The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1866-08-16


half the. Statess Eleven have been
wholly without representation in the
legislative bodies of the nation. The
numerical proportion of the repre-
sented and unrepresented States has
just been changed by the delegation
from Tennessee. A unit taken from
the smaller number has been
added to the larger number;
but ten States are still denied
representation in Congress, to which
they are entitled under the COnstitu-
ton. The President, not in pursu-
ance of any Constitutional power, has
called on the Confederate States to
accept conditions for their admission
to the exercise of their legitimate
functions as members of the Union.
The ratification of amendments to the
Constitution, and abolishing slavery,
and the reputation of debts, con-,
tracted to overthrow the Government,
were the conditions; they were met
and accepted. The decision of new
conditions is unjust, and violation
of faith of the Government, subversive
of the purposes of our political sys-
tenn, and damaging to its future pros
perity and peace. Applause, The
House of Congress may, as the
Judge of the qualifications of its
own members, reject individuals
for just cause, but the two bodies,
acting in conjunction, can not
exclude the entire Delegation without
an #iunwarrantable assumption Of
power. NJ EAPpiadse3la Congress- has
nOH9fely done this, bntS it has done
more; it has ,jncprporatea new con
ditions, with amendments to the Con-
stitution, and submitted them for the
ratification of the Statess There is
no probahiiity:tha5t these amendments
will be ratified by =foarths of the
States of this phionT [Applause.]
The conditions they contain are to
prolongindefnits " the expulsion of
more than one-fourth ofathe States
from their right to be represented in
the. legislative body They had a
right under the. Constitution; they
had a right under the resolutions
passed in both Houses of Congress in
1861. ,[Applause ! These resolutions
were d St5 Concurrent but they We're
substantially identical; moreover they
were intended to be Represented one
otheFzgr6unds of fairness and good
faith. 1t is this wrong which We
have come to protest against, and as,
far as in us lies, redress it. APP
plause aG,
When the President of the United
States declared that armed resistance,
was over, all States had a right to rep
resentation in Congress. ApplauseslT
Is this the Government our fathers
fought to establish? Loud cries of
No. Is this the Government we
have been fighting to preserve? mo,
no. The President has done ali IN /
his power to correct this wrong. He
has done all in his power to restore
the rights of the States in the .Legis-
lature of the country, by giving to
each section its full status. Legisla-
ton, without representation, is an
anomaly in our political system.
Under any other form of Govern ]
ment it would be but another name
for usurpation and misrule. Gentle
men, [ trust, that, in our deliberations
here, we shall confne ourselves to one
main purpose, that of redressing the
wrong to which [ have referred. There !
is much in the Administration which
needs amendment; some things need
ed to be done, and others to be un-,
done. There are commercial and
financial reforms which are indispen7
sable to the public welfare, but We
shall not have power to carry out
these until we change the political
complexion of Congress. Applause.
This should be our frstan immediate
aim. Applause. 1t is in the Con
test is to take place. The control of
one body will enable, us to prevent
partial, unjust legislation. The CON
troll of both Houses, with the right to-
introduce and carry out salutary. re
form, toibring the Government back, !
in the language of Jefferson-to the,
Republican track, will come later Tap
plause, by wise harmonious and iu-
dlclous action ono our part, and the
part of those we represent sa That
period need not long be delayed. -dt5
I believe that public opinion is ripe,
and that is only. necessary to present
to the people clearly the issues be-
tween the other party, which controls
the action Of Congress. And. GEN
tlemen, is not the object for which we
are contending, a consumation worthy
Of our highest and our most devoted
efforts, [applause,] to bring back the
Republic purified and stronger, and
by the fiery ordeal through which it
has passed to its ancient prosperity
and power; to present to the world an
example worthy of imitation? No
utopian visions of good government,
but the grand reality of better times
bringing up the: memory of our faith
ers, and the recoIlections Of the past.
with the past and the future INSOFAR I
ably entMined, zone country, one
flag one Union.of equal States. Long
continued applause. 'ssz'