, 1866-03-12

1fOnAI NmeNuHcnI 1OOuSA1uE slavery, on til
part Of the hitter, and disapprobatio,
OF 1t on the part OF the former. At thi
rcry moment Constitutional amendment i
pending before the House, by which it is pro
posed 10 cnErnt the right md duty to fnsurt
equal rights to all citizens Of a'l States upor
the organic law OF the Iand. The Union party
an Consress By all this committed Itself unde'
| nlauly, nlnlE and GfeVocabiy TO the exaction
from and enforcement In all the seeded
Slntes, OF equal civil II not political rights fol
all their Inhabitants. Why then, IN the face
Of these distinct declarations and these indu.
bitabie acts, This total omission Of auy condi.
tion. In the reported Joint resolution for the
rcs1oration ot Tennessee In the Union, tending
TO secure TO the emancipatcd people of that
state legislative acknowledgment aud pro-
lection Of their newly acquired rghtss Why
the absence OF even an allusion 10 the freed
wards Of The favored erring sister. to be r.
stored TO the family Of Statese Why thus
belle the record Of the past by measure in
consistent With the dictates Of justice and hu-
manitys To ignore the claims OF the freed
people In so hagrant manner, is to proclaim
all that has been 60 continuously and loudly
uttered In both wings Of the Capitol during
lAC AaHl LulEE luUul4s 4U0Ql Inc HuLfS OF
Congress to them, Idle. meaningless talk. If
ever those persistent professions were to be
made goud, the time for 1t was when the re-
construction problem calminsted In the orac-
tIcal question, on what terms to admit the
rebel sta,es. To disregard the interests of
the freedmen at this decisive moment. can
but give rise to the suspicion either that tbnse
previous assurances were not made In rood
faith, or That the majority are afraid to stand
by their record in view OF the Executive hos
tility 1t.
4 member of the Reconstruction Commit
tee tells me that one Of The reasons for mt
erart,nr formal recoon,f3on ofthn ,-;,,b.e ~
the co1ored ci,i,pn. ~ Tennessca ,,o,1 ,.,,,,
The other conditions 1,n.ce,,r,+ ~ tho ,,r,ts
sIon, was that the evidence s,,c,ted h1 Va
-comm,,t.e showed Aha wb,l.s ~ +h.+ c,,ta
ns rn1e: IN be vel, d,snossd +oMo-a tho;,
former slaves and 1,rs,r ~ a. .hsr, ,a.t,aa. ta
AMI nooretvrr ,,,s+ ~ T.1,s,a.n-a - ~.
ncsser hsd ,oesad s,d nan1d n.s. ,,ns ~. 81 -.
11,a,r s,,ot.;oi --o.ootson cs.a.ss. I 49, ~ ~
t.v .1inw;no no,rr,,ss ~ +as4;rr H. o..-ts A.
cpssed IN .11at hodr ttfs ufntar hos hs,o-oa
law. tocether With other 1eg,s1,t,vs Nv.
Visions for them. W-hv mt insist nno,,
the strict obseryan.e Of thceo 1aws
in the fo1nt rrsn1ntion of ,r-,dr,,ss;o,,
as we'll a. unon Inn renn1;n,,nn ~
the rebel debt and the other conditional
teams Is not the former of equal irnportance
with the latters Aeatn. there Is mt a mem.
ber of the msforlty Of the COMMITTEES hold
enough TO sav that all has been done for The
freed people Of Tennessee that should be done.
By establishing the rule to trus, to the white,
Of the South to do voluntarily, and without
Congressional compulsion, what they have 50
ia1Omit1ed to do, have not the Committee
planted themselves directly upon the ground
occupied by the President In regard to thIs
question:
Besides these ethical objections to the joint
resolution, there are some Of technical char
actcr. Ii provides that "the State Of Ten
nessee is hereby declared to be one of the
United States Of America, on an equal foot
Ing with the other States, upon the cxpress
condition that the people Of Tennessee will
maintain and enforce In good faith their ex-
listing constitution and laws, excluding those
who have been IN rebellion against the United
States from the exercise Of the elective 5rnn.
chase for the respective periods of time
therein 1xed,' aud goes On to cnume-
rate The other precedent conditions.
Now, why ask for an ASSURANCE of
good faith In carrying on. thing, for
which the highest assurance that can be eiy-
en-, vH:-the enactment of the law referred 10
already existse Will a simple declaration OF
the Legislature, that It accepts the terms of
the committee, be more binding than the ex-
istence Of the Law on the stutute book of the
State: Again, suppose the present Lectsla-
ture would comply with the prescribed condi-
tiops, and the State be reInstatcd In the
Cuions If the people OF the State should
hereafter fail TO " maintain and enforce in coed
faith their existing constitution and laws" &c.
would that place the State once more out Of
the Un'ons Most certainly not. Are not the
conditions required, therefore, guarantees In
scmblance md not In reality!
The objections to the readmfssion Of Tennes-
SEE in the manner proposed by the committee
can be thus summed up:
lst. The non-e1action Of conditions eecur-
ing to colored citizens the full enjoyment Of
their F1ghts under the Constitution Of the
Cnited States.
"a. substitution Of guarantees by State
Legislatures, whose ever changing political
complexion would render their stability un"
certain, in the place Of guarantees In the form
OF amendments 10 the Constitutions OF the
STATES. whereby they "onid be rendered safe
from 1he fluctuations Of party ascendancy.
"a. An abandonment, by this substitution
oi The ground assumed BY Congress early Lib
the session, and held until now as against the
policy OF the President aud the establishment
thereby ofa dangerous precedent, undcr which
other rebel States. one after the other, will
f.nd their way back into the Onion. Il
There is g1eat danger that this iIl.ttmed
,o;nt 1esolufion will nrove a rocr ~, ,rh;o1,
31,a ;,,,;., ~ A.. -. =. ue@ 49,. " "n.sn s,,
4he unity OF the majority OF the House Will
consistent Radicals. that can sec no rood. but
a great deal Of evil 10 come from it, It Is by |
no means certain that II will pass the House. |
The Tennessee members, understand, are di.
vided as TO Its merits and acceptability to
their State.
am sure you md your readers ,ycrc anna1,
L.. :..:n.. 1 -. ~4s1
y e!Atiueo 10 learn lhn1 the long tried |
and ever faithful Representative Of the |
reop1e oY vor- State who no. ,,r,-.,
~f'~ .o"A St".e VIII LAS Eso"n
Eray IN It's service In Congress