New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1868-07-21
SOUTH CAsOu@ LEGISLATURE AT WORK
MARKETS, RIVER NEWS. ETC
CONGRESS.


Bill over the YetO-SOuthern Senators |
Voting with the IaiOrity-VInnie |
Ream HestOred-MOre Southern Kep-
observation-disclosures of the Electoral |
College Bill In the House.
WASHINGTON, July 20.-Eetoing the elec. |
toral college bill, the President maintains |
that the Southern States were never out of |
the U2ion, and asserts that they were
practically and constitutionally restored
previous to March, 1867. Narrating
the provisions OF the Constitution, the
President says the joint resolution, by i'm.
plcatlon at least, comedies that these States
were States by virtue of their organization
prior to the fourth of March, 1867, but de-
nies to them the right to vote in the eleC,
ton of President and Vice President of the
United States. 1t follows either that this
| assumption of power is wholly unauthor-
| lied by the Constitution, or that the States
so excluded from voting were out of the
| Union by reason of the rebellion, and
| have never been legitimately restored.
Being fully satisfied that they were never
| out of the Union, and that their relations
have been legally and COnstitutionally re-
| stored, am forced to the conclusion that
the joint resolution which deprives them
! of their right to have their vote for
| President and Vice.PrGsident received and
counted is in conflict with the Constitution,
| and that Congress has no more power to re-
| ieCt their votes than those of the States
which have been uniformly loyal to the
| Federal Union. 1t is worthy of remark
that if the States whose Inhabitants were
recently in rebellion were legally and con-
stitutionally organized, and restored to their
rights prior to the fourth Of March, 1867, as
am satisfied they were, the only l5-
gitimate authority under which the election
for President and Vice President can be held
therein must be derived from the govern
ments instituted before that period
1t clearly follows that all the State GOV
ernmen5s organized in those SJlte5 uudec
the act Of Congress for tn purpose, and
under military control, are illeeitimate and
OF no validity whatever: aud in that view
the vote cast in tho States FOR President
aud Vica-President in pursuance of acts
passed since the fourth Of March, 1861, and
IN ObedjeGCe 10 he sO-Gal,eo reconstruction
acts OF Congrcs- can not be legally received
and coCgted, while the only votes in those
STA IS that can be legally cast and counted
viii be those cast in puf's anre Of the laws
iu force n the several States prior 10 the
legislation by COngrcs- upon the subject OF
reCons rue ion.
The p esidedt proceeds TO 1e that
while t-e people Of the Southern State :
were not in rebellion, some people of the
No. thora States were n rebellion, ana thai
the ac5 for exclusion applies log CSlly
The massage concludes: If Congress were
to provide by law that the votes Of none of
the States should be received and counted
cal sentiment with majority Of the two
houses, such legislation would at once be
condemned By the country as az unConsti-
tuuonal and revolutionary usurpation Of
power. 1t would however, be exceedingly
difficult to find in the Constitution any more
authority for the passage Of the Joint rcsolu-
tion under consideration than Tor an enact
, ment looking directly tU the rejection Of all
votes not in accordance with the political
preference of majority of Congress. No
, power exists in the Constitution authorizing
, the Joint reeolution OF the supposed law,
the only difference being that one would be
: more palpably unconstitutional and revolu-
) tionaTy than the other. Both would rest
upon the radical error that Congress has the
, power to prescribe terms and conditions
: to the right of the people of the States to
cast their votes for President and Vice
President.
WASHINGTON, July 20.-Seadt5-The rights
ofnaturalized citizens abroad were discussed
all day, interruptedsonly by the reading OF
the Presidents veto message and the pass
age of the electoral college bill over the
veto by forty.fvel to eight--the southern
Senators, except Poole, VINO was aosen''
The Senate then went into executive se5-
sinrl and adjourned.
H1ilse-The credentials of Lush, from
North Carolina, and Bowen, from south
Carolina, were referred to the Election
Committee.
Jones presented bill extending the pro.
visions Of the law of July, f. 1864, limiting
the jurisdiction Of the Court of Claims over
North Carolina. Referred to the judiciary
Committee.
Winnie Ream was restored TO her studio
in the capitol by resolution.
Mr, Eldridge, OF Wisconsin, asked leave to
offer resolution requesting the Secretary
Of War to communicate to the House the
names of persons nsundersentenee OF military
, commission or courts martial at the Dry
Tortugas, the crimes with which such per
sons are charged, and the names of persons
in confinement by order Of military commits
siOns at Atlanta Georgia, ana charleston,
South Carolina.
Mr.. Schofeld, Of pennsylvania, objected,
and Mr.. Eldridge withdrew the resoi9tion' on