The weekly North-Carolina standard., 1866-06-13

ments, they at once called elections of Rep
resentatives to Congress in nearly all instan-
ces before an Executive had been chosen to
issue certificates of election under State laws
and such elections as were held were ordered
by the Conventions. In one instance at least
the writs of election were signed by the
Provisional Governor. Glaring Irregular
tics and unwananted assumptions Of power
are manifest in several cases, particularly in
South Carolina, where the Convention, al
though disbanded by the Provisional Gov
ernor, on the ground that it was a reyolu-
tionary body, assumed to district the State.
1t is quite evident from all these facts, and
indeed from the whole mass of testimony
submitted by the President to the Senate,
that In no instance was regard paid to any
other consideration than obtaining immedi-
ate admission to Congress, under the barren
form OF an election, in which no precautions
We're taken to secure regularity Of proceed
lngs or the assent Of the people No Con-
stltution has been legally adopted, except,
perhaps, in the State of Tennessee, and such
elections as have been held were without
authority of law. Your committee are ac-
cordlngly forced to the conclusion that the
States referred to have not placed themselves
IN condition to claim representation m
Congress, unless all the rules which have,
since the foundation of the Government,
t,een deemed essential in such cases should
he disregarded.
1t would undoubtedly be competent for
Congress to waive all fornalities to admit
these Confederate States to representation at
once, trusting that time and experience will
set all things right. Whether it would be
advisable to do SO, however, must depend
upon other considerations, of which it means
to treat. But it may well be observed that
the inducements to such step should be of
the very highest character. 1t seems to your
committee not unreasonable to require salts
factory evidence that the ordinances and
constitutional provisions which the Prcsi-
dent deems essential in the first instance will
be permanently adhered to by the people of
the States seeking restoration after being
admitted to full participation in the gov
eminent, and will not be repudiated when
that object shall have been accomplished
And here the burden of proof rests upon the
late insurgents, who are seeking restoration
to the rights and privileges which they will
lngly abandoned, and not upon the people
OF the United States, who have never under
taken directly or indirectly to deprive them
thereof 1t should appear af1irmatively that
they are prepared and disposed in good faith
to accept the results of the war, to abandon
their hostility to-the government, and to
live IN peace and unity with the people of
the loyal States, extending to all classes of
citizens civil rights and privileges, and con-
forming to the republican idea of liberty and
equality. They should exhibit in their acts
something more than unwilling submission
to an unavoidable necessity feeling, if not
cheerful, certainly not offensive and defiant,
and they should evince an entire repudiation
OF all hostility to the General Government
by an acceptance of such just and favorable
conditions as that government should think
the public safety demands Has this been
dor.e? Let us look at the facts shown by
the evidence taken by the committee.
[arlly had the war closed before the peo-
pie OF these insrlrreetionary States come for
wa d and hanghtily claim, as right, the
pri vilege of participating at once in that
go Iernment which they had for four years
be IN fighting to overthrow Allowed and
en- outraged by the Executive to organize
Stf tie governments, they at once place in
po wer leading rebels, unrepentant and un-
pa rdoned, excluding with contempt those
wi 10 had manifested an attachment to the
u ,ion and preferring, in many instances,
tn ose who had rendered themselves the most
obnoxious In the face of the law requiring
an oath which would necessarily exclude all /
ST .ch men from Federal office, they elect,
ith very few exceptions, as Senators and
r representatives in Congress men who had
&C lively participated in the rebellion, insult
in gly denouncing the law as unconstitutional
1t is only necessary to instance the election
to the Senate of the late Vice President of
tb e Confedeacy, man who, against his
o, vn declared convictions, had lent all the
W eight Of lis acknowledged ability and of
nj influence as most prominent public
m an to the cause of the rebellion, and who,
III lpar6iOned rebel as he is, with that oath
st airing him in the face, had the assurance to
la y his credentials on the table of the Senate;
OF her rebels of scarcely less note or notoriety
W ere selected from other quarters Profess
il g no repentance, glorying apparently in
tt he crime they had committed, avowing
till, as the uncontradicted testimony of Mr..
stephens and many Others proves, an adher-
{ nee to the perniciOus doctrine of secession,
{ md declaring that they yielded only to ne
{ ,essity, they insist with unanimous voice
Upon their rights as States, and proclaim
that they will submit to no conditions what
ever preliminary to theirresumption of pow
er under that Constitution which they still
claim the right to repudiate
Examining the evidence taken by your
committee still further, in connection with
facts too notorious tobe disputed, it appears
THAT the Southern press, with few exceptions,
and those mostly of newspapers recently es-
tablished by Northern men, abounds with
weekly and daily abuse of the institutions
and people of the loyal States; defends the
men who led, and the principles which Incl
ted, the rebellion denounces and reviles
Southern men who adhered to the Union;
and strives constantly and unscrupulously,
by every means in its power, to keep alive
the fire of hate and discord between the sec
tions; calling upon the President to violate
his oath OF office, Overturn the Government
tives of the people from their seats in Con-
gress. The national banner is openly insul-
ted and the national airs scoffed at, not only
by an ignorant populace, but at public meet
ings; and once, among other not able in
stances, at a dinner given in honor ofa no
torious rebel, who had violated his oath and
abandoned his flag. The same individual
is elected to an important Office in the lead
ing city of his State, although an unpardon-
ed rebel, and so offensive that the President
refuses to allow him to enter upon his official
duties In another State, the leading gener-
al of the rebel armies is openly nominated
for Governor by the Speaker of the House of
Delegates, and the nomination is hailed by
the people with shouts of satisfaction, and
openly endorsed by the press.
Looking still further at the evidence taken