The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1868-02-04

she had done every possible act of
hostility to the. United States. That
Convection met In 1865, and recOgnZ
ing the old Constitution as binding,
they added amendments and voted
upoufit BY virtue of the sovereignty OF
the people over their Constitution
What then did Congress do? July
81, 1866, Tennessee was admitted, and
the reason then given In the act OF
admission came up to condemn their
present course. 1t recognized the old
Constitution and its amendments
Now. 1t was claimed that Congress
only had this power, and yet Senators
were on the floor elected under that
Constitution. Tennessee has there
fore a legal constitutional govern
ment. But they said such States
might ratify Constitutional mend
ments, but COLD not elect Senators
That would not do. After defending
the consistency of Democratic Sena-
tors in former votes, assaulted in course
of debate he quoted the description of
the promising condition of affairs in
the South by Gen. Grant, as seen in
the impeachment testimony, and
again from Mr.. Morton's speech, be-
fore quoted, to the same effect. He
would characterize, if it were Sena
torial aud courteous, the sentiment
Just made by Mr.. Cragin in regard to
the condition of the South, an utter
Misrepresentation. Mr.. Johnson pro-
ceeded to his Legitimate work of res
toration by the proclamation of May
20, 1865, claiming the right 10 form
State governments, but recognizing
the old State governments as Congress
had recognized Tennessee, and he
had taken steps to allow the people to
restore those practical relations, ap-
pointing Provisional Governors until
that could be accomplished. He de-
Tended the President only when he
thought him right. because he (Hen-
drieks) claimed to be just man. Mr..
Lineolns proelamations of 1868 and
1864 had enunciated this policy, and
they elected him. IF it was right
for Mr.. Lincoln, was it wrong for Mr..
Johnson Why, then, condemn him
for adopting Mr.. Lincoln's policy, as
Mr.. Morton had admitted he did,
He read from Governor Morton's
message of 1866, characterizing Mr.
Johnson's measures for restoration as
just and bene6cent and from Gen.
Grants testimony the opinion that
that policy was identical with Mr.
Lineoln's. 1t was settled that cOnsti-
tutional conventions could form valid
constitutions, and therefore the pres
emit State Conventions were valid.
They had done some of the most SOL
emn acts of State: they had abol-
ished slavery, repudiated secession,
and declared the rebel debt should
never be paid. What good had come
from the persistence, for two years, in
keeping the South out of these cham
bers? Why keep the country dis
tracted2 No disloyal man could come
here, for they had passed law pro
hibiting it. What had they dene but
to aisfranchise whites and enfIan-
chise blacks2 Moralize as the y might,
with all their political ambition and
power, they could not take the gar
lands from the white soldiers and put
them on the broTs of negroes. They
won no battle, carried no point. The
white soldiers carried victory from
the Potomac to the Gulf. The object
was to perpetuate their p1rty power
He defined Republican form of gov
eminent as coming from the people,
and said such a form existed
before Congress deposed ten
Governors and subjected them to mil
itary authority, abolishing juries aud
the hdbeds corpus, empowering com
manders to take the judge from the
bench and put a lieutenant in his
stead, authorizing conventions to fix
their salaries and levy tax on the
people to pay them. He read, as
parallel, the original recital of the
grievances of the Colonies at the
hands of the King of England Life,
liberty and property, placed in the
power Of military rule, was called re-
construction and restoration, and a
republican form of government. He
envied the honorable Senator from
Wisconsin (Mr. Doolittle) in being so
often answered. Each answer was a
concession that had not been made
before. There are not many of us
here, he said, but few as we are we
feel that we are standing in the Their
mopylse of our country's liberties.
He allude'- to the expression of re-.
greet by Repu blican Senators that so
many had been DISTINGUISHED, and
said 1t was an admission that it was
wrong. D'
Mr.. CONFESS (Cal)-Perhaps we do
not all regret it. N
Mr.. Hendricks said perhaps that
Senator would like to see all the white
people stricken down and the power
put in the hands of the negro. TSub-
ducd applause in the galleries. He
went on to discuss negro supremacy,
characterizing the registration as a
disgusting fraud, and citing instances
of outrages by the blacks of the
South He referred to Mr.. Morton's