Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1868-07-20
v e T O..
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.
THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE BILL.
THE PRESiDENT-S OBJECTIONS TO
THE BILL.

been reorganlzed
To tAs Senate Of he rB;ted Stots.-I have
given to the joint resolution eniitlea "A reso-
luton excluding from the Electoral college
votes of States lately i'll rebellion which shall
hot have been reorganized,' as careful exami-
nation as have been able TO bastow upon the
subject during the few days that have inter
vened since the measure Wa. submitted for nv
approval
Feeling constrained to withhold my con.entI
herewith return the resolution TO the Senate
in winch house il originated. with q brief state
ment OF the reasons which have induced nv
action. This Joint resolution is based upon the
assumption that some OF the States, whose in.
habltants were lately In rebellion, are no, now
entitled to representation in Con gress, and TO
in the election OF President and
ice President OF the United States.
having heretofore had occasion to give i'll de-
tail my reasons for dissenting from this view,
Is NOT necessary at this lime 10 repeat them. 1t
Is snfficient 10 state that i continue strong in
my conviction that the acts OF secession.
by which a number of the States sought
To dissolve their connection with the other
States, and to subvert the Union, being unau-
thorized by the Constitution, and in direct yio-
lauon thereof. Were from the beginning abso-
lutely ull and void. 1t follow necessarily that
when the rebellion terminated the everal States
which had attempted to secede contin ued TO be
states III the Union; and all that was required
TO enable them to resume their relations To the
nion was that they should adopt the meas
ures necessary TO tn cir practical restoration a.
States. Such meas ures were adopted, and the
legitimate result was that tnose States having
conIoiI iIneo 10 All tne requirements OF the Con-
stitution, resumed their former relations, and
became entitled 20 the exercise of all the rights
guaranteed TO them by its provisions.
The Joint resolution under consideration
however, seems TO assume that by the insurrec-
tionary acts Of their respective inhabitants
those States forfeited their rights As such. and
can never again exercise them except
upon re-admission into the Union on the
hpn 4
poeition be correct, follows that they
We're taken ont OF the Union by viz
.ue Oh thelr acts OF secession; and hence that
the war Waged upon them was illegal ana IN
constitntional. We would thus be placed in
lits inconsistent attlluue-tEat while the war
% "as celhInencsu anu c;tITleu on upon the ols-
tinct INC erouho tnat tne S9ntherh states being
S' Polient pu u's oi the thioh, We're III REBEL
oi. asaIue. tle Id lui autnority oi tue United
'I Upon Is ~ ~te!inihatioh we resort 70
- 80 VI. VI SoheH o, uCt,on wien assum 'hat
Ia rnUed a. ,ar l' IA ', p", ina, ,ne war
ee w"eeu ior nc con hqu"st OF territories as.
9unieu o oe OUTSIDE OF the constitutional
CStoh
It Ne NO. ~ , ano n3hher o. Teceivihs and
VIC VIC rIeIiuent oI Lne Uhlteo states are IN plain
M ano siimrt 'erns prescrioeo Dy he Constlfu-
~ III Ia inSt uinsnt IMpefauNely requires
.Hat 'ue TresIoent Oh tue Ssnate 'shaiI IN the
plfsehce OF me senate anu Hous. OF Repre-
sehiati IeS, open All the cerlncatss, and the
No'es shail thrh oe counted" Congress has
lheIe.ore no power, under The Constitution, TO
-, .le al nuVes' or IeJect tnem. 1ne
49, Powei eAniHsteo WEen- IN tDe
p prsenSe % 'as Two hooses the votes are
". o. az" ~ iesuit oeciareu. In this
% pri;Ss,. % .h Sa, Gnu uuy oi tne
,,iS,' ~, ui ue ' senate aIv' u1Ger the Constl-
,n. :oi,1 r.sn;,,i,a aia 80 en, 'u,Ie.oIe;
- shait - ',s M ios @ .na' ~ eIStoIaI
tha, s,noa H. - % % %ooSASu ,roih SeIes
.,adon,aS f,o,.,;.,,. - -. o' noN0 uos
49, whScn So oS SS ,nm~enl ~
nr1ani,sd - ,,oar ss s suaii nave
go ,,aI.,PS ~ 80 ~ - - oee .AoN ~nicn v NO.
- Iur,S'inn ~. -. ~ CTnt ress, uniess upon tne
s..s -; - =. 20 ,s .,o C,"s1 toNeihMsn0 organ
80, a. 80 " ~" Vi 4d'ie"' io"'' "efe hie-
Ths 49, reso,,,,o,
conca5sS tba, ,nse ~ ,r ar AZ Io,sl-
- ~, .aa,,s. -; 20. w. .,'.tre " rue
&c. II. s. .io,. -. -, PIioi W M f,n oi MarCh,
s,e ect,on ~ pras,d. ~ y- ls1. 70 So-s IN .ne
JTnited S..tes 7, FoIio,, e;,ha, shas oi .ne
.s; S-oSes. 1. toiiows eitnef uat lais as
u suIn PtIon OF power Is Wholly Unauthorized by
-. ~ Sons;tu.loh, oI tnas Lhe States SO e1cluded
.son sos eiSout VI Tue mon oyreAson OF
.ae,s sne hTn. ahu nay never oteh giumsteiy
Iuuy satsheu tnat tney were
49, oSt y. 're Hion; aho lnat their feiauons
hereto ha1e o~n legally and eonstltutionally
49, raa,n,1o n 10 'Ee conc.u:on tnat ine
Jonu, ~ 80 u. , "nicu oePnvce tnem OF tne
p.;dn, sne,l 'ooes @ ior nrssioent ana Sfcs
- -, r~.;,,: ~ o ~ " ~ - tSu, - Al connict
~ ~ ors ,on-ar 80 -. s - ~ a., Sonsie nf'e
OF ;h. Staies yyhicb have aesn nuitorn in0ss
~ -, IN Esdars, TnIan nave oe1h uniformly ioyA
m i. worthv ~ =. nsrk ,b,, :, IN. S,.,..
,.har. ,~b. 49,, .,na. . ~ 'ne o.ftes Sue,
-. Ia.aI,~ - ..sy aosenIy III reoeiiio1
"a ,astorS y, 1 ~ ,i.utonahy VisanNeu
49, Sus. W 'I1u iieu.s PIIoi 10 tne ftn OF
-. ino,;., i sasheo .uey We1e' tne
al.iy,;o~ 90 pras,a,a.. 10y We. uo, ~ WHICH lns
ha ha,5 ,hara,,, s.,'., - -, a M euent can
w ieiu eieIu i NUS DC oeriVeu from tne tok-
.tnushS nsu'u.eo VeioIe tnat perloo. IL
80 ' ,s ma, So. al sn. $40 Ho oxeIhnents
e ia nus Statee uneer AZ OF congress
20 .oi Ia. puI pose, ano unier Ini;itary eontrol,
nie ~, @ anu oi no EaiuitJ Whateveii
s ia 'n". We" Ee 'otes cast IN those STATES
20 iie-iucn' "uu y iesiuent III pursuance
~. 80 paseeo en.Se 'ue atn oi March: loof' ana
~ VI" . NJ. NJ W INC 80 csuieo re-construeuon
az % oi %Oonkrss, oannot ps IegaLy received
So. ,hn, ~e II ams ohiy Notes III Nose
~iiI -. no ,hose e'n -, =, Gas. ane Iouhied
.ora' ~ y -, ~ -, - 9 a ~ u1nCc u VI ne avs III
80, r.. En.eI ~ Sea'e. Piior 70 the ieHlsia-
ssDnn.y ~ ~ Co"sieSs "Poh Tue suoJec' u recon-
a. Sano' IA iIon ulISctIne youi sPeclaI
;a,. .on r'a,, - o nc, aion Sonaneo an me
hahi,.U,s ars Ia,.,n s,; snu SS wnose
nn.t.pn,. NJ rn W. IN IsDeHIon Snail De
uu ~ toh III lns Liectorai Ooi.
~; Nc. ~ - meant oy tnls oeciaratlon
teat NO SCte - 70 Or aiiov veu 70 Note for fresi-
uehi aho wee fIei iueht, az OF whose lnnaol-
as mt WeIe ensaSeu IN tne ia.s Iepeihon, IL ~
aPpafeh. tnat NO one OF the States Will be eA-
GUIDED from Young, since IL Is weli-known
MAJ IN every Sou,nerh State mere were many
pare IN me rebellion, but who ac-
tualiy took part ia ITS suppression,
or reIrnned from giving Il any aid or counte-
nance. 1 therefore conclude that the true
meaning OF the iolnt resolution Is, that no
State Porfic~ OF whose inhabitants were en-.