The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-03-31
Old Thad. stevens Again Declares
shat he Acts Outside the COMstitu.

shat lie ACTS OUTSIDE INC SONsSltu'
zion.
In the House, Saturday, Mr.. Stevens,
OF Pennsylvania, rose at the clerks desk,
and said : Mr.. Speaker, desire to say q
few words in reference to the condition OF
this bill. Some time ago Congress passed
an act authorizing Alabama and other
waste territories of the United States tc
form constitutions, if possible, so as to
make them fit to associate with civilized
communities. 1t gave them. certain
length of time for the purpose Of doing so
II was provided, whether wisely or I'm.
wisely it is not for me to say, that the
State of Alabama and the other States,
after having all their voters registered,
should require majority of all the regis
tered voters to adopt such constitutions.
Unfortunately, Alabama did not find a
majority TO come up to the law which had
been passed. 1t failed of that majority
tx a considerable number. The House
had seen this difficulty before it finally
happened, and had passed an act giving
power TO these States to act with a
bare majority, according to our majo-
rity principle. The Senate, however,
and hence arises all our trouble-with
wisdom which has characterized 1t far
above this House in many just such disas-
trous issues, let that bill lie upon the table
over two months, although urged to take
il no and pass it before the vote Of Ala
bama took place. That vote took place,
and only a minority of the registered
voters voted for the Constitution. Hence
it is that we are now called upon either to
reject this State or to violate our own ena-
bling act, which allowed it to enter upon
certain conditions. There is nothing that
prevents US from violating that act, if we
deem it prudent. I am often reminded
by gentlemen around me-Some- very wise
and some otherwise laughter that nave
said more than once that all this Is outside
Of the Constitution. He is " otherwise !"
who thinks that assertion is not true.
Laughter among the Democrats.1 This
very proceeding shows that. this House
believes that it is acting not according 70
the forms Of the Constitution, which found
no such cases of lapsed territory to be
formed into communities and brought into
the nation. When West Virginia was in
troduced land ] first made that declara-
,iou) it was admitted by majority Of
the House, on the ground that it had
gone through with the forms of the
Constitution in acquiring the consent
of both States, while one bad ceased
to exist long before, and the other one ex-
listed in Ohio. Laughter. And voted
for the admission of that State, but | was
not going to make either fool or q k ma e
of myself, and to say that voted for it
under the Constitution, or that / dld not
know what was voting for. I held then,
as hold now, that, having conquered that
territory from another power "a power re-
cognized as an independent belligerent by
all the sovereign nations of the earth, by
ourselves as well as others), we had q right
to treat it as such, and to take it in or
keep it out, as we pleased. I said then
that the Constitution had nothing to do
with it. But would inform my learned
friends from the bushes laughter that
while l speak of being outside the Consti-
tuition, do not mean that the Constitu-
ton does not recognize the law of nations,
and the law of nations recognizes the con-
qQering power to do with conquered terri