The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1868-06-23
cases unanimously. and in oil by a

81 AlSI0aMhS couSiueraDle ODJectlOn
in the House to the admission of
Florida. urged by some 8on the
groand that the Governor had the
appointing Of nearly all the State
officers, and hence that the Constitu-
tion was not Republican; that it
created 800 officers, with aggregate
salaries of nearly $SOO,00O per
annum, &c.; but Mr.. Bingham's
appeal to admit Florida as necessary
to secure the adoption of tho four
teenth amendment. presented view
of the caee which partisans could
appreciate. The motion to strike
out Florida was lost by vote of SO
to 45, and the bill including Florida
was passed by the solid Republican
vote. In regard to Georgia, Con-
gress went behind the Constitution
adopted by that State, and required
her to strike out the provisions in
her Constitution preventing the en-
forcement OF contracts made prior to
June, 1865. In cases where the time
fixed by the Constitution of any
State for the assembling of its Lee
gislature shall nave passed, the
Legislature is required by the bill to
convene within twenty days after the
time this Act takes effect, unless the
Governor shall sooner convene tho
same. Within ten days after the
President receives official information
of the ratification of the fourteenth
amendment by the Legislatures of
either of the States, he is to issue
proclamation announcing that fact
The bill for the admission of Ar
kansas having been already passed,
there are now seven Southern States
reconstructed. OF the remainder,
Virginia completed her Constitution
on the 17th of April, but the election
for its ratification has not yet been
ordered. In Mississippi, the Consti-
tuition was adopted on the 18th of
May, and the election on it takes
place June %. In Texas, the "Con-
stitutional Convention" met on the
1st of June, and as its labors are
just fairly begun, the formality of
vote on its ratification is not expect
ed until some time in the fall. It
may be added here, that there is II
bill before the House for the division
of Texas into three States be
named Texas, East Texas and South
Texas. The State has an area of
more than three times the extent of
the six New Englnd States, but its
population, slave and free, in 1860,
little exceeded 100000. It is doubt
full whether the division will take
place at present, or until party pur-
poses shall render it necessary.
Looking only to the seven South
ern States now provided for by the
admission of Arkansas and the pass
age of the reconstruction bill, we
may expect, probably before the ad-
journment of Congress-, fourteen
Senators, making Senate of sixty
six, and irty-eight Representatives.
who, by the short cut of reconstruc-
ton, have arrived at official honors
and dignities which others have
devoted the best years and labors of
their lives to attain. The new South
ern officials, both Federal and State,
will be mostly made up of persons
from other States, or Of ex-Confe-
derates whose disabilities have to be
removed by Congress, some Of whom
were among the most ultra of the
original advocates of secession. But
it has been already indicated in that
body, that conversion to radicalism
atones for all past offences. The
real object of the measures fastening
the admission of the Southern States
is to obtain their electoral votes in
the coming Presidential election,
which ore counted upon as certain
through the same agencies which
have already been employed in carry
ing their Constitutions.
The total number of votes in the
electoral college, when all these
States are admitted, is 317, of which
159 are necessary to q choice. Of
these Alabama has 8 electoral votes,
Arkansas S, Florida 3, Georgia 8,
Louisiana 7, Mississippi 7, North
Carolina 8, South Carolina 6, Texas
6, Virginia 10. Here are 70 votes,
leaving only 80 votes to be obtained
from the Northern and Western
States, to elect the radical candidates.
It may thus happen that minority
of little more than one-third of the
Northern electoral vote, aided by the
colored vote of the South, will elect
President, and the same minority
alliance of whites and blacks may
L. -. l. 4 ~