The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1869-04-16
Friday Evening, April 10, 1859.
WHAT OONsTITUTEs A STATE


We have already spoken OF the amend
ment of Senator Morton to the OIL "u'horl2
inc the President to submit to vote OF the
people Of Mississippi Texas and Virginia
ho constitutions heretofore framed by their
,ssoeetive conventions but there lie still an.
other point of view from which it may be
considered. The amendment provides that
before either Of the states named shall be
admitted to representation in Congress
their several legislatures which may be
hereafter lawfully organized, shall ratfy the
fifteenth article which has been proposed by
Congress to the several states as an amend.
ment TO the constitution of the United
States" The preteIt, for it can not DC
called an argument, upon which C""t'''
has based its right to exclude The ''"''' ."
the South from representatio1 nus 0,," ~"
there were no legally organized civil gov
ernrets therein asserting that the govern
,,o,.. o..0,;,oj under the provisional gov.
saoi,ted by Johnson, had no legal
er;s,epce for the want OF authority on the
r.,, of,he President to authorize them, 1t
VA, contended that only Congress could
breathe the breath Of civil existence into
those suicidnliy dead states, and for this a
purpose that body put forth its miraculous
power of reconstruction. According to the .
various acts Of reconstruction when any OF 4
these Southern state corpses chose conVeh' II
ton 10 form a constitution and thatlconsttu. Il
ton was republican in form, and was after. .
wards ratified by q majority of the registered
voters, who wero also to be Republican as s
far ne possible, that should be considered as o
the patent of q new life to such commune. u
IL. But the amendment Of Mr.. Morton ~
spreads more than a sepulchrAl gloom il
around the question, when these dead Laza. II
ruses Of states shall feel authorized to y
breathe and throw off the habiliments of the =
grave. il
We have been taught that so soon as they p
should organize civil governments, that is, II
have constitution republican in FORM =
and legislative and executive officers, they 81
would Immediately become living states and y,
cease to be dead ones But the Morton le
amendment requires them to perform feat g
which in ordinary course of things would be
impossible, though under the new dispense m
ion from Washington may be found easy. III
They are required to ratfy, as states Of the az az
a. II I l.,.t I.r a.
can either ratify or reject they are required III
% have lawfully organized legislatures J
Ia other words these states are to have a o
sort Of fictitious or conditional life given TO HI
them on condition that 80 soon as they re al
aeiye it they shall stuItiiy their own cXis. q
,euce and record, as their own, the will OF ~
Congress, and in case they fail to do this se
they are 10 forfeit the life thus abused and III
relapse into dead state. Ii they become A.
states at all, they are entitled as a matter of a.
right to representation III Congress, and the q,
exercise Of thia right cannot be made to de. b
pend upon the will Of Congress. Radical "
ism has heretofore sought refuge from this !,
axiom in our government, behind the subtcr II
tugc that the seceding states destroyed their r
civil governments and lost their existence IN
Us states, and that Congressional action was -
necessary to give them civil existence. And +,
now comes the further doctrine that after q
they have gone through all the processes of "
Congressional reorganization, and have n ."e
legislature and executive officers lawfully L.
chosen, they may lose their existence, at +,
least their rights states unless they record o
as a state enactment "a resolution Nf Con I
gress.