, to be brought back into their
practical relations with the government as previous
ly constituted This they looked for with represen-
tation. as loyal men, loyal to law, order, and the
constitution. They did what they did, believing it
vas best for the protection of constitutional liberty,
to the Constitution of the United States, as they
construed 1t. as any people ever were towards any
| cause.
When they found they were not successful in their
object, in perfect good faith, looking to the future
developments of their country in its material re-
sources as well its moral and intellectual pro-
gress, their earnest desire and expectation was to
allow the past struggle amentable as it was in its
results to pass by and to cooperate with the true
friends of the constitution with those of all sections
who earnestly desire the preservation of consttu-
tOnal liberty and the perpetulty of the Government
in its purity. They have been a little disappointed
IN this and are SO now, but they EaIt patiently. be-
evng that when the passions of the hour have passed
| away the delay in restoration will cease.
Mr. Stephens, in answer to questions, then went on
to state that his own Individual opinion decidedly
that the question of suffrage was the States respec-
lively, and exclusively and that it best for the
peace and harmony of the whole country that resto
| ration should be Immediate when the Representa-
| tves from the South might be heard and all could
| judge much better Of the tone and temper of the
people of the South felt keenly that they are denied
the right to be heard. then further alluded to his
individual views expressed in a late speech before
| Question by Mr.. Boutw welI.-Suppose the States
that are represented in Congress and Congress itself
should be of the opinion that Georgia should not be
permitted to take its place in the Government Of the
country except upon its consent to one or the other
of the two propositions suggested. Is 1t then your
opinion that under such circumstances the State
| ought to decline?
! Witness.-You mean the States now represented,
Wtness.-Y ou mean by Congress. Congress as it is
now constituted. with the other eleven States ex-
cludedf Questioner.-1 do.
| Witness.-And you mean the same alternative
propositions to be applied to all the eleven States
| conditions precedent to their restoration? Ques..
| tioner.-l do.
| Answer-Then / think she ought to decline under
the circumstances, and for the reasons stated and
| ought the whole eleven. Should such offer be
| made and declined and these States should thus
continue to be excluded and kept out, singular
spectacle would be presented. complete reverse of
positions would be presented. In 1861 these States
thought they could remain safely in the Union with
; out new guarantees, and now when they agree to
renew their former pract cal relations in the Union
under the Constitution II is, the other States turn
| upon them and say they cannot permit them to do
safely to their interest without guarantees on
their part The Southern States would thus present
themselves as willing for immediate union under the
Constitution while it would be the Northern States
opposed to it, The former dsunoniSts would thereby
become UnonisS, and the former UnIonists the prac
tical disunionists.
Mr. Stephens said he believed the States had abol-
ished slavery in good faith and the ratification of
| the constitutional amendment followed as a conse-
quence of the war; though he did not think there
any constitutional power of the government to have
exactediI as aeonditon precedent to restoration
der the constitution, TO the resumption or their
| places as members of the Union by the States
The validity of the laws. he said passed by Con-
gress in the absence Of the Senators and Representa-
| tiYes of the eleven States. depended upon their
| constitutonality, which was to be decided by the
courts As the Congress did not consent to the with
drawal of the seeding States. they have had the
continuous right to representation to be exercised
as soon as they make known their readiness to re-
sumo their rights under the Constitution as States
He said further, that he doubted whether the laws
passed by Congress, in the absence of Senators and
| Representatives from the eleven States, levyipg
taxes upon all the people of the United States would