The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-05-12
wbo,esale Reconstruction.

wholesale Reconstru ton.
The telegraph reports that the Recon
strnction Committee have determined 70 re-
port and hurry through the House Of Re-
representatives. bill admitting all the south.
ern States upon the same basis as thatcon-
tanned in the bill which last week passed
tle House in the case of Arkansas
The change which has come over Con-
gress since the passage Of the reconstruc-
ton acts Of March, 1861, is remarkable.
When these were before Congress II was
understood that the people Of the southern
States were anxious TO be restored to the.
Union, while the Radicals, on the contrary,
we're determined to keep them out as long
as possible. Accordingly, Congress clogged
it's measures with as many difficulties as it
could find even the least excuse for
putting in the way Of reconstruction.
1t is worth while to recite these
conditions. It was provided that if
ssthe Constitution shall be ratified by q
majority Of the votes of the registered
ELECTORS qualified as herein specified, cast
at said election, at least one-half OF all
sthe registered voters voting upon the
ssauestion of such ratification; and II II
ashall, moreover, appear to Congress that
athe election was one at which all the
"resistered and qualified electors IN the
estate had nm opportunity to vote freely
sand without restraint, fear, or the lnnu
.sence of fraud and if Congress shall De
g satisfied that such constitution meets the
"approval of majority of the quaiinea
g electors in the State, and if the said con-
stitution shall be declared by Congress to
abe in conformity with the provisions OF
.sthe act to which this is supplementary,
"and the other provisions Of said act shall
shave been complied with, and the said
constitution shall be approved by Con-
.scress. the State shall be declared entitled
ato representation, and senators and repre-
asentatiyes shall be admitted therefrom as
"herein provided"
Now, it is safe to say that these condi-
tions have not been complied with in sin
ole instance. Congress, however, has be-
come the party anxious for the States to be
nominally at least in the Union; and the
southern people seem to have indicated that
thew would rather remain under military
rule than enter the Union upon degrading
conditions. So Congress now proposes to
~ -,
trust to the chapter of accidents for good
result.
The bill for the admission of Arkansas
does not purport to admit that State into
the Union, but merely to admit it to repre- |
sentation in Congress. The following is its
language:
"Whereas the people of Arkansas, in
pursuance of the provisions of an act .enti-
tied an act to provide for the more efficient |
government of the rebel States,' passed |
March 2, 1867, and the acts supplementary |
thereto, have framed and adopted Consti- |
tuition of State government which is repub- |
lican in form, and the Legislature of said !
State has duly ratified the amendment to
the Constitution of the United States pro-
posed by the Thirty ninth Congress and !
known as article fourteen; therefore
;'Be it enacted, That the State of Ar
kansas is entitled and admitted to repre- |
sentation in Congress as one OF the States Of
the Union upon the following fundamental |
condition-riz., That the Constitution of
Arkansas shall never be SO amended or
changed as to deprive any citizen, OF class
of citizens, of the right to vote who are en-
titled to vote by the Constitution herein re-
cognized, except as punishment for such
crimes as are now felonies ut common law,
whereof the party shall have been duly
convicted"
1t will be seen that this bill does not
involve the absurdity which some Journals
have said it does, of declaring that Ar
kansas is admitted into the Union because
she has ratified the constitutional amend
ment; for it certainly would have peeh
absurd to declare that State NOT IN tue
Union could ratify such IN amendment ou'
it says, as we have before remarked that the
State of Arkansas is admitted to represen-
tation in Congress. We imagine that this
form was used intentionally-not only to
avoid being guilty Of the absurdity alluded
70 h,,t also to avoid rousing any objection
IN the nart of those Republicans who hold
+hot the seeded States have never been out
~ the Union; and. above all, to avoid
decision on the part Of the Supreme Court
adverse to the constitutionality of the act
If admission. The Radicals are walking
in a path that mag lead them to political
perdition, and therefore they are endeayor-
ing to be circumspect.
Not having seen the bill which proposes
to take the whole South in at one swallow,
we cannot express any opinion as to its
merits or dement's. If, however, it is like
the one quoted above, its conditions, not
precedent but subsequent, are not worthy OF
consideration. There can be no such condi-.
tions of admission imposed upon any State.
Virginia will have the power to regulate the
right of suffrage for herself even under the
constitutional amendment which she is ex-
pected toratify. One section of that amend
ment is as follows:
SEcTIoS2. Representatives shall be APP
portioned among the several States accord
ing to their respective numbers, counting
the whole number Of persons in each State,
excluding Indians not taxed But when
the right to vote at any election for the
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