The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1869-12-22

| Massachusstts admits that Georgia 10 State
the ~. .sSs sss h. o as' 1o
proposes 10 inteffsre. Who 10 TO Judge wnsn
the laws Of Estate Legislature ere such e 20
s.. cSn:l... ~. 81 Vsapp.s
and spprevs or Gisspprovs % then q pleas.
oysrrid su any act o. sss.. Issisisssts Il i
the greatest Of all heresies 70 claim thss Uon.
sress has the power TO revise the ae, s o. sssts
nuisa,eS Ssiors ,his tine, Il vas not his privi.
legc to hear II. This hsiesy now cm.nates
from The brais Of the gentlemsn from Massa-
ssss. IL II: ps:. sssoa in hi. matter o.
'e III, voonSss; ehsn submi,ted an arsuhsn,
az. an IN; "a sSppors Of hat
| he Quoted from orders ofmilitsry mandsrs
| who have CON aadsd In that district.
him MT Ea Il. swhs M as moss pas.
| lag the bill was, a. was indicated By General
Batisr 10. his opening speech, becsuae crimes
and and Il was hoped that this Bill would put an
end to these crimes. IL this was avslid reason
\ for reconstructing state, he doubted whether
co SEQ easS ss 70 ss come IN To-
share Of reconstruction. This bill was mon
strous In Its Intentions and purposes, and IN.
now propo.ed, the liberties OF the people
would be destroyed, and representative gov.
| ernment would be mere shan, delusion.
The biiIin its scope and operation was cal.
who he [Eldridgel did not believe they would
suSmis t. much ionse would soon AK ne
GonSr... r s%s sl ST power i hsa u.apsd Fss
usurpations Of Congress we're becoming o. .
character to demand the most decisive action
| on the part OF the people. The Supreme court
had already been 'hedged about, and It had
been insultinHly called here q supcrannuated
body. The House was also repeatedly en-.
tives Of the Senate, and now this blu comes
in osteusibly to meet tho case Of Georgia, but
really to have an affect upon the whole ooun.
| try BY forcing the adoption OF the fifteenth
amendment.
Mr.. Oex, OF N. Y, said the pending measure
vas called bill 70 promote the rseonstrue-
| tion OF the State OF Georgia; but IL seemed to
him that this was solecism. IfGeorgis was
| state Of the Union, reeonstruetfon was
neither necessary nor proper. II IL 10 not =
| State the bill 10 absurd, IS there eau be no
Legislature 20 meet, and consequently no
| legislative action to be passed upon BY Con.
sress. In his opinion tae whole object and
forcing the ratification Of the nfteenth amend.
ment to the Constitution: Referring to the
course that Congress had pursued In these
rseonstruetlon measures, and especially the
bill now pending, Mr.: Cox said II was the very
gospel OF anarchy and the philosophy Of desc
iation, and worse than secession. Was 1t for
all this that 80 many battles were fought
during years Of blood and war IL u . conse-
quence Of the late war that We are to have a
precedent that all the States OF the Union may
The gentleman from Massachusetts Mr..
ButlsrIlu his opening speech upon this bill,
made use Of two kinds OF argument, one to the
lect, and the other to tie n,iseriss Of the PEG.
PIE, when he spoke OF murders and robberies,
and other wrongs. He did not think there
ment as had thus been INDUCED In. with 70.
gard to Governor Bullock, Mr.. Cox said II
had been well said that he seemed to have
gress, and urge the passage OF this bill. II
was AremarkAble spectacle inst the Soyernoi
OF sovereign state should DC found SO anx'
while he 10 going about the country eogaged
in speculations Of various descriptions.
But It 10 said that Georgia 4. 10 state OF
exactly what 10 the easus bell. 10 IL because
negroes have been excluded from the Legisia.
tufs and white men have oesn sllowed 70 take
iS for he adoption o. the fifteenth amend.
ment by the State OF Georgia. IL thats the
object, why not do at once as distinguishd
itsry power, and put the amendment through
At the point OF the bsyonet That was All II
seemed'to him, this bill was intended TO do;
all this WAS for the purpose Of maintaining a
ofdeorsia. II appeared to him a. though the
10 tho State. II was charged against aeorgii
that she had made distinction, and had dis
eliminated against certain portions Of heI
population. but II that rule was to operate,
other States ought to be reconstructed. Mas
sachusetts, for Instance, makesa distinction
and requires that all her voters shall read ant
write. But for this cause would 1t be prope
to reconstruct the State of Massachusetts
God and the pilgrim fathers forbid II. He 70
peated that the whole object and purpos,
seemed to be the adoption OF the Fifteenth
amendment, and the excuse that the negro hat
been excluded from the legislature was
nero subterfuge. The bill, too, was full Of cos
prised that this House should entertain it
1t was a bill prepared BY 8 party tina
claimed to be a peace party, W lille 1t was cal
was subversion and destruction Of the Who'll,
order OF our Government, and he was sur
prised to sec the gentleman from Massachu
iss. s sSfG HsS,. 81 the ststss '0"n 'n
Md ths fpsnalns bill INV Without rs,fSeng III
HsS' Es's .d aSSsa to p S
this legislation was 10 conflict with all pas
D legislation GU the subject, 1t was In connio
tae 9,Pinssa 81 y, W. &c
i him and postpone the bill, instead Of bein
: for discussion and in the heat Of passion ,whe
) BY a few weeks delay II might Be decided b.
, reason. He agreed with Mr.. Butler, that mui
i gis, and he stood ready to advocate any mesi
1re for equal protection OF all classes Of citi
zens, black and white, but the bill before VI
D will not accomplish that end.
II 10 gratuitous to make an appeal OF tina
| sort to the House, and 1t 10 equally gratuitou
, | TO attempt to bring In the President's messag
. And saw that he Is In favor of this meAsur
! and urged Congress to enact II. There wa
q nothing In the Presidents message that aske
. | Congress to pass bill forcing the members O
the Georgia Legislature to take the test-osth
', All that the President meant was that III
! oaths under the fourteenth amend me mt to tn
i Constitution should be enforced. What doe
he mean by talking OF equal rights II he me an
: | 10 Appiy one oath to the members OF the Legii
r | iature or 0eorgiA and another to the men
o hers OF the Virginia and Mississippi Legislf
turesj The President meant no such thing a
v An enforce mept OF the test-oath, Tho Ia,
here proposed was not worthy Of a moment
cou,iderstion BY this Housei and for one, n
n matter what party diotntion may say,
4 | should record his vote against the BILL for h
i denied the right Of Coukress TO pass q la,
j. which aid not Affect only the state Of aeorgi,
but the eopje OF the whole Republic
a Va aid mi Know What authoritv 1oyerno
Rniioet had to nsk for the nuthority mai
WAS proposed to confer by this act, an
thouxht II enye him entirely loo much move
ia VA moi reouirsd To convene Inc I,eaisll
/. tnge M nny speoifed time, but under the hi
: couid DO so when he pie ascd and might della
h It for a year II he was disposed to do so. NJ
p,ngh m than referred To the reoon at IL n n