The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1866-10-19

while denying to Congress all right to
Judge of the completeness OF tins
work of reorganization, 1T has conced.
ed only the right of each House to
Judge of the elections, returns and
qualifications of its own members.
This policy assumes that the Execu-
tive has the sole right to reconstruct
reorganize and restore to their former
condition in the Government, the peo
pie, communities and states which
have waged n gigantic war against the
/ Government, and it insists, with en-
phatic iteration, that Congress, by re-
fusing to recognize the executive re-
construction as Just, safe, complete
and constitutional, and at once adj
House of Representatives persons
claiming to be elected by states thus
recognized, is assuming functions
which do not belong to it, infracting
the Constitution, and attempting, with
a guilt equal to that of the rebellion,
to dismember the Union.
On the assembling of Congress in
December last, and throughout its last
session, that body claimed for itself the
constitutional right to examine the
work of reconstruction, and Judge both
of its conditions and completeness.
After a careful and prolonged investi-
cation, through the joint committee on
reconstruction, of the conditions of the
states lately in rebellion, tho disposi-
tons of their inhabitants, and the
workings and results of the executive
method of reorganization, it was fully
satisfied that the political and civil
powers of those states was, in almost
every instance, placed in the hands of
those who, during the rebellion, were
either active in their hostility to the
national Government, or gave aid and
comfort to it's enemies; while it was
apparent that, without further condi-
tons than the executive plan propos-
ed, those who had been during the re-
bellion the bitterest enemies of the
national authority, would have the un-
checked and entire political control
of those states in the future, and
would use that control to Cypress and
put under ban those who have never
swerved from their fidelity to the
Union.
Congress, therefore, wisely in my
Judgment, declined to treat the States
which had confederated i'll their trea-
son against the Government, as right
fully entitled to immediate representa-
ton in the national Legislature, or to
be released from the control of the
federal authority; and this decision
was evidently in agreement with the
opinions of a large majority of the
people who had heartily sustained the
Government in its contest with the
rebellion.
To the reading and thinking peo-
pie of the nation, who Judge by the
facts and results rather than by the
refnements of argument, the riots at
Memphis and New Orleans have fur
nished the most complete and start
ling evidence of the inherent error Of
the executive scheme, and have writ
ten its condemnation i'll characters Of
blood. In those riots peaceable citi-
zens, with circumstances of savage
atrocity, We're crually murdered by n
mob, melted and led by local officials
and inspired by an illiberal and in-
tense prejudice against an inoff'ensiye
race and by n vengeful hatred CT those
who dared to claim equal political and
civil rights for all men; and these out
breaks have furnished melancholy
proof of the danger of committing UNI
restrained political and civil power to
men recently rebels, aud are signif-
cant commentaries upon that reorgan-
ization of which they were the legiti-
mate fruits.
| Congress, however, did not insist up
on its constitutional right to inaugu-
rate the work of recognizing the
governments of The States which had
confederated in rebellion, nor did il
surrender that right, but in its legis-
lative action it manifested willing
ness to suffer the work of the Execu-
> tive to remain undisturbed, SO far as
it could do SO with due respect to the
dignity and safety of the republic and
, with proper regard to the security
and protection of the property, liberty
!, and lives of all the people of the United
States.
After laborious and extended ses-
= sion and patient comparison o.
= views, both Houses of Congress agreed
by the necessary two-thirds vote, tc
propose to the legislatures of the sew
eral States the following amendment
to the federal Constitutions
: AMENDMENT.