The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1866-08-02
President JOhnson's Message on
the Admi missiOn Of Tennessee.

The following joint resolution, restoring
Tenncsse to her former relations to the Tn
ion, was last evening presented for my sp>
prOval:
Whereas, In the year 1861 the Cow
ernment of the State of Tennessee was
seized upon and taken possession OF by per-
sous in hostility to the United States and
the inhabitants of said State, in pursuance
of an act Of Congress, were declared 60 be
in state of insurrection against the United
States and,
Whereas. Saii3 State Government can
only be restored to it former political re-
l..;,ions to the Union by the consent of the
law making power Of the United States
and,
Whereas, The people of said State did,
on the 22d day of February, 1865, by a
large popular vote, adopt and ratify Con-
stitution and Government whereby slavery
was abolished, and all ordinances and laws
of secession, aud debts contracted under
the same, were declared null and void
and.
Whereas, \ State government h as been
organized under said Constitution, which
has ratified the amendment to the Consti-
tuition of the United States abolishing slave
ry, and also the amendment proposed by
the XXXIXth Congress, and has done 9TH
er acts proclaiming and denoting loyalty +;
therefore, be it
Reso7red, 6y the Senate and House Of
| Representatives, Of tie United States az
Compress assembled, That the State ofTen>
pessee is hereby restored to her former
practical relations to the Union, and is
again entitled to be represented by Senators
and Representatives in Congress.
The preamble consists simply of state
ments, some of which are assumed, while
the resolution is merely a declaration of
opinion. 1t comprises no Legislation, nor
does it confer any power which is binding
upon the respective Houses, the Executive
or the States. 1t does not admit to their
seats in Congress the Seniors and Repre-
sentatives from the State of Tennessee !;
for, notwithstanding the passage of the
resolution, each House, in the exercise Of
the constitutional right to judge for itself
Of the election return and qualifications Of
its members, may at its discretion admit
them or continue to exclude them.
If joint resolution of this character
were necessary and binding as condition
precedent to the admission of members Of
Congress, it would happen, in the event of
a veto by the Executive, that Senators and
Representatives, could only be admitted to
the. halls of Congress bya two-t thirds vote of
each of the two Houses. Among other
reasons recited in the preamble for the
declarations contained in the resolution is
the ratification by the State government of
Tennessee of the amendment to the Cons
stitution of the United States abolishing
slavery, and also the amendment proposed
by the thirty ninth Congress If, as is
also declared in the preamble, said State
government can only be restored to its
former political relations in the Union by
the consent of the Law making power of
the United States, it would really seem to
follow that the joint resolution which at
this late day has received the sanction of
Congress should have been passed. ap>
proved and placed on the statute books
before any amendment to the Constitution
was submitted to the Legislature of Ten
nesscc for ratifca tion otherwise the infer>
ence i. plainly deducible that, while in the
opinion of Congress, the people of State
may be too strongly disloyal to be entitled
to representation, they may, nevertheless,
during the suspension of the former prac>
tical relations to the Union, have an equal
ly potent voice with other and loyal States
in propositions to amend the Constitution,
upon which so essentially depend the sta>
bility, prosperity andvery existence OF the
nation a brief reference to my inaugur-
al message of December 4, 1865, will show
the steps taken by the Executive for the
restoration to their Constitutional relations
of the States that had been affected by the
rebellion
Upon the cessation of active hostilities,
Provisional Governors were appointed, |
Conventions called, Governors elected by
the people, Legislatures assembled, and
Senators and Representatives chosen to the !
Congress Of the United States At the
same time the Courts of the United States
were reopcned, the blockade removed, the
custom houses re- established, and postal op> |
erations resumed. The amendment to the |
abolishing slavery forever
within the limits of the country, was also
submitted to the States, and they were
thus invited to and did participate in rat~
ification, thus exercising the highest func-
tions pertaining to a State. In addition,
nearly all of these States, through their
and Legislatures, had adopted
and ratified Constitutions of government
slavery was abolished, and all orr
dinances and laws of secession, and debts
under the same, We're declared
null and void.
SO far, then, the political existence of
the States, and their relations to the Fed
eral Government, had been fully and com
pletely recognized and acknowledged by the
Executive Department of the Government,
and the completion of the work of restora-
ton, which had progressed so favorably,
was submitted to Congress, upon which de-
volved all questions pertaining to the ad-
mission to their seats of the Senators and
chosen from the States
whose people had engaged in the rebellion.
All these steps had been taken when, on
A. II a