Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-12-28


record that fair-minded men every where
may see what honor there is in the leaders
of the Republican party. Mr.. Bingham
said:
''The bill he said, was in conflict with
every letter Of the past legislation of Con-
gress on the subject of reconstruction
with the express order of the President
when he was General of the army, acting
under the law of reconstruction in 1868 in
relation to Georgia; with the utterapces
of the Attorney General of the United
States in reference to Virginia, under the
operation of all our reconstruction acts,
and with all the past legislation of Con-
gress, and of the Interpretation of the
constitution. We are asked to decide a
| question by passion which ought to be de-
clded in the light of the calm tenn
per of reason and under the OBJ
legations of an oath. This bill affords no
additional protection tC any man, white
or black. 1t is gratuitous to attempt to
bring to the support of this measure the
recommendation of the President The
speaker happened to know that there was
single line in the Presidents Message
which he never intended to be there, and
which he does not stand by to-day; the
line which refers to the imposition of the
oath enioined by the reconstruction acts
on members of the Legislature. The
whole context of the message shows that
what he meant was the imposition of the
oath required by the third section of the
fourteenth amendment. The recOnstruc-
ton act of the I'd of March, 1867, which
underlies the entire legislation, en-
Joins also the oath of qualification re-
quired by the third section of the four
teenth amendment. Commenting on the
section which allows the army and navy
to be placed in the control of the Gov
ernor, BIr. Bingham said: The law is
not worthy Of a moments consideration,
and for one, no matter what party dicta-
ton may say, l stand here to say that
shall record my vote against it. 1t does
not become the representatives Of the
people to be dragooned in any such man
ner into legislation, touching not merely
the rights of the people of Georgia, but
the rights of all the people of the Repub-
lie. l deny the right of Congress to lay
executive power of national law at the
feet of State Executive, to be exercised
at his discretion. Congress is bound to
execute its own laws through its own
officials"
Mr.. Farnsworth's protest was equally
as strong as that of Mr.. Bingham. But
party necessity demanded that Congress
should break its plighted faith to the
people of Georgia, and the work was
done. A State that was restored to the
Union in accordance with the reconstruc-
ton acts of Congress, and recognized by
that body as having been restored by the
admission of Representatives from that
State, has now by Congress been re-
manded to territorial condition, that it
may be again reconstructed in the in
terests of the Radical party. The revo-
lutionary cabal having succeeded in dis
mantling one sovereign State, the work
of demolition is to 60 on. At the last
session of Congress a bill was passed to
enable Virginia, Mississippi and Texas
to get back into the Union,
precedent to which these provinces
were to perform an act which
only a State could perform-that
is, to ratify the proposed fifteenth amend
ment 10 the constitution of the United
States. The election in Virginia under
this enabling act having resulted in the
choice of a Conservative Republican for
Governor and a majority of Democrats
and Conservatives TO the Legislature, At
torney General Hoar was appealed to and
gave it as his opinion that these members
were not required to take the ''irOn-clad
oath" The Legislature organised under
this opinion, ratified the fifteenth amend
ment, and elected as United States Senators
gentlemen who were decidedly not of the
Radical faith The State had thus COM
piled with the requirement imposed by
Congress, and the faith of that body was
pledged 10 admit her Senators and Repre-
sentatives, but this pledge has not been
redeemed, and the indications are that
we are to have another case Of bad faith
on the part Of Congress. The Judiciary
Committee Of the Senate, it is true, has
reported a resolution declaring Virginia 10
have complied with all the necessary con
ditions, and to be entitled to representa-
ton, but on the 22d inst. Mr.. Sumner in
trOduced bill TO carry out the reconstruc-
ton acts in that State, ''and to secure
equality before the law" and said he
should at the proper time move
It as substitute for the resO-
luton of the Judiciary Committee.
This bill alleges various Irregular
ties and defects in the organization of the
present Legislature, and declares the ex-
isting State government to be provisional
only, and in all respects subject to the
aulnOTllN u Tic OlllLCu DtatCS. i uC ulll
directs the military commander of the
first district to assemble, within thirty
days, the persons elected as members of
the Legislature, but none shall participate
in It's organization or business without
taking the oath of July 2, 1852. Upon
the ratification of the fifteenth amend
ment by the Legislature thus organized,
the State shall be admitted to representa-
ton in Congress upon the funds-
mental conditions that the constitu-
ton of Virginia shall never be amended
so as 10 deprive any citizen of the right to
vote, hold Office, sit upon juries, partici-
pate equally in the school fund, or to en-
Joy equal personal rights with all others
under like circumstances. Amendments
may, however, be made in regard to time
and place of residence of voters. The
sole purpose of this bill is to place the
control of Virginia again in the hands of
the Radicals. Party necessity demands
this second sacrifice of plighted faith, and