Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1868-02-05
RECONSTRUCTION.
GREAT SPEECH OF GOV. MORTON
IR the Senate of the United
States, January II, IS6S.
SUPPLEMENTARY RECONSTRUCTION BILL.


States, January "a, IS6S.
SUPPLEMENTARY RECONSTRUCTION BILL.
The President pro tsmpore. The NOR.
ming hour having expired, the urfin-
ished business of yesterday is the or.
der of the day, being the bill II. R.
No. 1897, additional and supplement
tary to an act entitled "An act to pro.
vide for the more efficient government
of the rebel States" passed March .,
1867, and the acts supplementary there
to, which is now before the Senate.
Mr.. Howard. Before we proceed to
the consideration of hatsubiect. / ask
the consent of the Senate to call up a
resolution of inquiry which was passed
by the Senate yesterday, but as to
which motion was made to reconsid-
er. l ask that the order Of the day
be laid aside informally for that pur-
pose.
Tbs President pro tenpors. If it is
the expression of the Senate that that
resolution may be taken up without
objection, it is before the Senate and
will be read.
Mr.. Grimes. Oh, n9 that will take
time.
The President pro smpors. Is there
objections?
Mr.. Grimes. Yes.
The President pro tenpors. Obiec
ton being made, it cannot be consid-
cred now. The order of the day is be-
fore the Senate, and the Senator from
Indiana, (Mr. Morton) is entitled to
the floor.
Mr.. Morton. Mr.. President, if h ad
not been referred 10 by my honorable
friend from Wisconsin (Mr. Doolittle)
in the debate yesterday, | should not
desire to speak on this question, espe-
ciallE at this time. fear that l shall
NOT have the strength to say what I
wish to.
THE ISSUE.
The issue here to-day is the same
which prevails throughout the country,
which will be the issue of this canvass,
and perhaps for years to come. To re-
peat what have had occasion to say
elsewhere, it is between two paramount
ideas, each struggling for the suprems-
cy. One is, that the war to suppress
the rebellion was right and Just on our
part; that the rebels forfeited their civil
and political rights, and can only be
restored to them upon such conditions
as the nation may prescribe for its
future safety and prosperity. The 9TH
er idea is that the rebellion was not
sinful, but was right; that those en-
gagged in it forfeited no rights, civil or
political, and have a right to take
charge of their State Governments, and
be restored to their representation in
Congress Just as if there had been no
rebellion and nothing had occurred
The immediate issue before the Senate
now is between the existing State Gov
ernments established under the policy
of the President of the United States,
in the rebel States, and the plan of
reconstruction presented by Congress.
When a surveyor first enters a new
territory he endeaYors to ascertain the
exact latitude and Longitude of a Civ
en- spot, and from that can safely begin
his survey; and so will endeavor to
ascertain a proposition in this debate
upon which both parties are agreed,
and start from that proposition. That
proposition is, that st the end of the
war, in the spring of 1865, the rebel
States were without State Governments
of any kind. The loyal State Govern
ments existing at the beginning of the
war had been oFertaFned by the rebels,
the rebel State Governments erected
during the war had been overturned
by our armies, and at the end of the
war there wereno governments OF any
kind existing in those States. This
fact was recognized distinctly by the
President of the United States, in his
proclamation, under which the work
of reconstruction was commenced in
North Carolina in 1866, to which 1 beg
leave to refer. The others were mere
copies of this proclamation. In that
proclamation he says:
"And whereas, the rebellion which
has been waged by a portion of the
people of the United States against the
properly constituted authorities of the
Government thereof, in the most vic.
lent and revolving form, but whose Or
ganized and armed force have now been
almost entirely overcome, has in its
revolutionary progress deprived the
people of the State OF North Carolona
of all civil government"
Here the President must be allowed
to speak for his party, and shall ac-
cept this as a proposition agreed upon
on both sides: That at the end of the
war there were no governments o. any
kind existing in those States. I
The fourth section Of the fourth ar
ticle of the Constitution declares that |
''the United States shall guarantee to |
every State in this Union a republican l
form of government" This provision /
contains a vast, underlined power that |
has never yet been ascertained-a great
supervisory power given to the United |
States to enable them to keep the (
States in their orbits, TO preserve them /
from anarchy, revolution and rebellion. |
The measure of power thus conferred |
upon the Government of the United |
States, can only be determined by that |
which is requisite to guarantee or main
tain in each state legal and repubii-
can form of government. Whatever |
power, therefore, may be necessary to |
enable the Government of the United |
States thus to maintain in each State 1
a republican form of government is /
conveyed by this provision.
Now, Mr.. President, when the war
ended and these States were found |
without governments Of any kind, the !
jurisdiction of the United States, un-
der this provision of the Constitution, !
at once attached the power to reor-
ganize State Governments, to use the |
common word, to reconstruct, to main
tain and guarantee republican State |
in those States, at once
attached under this provision. Upon |
this proposition there is also a concur
renee of the two parties. The Presi- |
dent has distinctly recognized the ap-
plication of this clause of the Consti-
tuition. He has recognized the fact |
that its jurisdiction attached when |
those States were found without repub.
licsn State Governments, and he him |
self claimed to act under this clause of
the Constitution. will read the pre-
amble of the Presidents proclamatien:
Whereas, the fourth section of the |
fourth article of the Constitution of |
the United States declares that the
United States shall guaranty to every |
State in the Union republican form Of
and shall protect each of
them against invasion end domestic
violence; and whereas, the President
Of the United States is by the Consti-
tuition made Commander-in-Chief of
the Army and Navy, as well as chief
civil executive officer of the United |