American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1866-08-15
NUMBER 35,

day, oan equal participation of all, with
out distinction, in all the rights and priv
ileges Of citizenship, thus affording a full
and adequate protection to all classes of
citizens, since we would have, through
the ballot-box, the power Of self-protec.
tion.
Holding these views, your committee
prepared an amendment to the Constitu-
ton to carry out this idea, and submitted
the same to Congress. Unfortunately as
we think, it did not receive the necessary
constitutional support in the Senate and
therefore could not be proposed for adop-
tion by the States. The principle involv-
ed In that amendment is, however. be-
lieved to be sound, and your committee
have again proposed it in another form.
hoping that it may receive the approbs-s
tion of Congress.
Your committee have been unable to
find in the evidence submitted to Con.
gress by the President under date of
March q, 1866, in compliance with The
resolutions OF January and February
~ 1866, any satisfactory proof that either
OF the insurrectionary States, except pet-
haps the State Of Tennessee, has placed
itself in condition to resume its politi.
cal relations to the Union. The first step
toward that end would necessarily be the
establishment of republican form of
government by the people. 1t has been
before remarked that the provisional gov
ernors appointed by the President in the
exercise of his military authority could
40 nothing by virtue of the power thus
conferred toward the establishment of 4
State government. They were acting
under the War Department, and were
paid out of its funds They were simply
bridging ever the chasm of rebellion and
restoration. And yet we find them call.
ing conventions and converting Legisla-
lures. Not only this, but we find the
conventions and Legislatures thus con-,
vened acting under executive direction
as to the provisions required to be en-
bodied in their constitutions and ordi-
nances, as conditions precedent to their
Reorganization, by the President. The
inducement held out By the President for
compliance with the conditions imposed
was directly in one instance and presuma.
bly, thereafter in others, the immediate
admission Of Senators and Represents
tives to Congress. The characters Of the
conventions and Legislatures thus assem-.
bled was not such as to inspire confidence
in the good faith of their members
Governor Perry, of South Carolina, dis
solved the convention assembled in that
State before the suggestion had reached
Columbia from Washington that the reb-
ell war debt should be repudiated, and
gave as reason that it was "reyoIu-.
tionary body" There is no evidence of
the loyalty or disloyalty Of the members
of these conventions and Legislatures OK
cept the fact Of pardons being asked for
on their account. Some of these States
now claiming representation refused to
adopt the conditions imposed. No relia-,
able information is found in these papers
as to the constitutional provisions of sew
eral of these States, while in not one Of
them is the slightest evidence TO show
that these "amended constitutions" as
they are called, have ever been submit
ted to the people for their adoption. In
North Carolina alone an ordinance was
passed to that effect, but 1t does not ap-
pear to have been acted on. Not one Of
them, therefore, has been ratified. Wheth.'
er with President johnson we adopt tho
theory that the old constitutions were
abrogatsd and destroyed and the people
deprived of all government" or wheth-
er we adopt the alternative doctrine that
they were only suspended and we're re-
vived by the suppression of the rebellion,
the new provision must be considered as,
equally destitute Of vail dity before adop-
tion by the people. If the conventions
were called for the sole purpose of putt
ting the State government Into operation,
| they had no power either to adopt new
constitution or to amend an old one with,
out consent of the people. Nor could
either convention or Legislature change
the fundamental law without power pre-
viously conferred. In the view of your
committee il follows, therefore, that the
people of State when the constitution
has been amended might feel themselves
justified in repgdiating altogctheran sweA
unauthorized assumptions of power, and
might be expected to do so at pleasure.
So far as the disposition of the people
of the insurrectionary States and the
probability Of their adopting measures
conforming 10 tho changed condition Of