The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1866-06-21
TIE STATUS OF THE SEC EDED STATES
Report of the Reconstruction Committee,

The following is the concluding portion of
the report of the Joint Committee on Re-
construction presented in the Senate, on the
9Th, by Senator Fessenden. 1t is signed
by all the Republican members of the
committee except Messrs, Washburne and
Blow, who were absent at the time. After
reviewing, at great length, the various
questions involved In a reconstruction of
the rebel states, and the testimony given
before the Committee, they say:
The testimony is conclusive that after the
collapse of the Confederacy the feeling of
the people of the rebellious States was that
of abiect submission. Having appealed to
the tribunal of arms, they had no hope ex-
cept that, by the magnanimity of their con
querors, their lives and possibly their prop
erty might be preserved. Unfortunately
the general issue of pardons to persons who
had been prominent in the Rebellion, and
the feeling of kindness and Cancellation
manifested by the Executive and very gen.
orally indicated throughout the Northern
press, had the effect to render whole com
munities forgctful of the crime they had
committed, defiant toward the Federal Gov
eminent, and regardless of their duties as
citizeus The conciiatory measures of the
Government do not seem to have been met
even half way. The bitterness and defiance
exhibited toward the United States, under
such circumstances, is without parallel in
the history of the world. In return for our
leniency we receive only an insulting denial
of our authority In return for our kind
desire, for the resumption of fraternal rela-
TONS we receive only an insoleDt assunp
tioE Of rights and privileges long since for
feited The crime we have punished is
paraded as virtue, and the principles of
Republican Government which we have
indicated at so terrible cost, are denoun.
ced as unjust and oppressive.
If we add to this evidence the fact that
although peace has been declared by the
President, he has, not to this day, deemed
it safe to restore the writ of habeas corpus
to relieve the iusurrectionaIy States of mar
tial law, nor to withdraw the troops from
many localities and that the Commanding
General deems an increase of the army in
dlspensable to the preservation of order and
the protection OF loyal and we'll disposed
people in the south, the proof of c0nvic-
ton of feeling hostile TO the Union and dan
gerous to the Government throughout the
insurrectionary States, would seem to be
overwhelming.
With such evidences before them, it is the
opinion of your Committee
/. That the States lately in rebellion
were, at the close of the war, disorgapized
communities, without civil government.
and without constitutions or other forms by
virtue of which political relations could le
gally exist between them and the Federal
Government.
IL That Congress cannot be expected to
recognize as valid the election of men fro II.
disorganized communities, which, from the
very nature OF the case, were unable to pre-
sent their claim to representation under
those established and recognized rules, the
observance Of which has been hitherto re-
quired.
III. That Congress would not be justified
in admitting sueh communities to partici-
patton in the government of the country
without first providing such constitutional
or other guarantees as will tend to secure
the civil rights of all persons of the repnb.
tic, a just equality of Representations, and
protection against claims founded in rebel
lion and crime, and, at least. temporary
restriction OF the rights Of suffrage to those
who have actively participated in the
| effort to destroy the Union, and the exclu
sion from positions of public trust of at
least a portion OF those whose crimes have
proved them enemies of the Union and un-
worthy of public confidence.
Your Committee will, perhaps, hardly be
deemed excusable- for extending this report
further, but inasmuch as immediate and un.
conditional representation of the States
lately in rebellion is demanded as a matter
of right, and and even hesitation is denoun.
ced as grossly oppressive and unjust, as
we'll as unwise and impolitic, it may not be
/ auIiss again to call attention to few undis-
puted aud notrious facts, and the principles
OF public law applicable thereto, Ia order
that the propriety of that claim NAV be
fully considered aud well understood.
The State Of Tennessee occupies a posi-
ton distinct from all the other ipsnrrection
airy States. aud has teen the subject of q
separate report, which your committee have
not thought it expedient to disturb =
/ Whether Congress shall see fie to make
that State the subject of separate action, OF
to include it in the same category with al
others so far as concerns the imposition o
preliminary conditions, it is not v ithin tn,
province OF this committee either to deter
4 mine or advise.
To ascertain whether all the SO called
Confederate States are entitled to be rep
resented IN either House of Congress, tin
essential inquiry is whether there is in an,
one OF them constituency qualified to b
represented in Congress, The question hov