The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1868-06-11
The Admission of .he southern states.


The following is the text of the bill for the
admission of Arkansas as it was finally set
tied by the conference committee of the two
Houses of Congress and afterwards passed:
Whereas, The people of Arkansas, in pur-
suance of the provisions of an act entitled
San act for the more efficient government of
the rebel States" passed March 2, 1867, and
the acts supplementary thereto, have framed
and adopted constitution of State govern
ment which is republican in form, and the
\ Legislature of said State has duly ratified the
amendment to the Constitution of the United
States, proposed by the Thirty-Ninth Con-
gress and known as Article 14th; therefore,
Be 1t enacted by the SENATE and House of Rep
resentGtlUeS of the United States of america, an
Congress assembled, That the State of Arkan-
sas is entitled and admitted to representation
in Congress as one of the States of the Union
upon the following fundamental condition:
That the Constitution of Arkansas shall never
be so amended or changed as to deprive any
citizen or class of citizens in the United States
OF the right to vote who are entitled to vote
by the Constitution herein recognized, except
as punishment for such crimes as are now
1elonIes at common law, whereof they shall
have been duly convicted under laws equally
applicable to all the inhabitants of said State;
provided, that any alteration of said consti-
tuition, prospective in its effect, may be made
In regard to time and place of residence of the
voters.
The dispute between the two Houses was
solely with reference to the fundamental con-
dit.on, the Representatives having at first in
sisted upon more severe restrictions upon the
right of the State to change the constitution,
and it is somewhat significant that the Senate
objected to this restriction that it would pre-
vent the States enlarging the franchise here
after and admitting women to the polls. But
this quarrel over fundamental condition is
hardly worth white, f,r- ts 10 practioaay
lily, the government reserving no authority to
compel compliance with it's terms after the
State is once admitted to representation.
The ten States that seeded from the Union
now belong to five distinct classes as respects
their progress in reconstruction.
Tennessee was admitted to representation
upon fulfilling the condition first proposed to
all the States by Congress-the ratification of
the 14th constitutional amendment
Second, Alabama has framed satisfactory
constitution, which has been ratified by an
overwhelming majority of the number of votes
thrown, and has elected Representatives to
Congress, State officers and legislator e, but
majority of the registered voters having abb
sented themselves from the polls when the
vote was taken, the State is not embraced in
the Omnibus bill" for the admission of North
and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and
Louisiana which is now pending.
Third, the States last men toned under>a
law requiring only majority of the votes
thrown to ratify their constitutions, are in
position to be admitted on the same terms as
Arkansas, except that they have not ratified
the 14th constitutional amendment They
will probably he admitted at once
Fourth, Mississippi and Virginia have form
ed their constitutions, but the elections for
their ratification have not yet been held
Fifth, Texas has only got so far as the as
sembling of a convention to form constitu-
ton.