, 1866-06-23
SATURDAY, JUNE ., 1866.
THE MINORITY REPORT.


The report cf Messre. Scn.:or johnson and |
Representatives Gslder and Rogers. the NIL
lority Of the Committee on Reconstruction
8 before Ut in document Of four columns.
)ne column Is Devoted to an amplitudiuous
Of the roint that State once in
he rnian cannot get ont OF II. The painful
md endless reitcratiou with Which this point
s stated exceeds any attempt of the kind, get
ruaeA. We quo1e from n1emory:
:. Says Tic South 10 the North 4tnce State can't
To tay we'ee all out o. the Uuioa's stn;"
Says 1hc SoEth to the sou1h. '1f Sc ueser Stse
We eue>s there's no bury bout lesi.o' re iu.'''
Tue next point taken By the minority Is |
that Congress has nothinE to say upon the |
subject oi Reconstruction. This from
three members Of Congress-, Who arc |
indulgins IN four columns Of NOR
tally dry reading on that rcry
question, seems very much like the fa-
nous statement Of the Crctan that all Gre
tans arc liars II Reverdy johnson bsiievcs
Congress has no right 10 say anything on the
subject OF reconstruction, it Is 50 plainly his
dury to say nothing, that he cannot open his
mouth without violating lis oath,
Having AFFIRMED first that the seeded State
Governments could not he destroyed. and
then that the Federal Government had moth
ing tb do with restoring them after they
have been destroyed, The report next af.
firms that the destroyed Governments have
been fully and properly reorgauszcd by the
action oi the President. This is as consis.
tent as iht kett1e.thicl's defence that the
kettle was cracked when he borrowed it,
whole when he returned II, and besides lie
aeves had IL.
They Affirm that the entire rebclious peo-
pic Of The South have abandoned the doc
t5Ine Of secession, aud set tlsy cmbody that
doctrine into II d makt 1t part Of their own
report. They say:
't1hsx never intended TO MAXI The State Govern
meuts subordinate 10 the Ge1 eszl Goyc1nmeut.
a. each world not alocc nave mel The e1tccney Of
government adequate al the wants Ut the people,
tbs tao. IN The laDsnac Of Mr. Jetc1>0u* eou-tl-
.n.eErsl ~hclt shr ene tarlnr tbs DO .er of Itts-
lat!on sid administration in aesi. which Concern
ed 'hs's tsss err si'ze.s onls the ohes "hstsrs.
Within their respective limits each u Paramount
1he staser. Il 10 al powes* not deiess'ed to The
Gorcnnent ~ :he latter in trcusu to Il! rIo.sess
tnas a1c delegated " IT, j. ildepennsut Of te GOV
e1nratnts Of the S'at-e."
3tr. Jefferson was not oDc uf the trainers of
the Con.tltutiou, aud il therefore no authori-
II upon its ''Intent-- He always gave an
exceptional and strained construction to It.,
coustruinE It according to xhat he thought
it ought to have been, rather t1an according
10 its actnal language. His opinions on
States rights have enjoyed the peculiar favor
Of eecestiouiste, and are therefore oyefthTowu
by the war. Tie error in The above consists
in the fact that the Federal Government,
through its Supreme Court, has the judicial
right to decide what powers are delegate tc
tha General Government, and the President
has the Executive right, backed by the army
and navy, to enforce tho ylewe OF himself
Congress and th< Supreme Court rs 10 wla
powers arc delegated to the General Govern.
ment, and the decision by these branches O
the General Government, or either Of them, /
supreme and binding On the States, anything
In their Constitutions, Laws or decisions I,
the contrary Notwithstanding. Hence, tlyuel
there Il fence erected between tho Genera
Government and the States, yet the Genera
Government, in its Executive, Lcgislatir
and Judicial departments. has the right t
say where that fence shall be, and tho State
have no power 10 prevent 1t. Hence llc Ger
era1 GorcTumrut is supreme and tue STATE
subordinate. To girc the States The pow.
TO decide the limits l" the power Of the &c,
cral Government, is 10 n!luw the States to i
eide that the General Government has tran
srcsscd Its powers to decide this is 10 decis
that the State u no longer bound By the cot
pact; that 1t Is entitled, in the language Of Il
Kentucky resolutions, "to dtcide for the1
selves upon their made aud measure Of I
dress," and IL they can decide tor thensels
their mode of redress, they can adopt scct
sion as their mode. Thus the doctrine OF t
equal sovereignty Of the States with t
General Government, embodied IN Il
report, t. tue self aame exploded doctrine
secession which the authors OF this rep,
claim that the South has abandoned. II I
rebels have abandoned It why do tho "Dcu
cr1fs" III Congress sustain II. But theso G
tlcmcu are eloquent over the necessity
extcnlIns s'the right pEeservntive Of all OF
rights" the ballot, 10 the Southern Will
They denouncc tho American Union as iii
publican II tutrd oI ita people arc cxclut
from their ehare In mskicg the ia
But they claim that It is
eyen claimed tlat the John
Governments In tbs seeded States arr pol
publican, thoueh IL some Of them two.tll
Of the people are excludsd from any shar
making, administering or executing the Ia
IT the black OK is gored-"all right" Br
the white o1 is gored-" Al mc!a Hearth
plead for the whites:
.sAnd jet. 30 f2r. they arc 'epIed that r
which the onanta'iun properly es'eem' n ID.
eu1ity o: ELL The o.her-. that right w!thont vi
l,r.nny-the right OF h1ylng roicc in tbs lez
.tse uep p.rtmenl. whose Il 4 bird tbeu, in pc
ihircs niahoat example IN = representative rep
can Government. and Constsis, r. long ~ II de
this right. T. 4 m.rt detloti.m. Citizen. Ela
made 20 summit 10 II ,. iorcs or dsead d force,
fncrral spt.1i or good lcellux 20 ~arus those
tn:p.s- it, 20 important to The pe7er and pso.ts
ans nc X enn.! snc
bnt On: sIunnd On Which snea con
;he t;o;sru:neni ~ss:= he suI:ectea II tbs
WA aliared- i.ut Tor racn n suppo.l.on the.
sbstow o, founda.son. The repre-, I; s'ive, Q
S.a,c. IN which there was no 1Ieuuecto7. Il
others eczr srp,esen Cd. ~onad. IN the tio3se:
bya majority OF eetcniJt~o sptes. aud havt
caned pr poEucrantc ID The sera1e. What d.
soueeen dee H,e % .he pse.em a sss
snd Representatives, ftaEsni o! 'heu.else*f
the1 spptchen.lre ,hz. ihey might bt led 10 Il
strue1lou Of our tn-tliutione hY tho peftua.!
aLJ oahet intnercc o. southern metnoer!
disparsE:nC 10 rhe1n. el. y. 1s sucs au app:ehet
them ~ from she.s ie.peetisr s,ste+ may w b 10
It'd ss'rfy! Ho~ d,"psss.'nE T. thai suppo'ti
lII~ L-:::t'1s Il 1Ed NleUiE1 OF ld* lF EuR-lltut
They forget that cyrsy word Of this
mens, here u.cd to show that .itr SC
Siates should he adn4iited Us they arc,
shows that they shuu!d liz reorganizcd
10 admit the colnred race 10 note. sub,
ing the Southern blacks for the Sou
whites, aud the appeal for the suffrage
thus:
..And yet 70 fsr TIT co.o:cd ace srr d. nlea III,
Which l0 Constitution Efp1E{1F Ektft5QA ~
cuH's o all The ottess- hat right w'hout "
stsses.ats1msn !, any!hins di < ut @ sepuo..esn ,s
1e4 tslattse o%tHt1m.ut ~ho-. ias. u,ud i
pe1sou end In properly. Tits, II ts su7'rnis'e
republican s;oyeanmen,; I'D ,he Josnto1
Goresrmen.,. 70 long u 'hsy deny th!s riS
- 9nt Sv olce t'saen: ~ ar,s my
~sds ine white .ho impose !
a1s % no, 10 Ie sookso Tor, ri fs,ne1 pnhap
diss.l.taetion, sns,tt3. 1nsse !. hu. one
% eo.sa w61s saos nse,
uhaeh lie Sate ~tald tx Subjected il Inc ris
.lio.ed. nn. Ior sasa tnppe.i..oa Their
sh3dow ., fous usdattop. The whites aoa y
1e,sp,.t..e: + ihs ncs,o-s TO- l wsss ,l'o ., - -
Suq Tsaf ssassa q ssTa ,G
e .es,ss tes tsF nsEross ss, TO r so'ei ,nroe
n,,orti1. and ali h,.tog pIc!s. th.t i =
allow :hc u.sot>ty TO sots than 10 s1clu
1n sHs,af - - T. asey sppshn.ss te
might BE- led 10 the dtsssuc' Ion of th+is
'lon b1 thr pe1rnas'ou or sot.s Of ths
ben.ioni Afe ,he,. spprhen.,.e that Il
HE IL that enprossfon 10 shc patriotitln
dom of fbe rottrg rt5tes!"
II thus .ppeazs that every Dt1nocr
vumeut advanced Al Z reason Tor I'd
a. .~.fad Et.tes In order that their