The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1868-01-30
RECONSTRUCTION.
7aa7ss SPEECH OF
EX GOV. MORTON OF INDIANA.
IN the Uni+ed States Senate, Friday,
January "a 1858. sFa !

/ referred TO by my honorable fr1ent
from Wisconsin (Mr.. Doolittle) il
4 the debate yesterday, l should no
desire to speak. on this question, es
: peeiaIly at this time. I fear that
shall not have the strength to sal
/ what | wish TO. The issue here to
| day is the same which prevail.
/ throughout the country, which vii
be the issue of this canvass, and per
haps for years to come. To repeat
what | have had occasion to say else.
where, it is between two paramount
ideas, each struggling for the suprem-
acy. One is, that the war to suppress
the rebellion was right and just on
our part; that the rebels forfeited
their civil and political rights, and
can only be restored to them upon
such conditions as the nation may
prescribe for its future safety and
prosperity. E The other idea is, that
the rebellion was not sinful, but was
right. that those engaged IN it for
feited no rights, civil or political, and
have a right to take charge of their
State Governments, and be, restored
to their representation III Congress,
just as if there had been no rebellion,
land nothing bad occurred. The in :
m9diate issue before the Senate now
is Between the existing State Govern
ments established under the policy Of
the President Of the United States in
the rebel States, and the plan of re-
construction presented by Congress.
When a surveyor first enters a new
territory, he endeavors to ascertain
2the exact latitude and longitude of a
given spot, and from that can safely
begin his survey; and so / will en-
deavor to ascertain n proposition in
this debate upon which both parties
are agreed and start from that propo-
sition. That proposition is, that at
the end of the war, in the Spring
of1865, the rebel States were without
State governments of any kind. The
loyal State governments existing at
the beginning of the war had been
overturned by the rebels; the rebel
State governments erected during the
war had been overturned by our
armies, and at the end of the war
there were no governments of any
kind existing In those States. This
fact. was recognized distinctly by the
President of the United States Ia his
proclamation under. which the work
of reconstruction was co1nnienced In
North Carolina IN 1865, to which [
beg leave to refer. The Others were
mere copies of this reclamation. In
that proc clamatioh he says:33 t@. aoi'
yT's And heS9as the rebellion which has
been va ged byfa portion. oflthe people of
the UntTed States against, the -properly
constituted authorities ofthe Govern m eIt
thereof, III the most vlole Mt and FSVoItfng
form, butt whose Organized and armed
forces have now been almost entirely
ovefcone, has in It's revoluti binary pro-
greSs deprived the people of the State of
North Carolina OF all civil goyernment.p
Here the, President must be allow
ed to speak for his party, and [ shall
accept this as a proposition hgreed
upon on both sides; that at the and
OF the war there were no governments
of any kind existing in those States.
The fourth section of the fourth arti-
Gle of the Constitutions declares that
/" the United States shall guarantee TO
every State In this Union a republican
form lof government. y This provis-
ion contains a vast, underlined power
that has never yet been ,ascertaiued---
a. great supervisory power givena to
the United States TO enable them TO
keep the States In their orbits, to pre-
serve them from anarchy, revolution,
and rebellion. The measure of power
thus conferred upon the Government
of the United States can only be de-
terminedr by that which is requisite to
guarantee or mai taia im each State
a legal and republican tOrmo of gov
ernment. Whatever power, therefore,
may benecessaTy TO enable the Gov
ernment. Of the United States thus to
maintain IN each State a republicaz
form of governmeDti is conveyed by this
provision. Now Dir. President, when
the war ended and these States were
found without governments of any
kind, the jurisdiction of the United
States, under this provision of the
CONSTITUTIONS at once attached; the
power to- reorganlze State governs
ments, to use the eommon word to
reconstruct, to maintain and guaran-
tee republican State governments in
those States, at once attached gundert|
this provision. Upon. this proposi-
ton there is also a concurrence of
the two parties. The President has
distinctly recognized the application
Of this clause of the Constitution.
He has recognized the fact that its
JurlSulcLlou aCtacneQ Wnen those
States were found without republican
State governments, and he himself
claimed to act under this clause of
the Constitution | will read the
preamble of the Presidents Procla-
nation: e rs
Whereas, The fourth section OF the fourth
article or the Constitution of the United
states declare that the United states hall
guarantees to every State IN the Union a
repub ican form of government and shall /
protect each OF them against in aston and
domestic violence; and, tohereGs, the Pres