The Cecil Whig., 1866-06-23

| OF the GOVernment anu not ny lHe eAtcu-
tive department alone The powers of con
queror are not so vested in the President
that he can fix and regulate the terms of set
tlement confer Congressional representation
upon conquered Rebels and traitors, nor can
he in any way qualify enemies of the Gov
ernlnent to exercise its law making power.
The authority to restore Rebels to political
power in the Federal Government can be
exercised only with the concurrence of all
the departments in which political power is
vested, and hence the proclamations of the
President to the people of the Confederate
States cannot be considered as extending
! beyond the purposes declared. and can only
he regarded as provisional permission by the
Communicating Chief of the army to do GER
tain acts. the validity whereof is to be de-
termined by the Constitutional Government,
and not solely by the executive power.
SiXth-The question before Congress is,
then, whether conquered enemies have the
right and shall be permitted at their own
| pleasure and on their own terms to partici
pate in making laws for their conquerors
whether conquered Rebels may change their
theatre of operations from the battle. fields,
where they were defeated and overthrown,
to the halls Of Congress, and through their
representatives seize upon the Government
which they fought to destroy whether the
| .
its forts and arsenalS, its whole civil admin
istraton, its credit its pensioners, the
widows and orphans of those who perished
in the war, the public honor, peace and
safety shall all be turned over to the keeping
of its recent enemies without delay and with
out imposing such conditions as in the opin-
ion of Congress the security of the country
and its institutions may demand.
lzl,'" a greater part of the town Of Winona,
Wisconsin, being under water, :" Brick "
| Pomeroy, of the La Crosse Dem0crat. says
| there are still inducements for cnterprising
gentlemen to settle there. Among others
are, that 'they can fish out of their garret
windows, swim in their parlors build skifs
on their roofs, practice rowing over their
door yards-and keep ducks"
! Sevcnth-Ihe history of mankind exhibits
no example Of such madness and folly
The instincts Of self preservation protest
against it. The surrender by Grant to Lee,
and by sherman to Johnston would have
been disasters of less magnitude for new
armies could have been raised, new battles
| fought, and the Government saved. The
anti. cocrcve policy which, under the pre-.
text of avoiding bloodshed. allowed the re.
belion to take form and gather force, would
be surpassed in intnmy by the matchlcsS
wickcdncss that would now surrender the
|
rebellion until proper precautions shall have
| been taken to secure the national faith and
the national safety.
| Eiyhth-lt has been shown in this rcn0rt
and in evidence submitted, that no proof has
been afforded to Congress of Il constituency
in any of the so called Confederate States
| unless we except the State of Tennessee.
qualified to elect Senators and Representa-.
lives in Congress. no State constitution or
amendment to "a State constitution has had
the sanction Of the people. All the socalled
| legislation of the State Conventions and
legislatures has been had under militar,
dcation. If the President may at his will
AID under his own authority, whether as
military commander or Chief Executive.
| qualify persons to appoint Senators or elect
Representatives. and empower Others to
appoint and eject them, he thereby pract,
cally controls the organization of the Lcgis,
lativc Departments the constitutional form
of Government is thereby practically de-
strovcd, and It's powers absorbed in the Exc.
| cutive; and while your committee do not for
a moment impute to the President any such
design but cheerully conccde to him the
most patriotic motives, they cannot but look
with alarm Upon precedent SO traught witt,
danger to the Republic.
| Ninth-The necessity of providing ade-
quatc safe guards for the future before re.
storing the insurrectionary States to par
tcipation in the direction of public affairs is
apparent from the bitter hostility TO the Gov
crnment and people of the United States yet
existing throug ghout the conquered territories
many witnesses and by undisputed facts.
Tenth-'rhe conclusion of your committee
| therefore, is, that the so-called Confederate
| tutn ar Of 4 lnl 70
| tation in the Congress of the United States
that before allowing such representation
adequate security for future peace and safety
| should be required; that this can only be
| found in such changes of the organization of
| law as shall determine TIE civil rights and
privileges of the citizens in all parts of the
| Republic; shall place representation on an
equitable basis shall fix stigma upon
treason and protect the loyal people against
future claims for the expenses incurred in
support of the rebellion, and for manumitted
slaves, together with an express grant of
power in Congress to enforce these prov-
sions. TO this end they offer a Joint resolu-
ton for amending the Constitution of the
| United States and the two several bills de.
signed to carry the same into effect, before
referred to.
Before closing this report your committee
| DcS ifdNc w Sldtt iildi iilc SIltClllc recon-
mendations submitted to them are the result
of concession after long and careful COM
parison of conflicting opinions. Upon
question of such magnitude. infinitely i'm
portant as it is to the future of the Republic,
it was not to be expected that all should
think alike. Sensible of the imperfecions
Of the scheme, your committee submit to
Congress as the best they could agree upon
in the .hope that its impertections may be
cured and its deficiencies supplied by legis-
| lative wisdom, and that, finally adopted, it
may tend to restore peace and harmony to
| the country and to place our republican in
stitutons on more stable foundation.
(Signed) W. P. FEssENDEN,
JAMES W. GRIMES,
IRA HARRIS,
j. NJ. HOWARD,
GEORGE ii. WILLIAMS,
THADDEUS STEVENS,
JUSTIN S. MORRILL,,
JOHN A. BINGHAM,
| Roscoe CoNKLING,
GEORGE S. boutwell,.