The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1868-06-22
Wa HINGTON
Report OF ReiFeBshment Committee
-PPesid Hf's tFtO Aessagr-s Omt
nations By the President.


Congress to- day:
10 the House of Representatives.:
return, without my signature. a
bill entitled An Act to admit the
State of Arkansas to representation
In Congress-. To approve Of this
part Of the Executive that the act for
the more efficient government of the
rebel States, passed March Z6 1861, aud
the acts supplementary thereto, We're
proper and Constitutional. Ny opin-
ion, however, in reference to those
measures has undergone no change.
but, on the contrary, has been
strengthened by the results which
have attended their execution. Even
were this not the case. could not
consent to a bill which Is based upon
the assumption either that, by an act
of rebellion of 4 portion of its peo-
pie, the State of Arkansas seeded
from the Union, or that Congress may
at its pleasure expel or exclude
any State from the Union, CT in
terrupt its relation with the Gov
ernment by arbitrarily depriving
it of representation IN the Senate and
House of Representatives If Arkan-
sas is not a State In the Union, this
bill does not admit it as a State. IF.
on the other hand. it is a State In the
Union, no legislation is necessary to
declare it entitled % representation
in Congress as one 0fthe States of the
Union The Constitution already de-
elares that each State shall have at
least one Representative that the
Senate shall be composed Of two Sen
ators from each State; that no State,
} without it, consent, shall bc deprived
I OF its equal suffrage IN that Senate;
| and also makes each House the
( iu lge Of the election returns and
/ qualifications Of its members there
4 for. All that is now necessary to
secure Arkansas in all its c0nstitu-
1ional relations to the Government is
/ a decision by each house upon the ell
/ igibiiity of those who, presenting
their credentials, claim seats in the
respective Houses Of Congress. This
| is the plain and simple plan of the
! Constitution, aud believing that. had
/ it been pursued, when Congress as
sembled IN the month Of December,
1868, the restoration of the States
would long since have been com
pleted, i once again earnestly recon-
mend that it be adopted ty each
House. In reference to this legislation,
which | re pecdully submit Is not
only Of doubtful constitutionaiity,
therefore unw Sc and dangerous as a
precedent, but unnecessary, not so
effective in its operation as the
mode prescribed by the Con
stitution, involves additional de-
Law. and from its terms be taken
rather as applicable to a Territory
about to be admitted as one OF the
United States than State which has
occupied a place in the Union for up.
wards OF a quarter Of a century. The
bill declares Arkansas Is entitled and
admitted to representation In Con
gress as one Of the States Of the
Union upon the following fundamen-
tai conditions: that the Constitution
of Arkansas shall never be 80 amend
ed or changed as to deprive any citI
zen or class Of citizens Of the United
States Of the right to vote who ars
entitled to vote by the Constitution
herein recognized, except for punish
ment of crimes that are now felOniet
at common law, whereof they shall
have been convicted, equally ap
piicable to all the inhabitaBt
, OF said State; provided an.
alteration VI seio CGuo.il'N .loL .l'--
prospective IN Its effect MAJ
be made in regard to the time an,
place OF residence 9i voters nav
been unable to find In the Constltu
ton OF the United states. any war
rant Tor the exercise Of tue au 'l. MORT
! thus allowed by Congress Ia uinln 2
I DaWer to impose tu3ua iO5as as3L c4uQl