The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1869-04-10
CoNGExE1ss sI-1TAL.
xb1st COxGRGss-F.RsT SESSION.
sENATE..........--wA wAsHrNeroN. April 9.

Morton offered an additional sec
tion to his resolution that before these
STATES be represented IN Congress,
their Legislatures shall adopt the FIf-
teenth Amendment.
TrumbulI did not think it wise to
adoDt this section. Congress had
already. with great deliberation, pass
ed several acts prescribing the condl-
tinns of reconstruction, and several
States had complied with these condi-
tions and been admitted to a repre-
septation. and for Congress now to
imnose additional conditions would
be a breach Of faith with those peo-
rle. He had no doubt that those
States would ratify the Fifteenth
Amendment without it being made
condition Of reconstruction.
Morton denied that it would be q
breach of faith. No agreement had
been made between Congress and the
unreconstructed States. Congress
had offered these States recOpstruc
ton upon certain conditions, bat they
had refused to accept the offer, and
had stood out in hostility to the Gov
ernment, and now it was the right OF
Congress to impose whatever condi-
tions it pleased, provided they were
right and just In themselves. lie
would rather see the pending bill fail
thaB mass without this amendment.
The desire Of the Democratic party
was TO keep this question Of negro
suffrage omen as an element of success
in the election of 1872 The Demo-
Gratis calculated that without the votes
OF Virginia, Mississippi, Texas and
Indiana the Fifteenth Amendmel lt
must fail of ratification, and the only
way to defeat the result was by max
ing It's ratification condition OF the
readmission of these States.
Conkling said the imposition ol the
new condition proposed by the Sena-
tor from Indiana would be breach
of faith. and that Senator conteuded
that the States In question had re
n,ainpd unreconstructed only because
thew had wilfulIy stood and refused to
accent reconstruction upon the con
ditions offered by Congress. This
certainly was not true ct Virginia
one Of the States to which this bill
was intended to apply. Virginia had
gone on as far as she could IN the pre-
scribed course of reconstruction, and
had failed to complete it only because
the Commanding General represent
ing the Government OF the United
States had been unable, for want ct
money. TO hold the election, which
gas necessary as a c0nditiun precedent
to her admission TO pFesentatlQn ln
Congress.
I 1E fs.lF-
oress In relation to changing the Con
stitutiou was merely 10 propose
amendments, bat the amendment oI
the Senator from Indiana proposed
that Congress. having already SUD
mittcd the Fifteenth Constitutional
Amendment to the people, should
now 90 on and coerce certain S-atcs
into ratifying it, This would b. an
outrage, not alone upon the people oi
those States, but upon the people OF
all the States, by fJrcing negro
suffrage upon them. Indeed, he un-
derstood the Senator to say that one
great object of his amendment was to
over ruie-the will of the people of his
State Indiana).
Morton-Not to override the will
of the people, but to override a revo-
lutionary party in Indiana, which
seeks to thwart the will of the people.
Thurman-Lf the Senator really be-
lieyes the people of Indiana are 10
favor of negro suffrage, why not con-
sent TO submit it to them directly and
not attempt to force it upon them by
a Legislature elected on the Chicago
% 'atform, which expressly dlsav0wed
| the intention to force negro suffrage
| on the States In the Union?
After some remarks by Thurman
the amendment was agreed to, By the
| following vote:
Yeas-Abbott, Brownlow, Buck
iugham, Carpenter, Chand Ter, Cole
Drake, Harris, Howard, Mcdonald,
Morrill,, Morton, Nye, Osborn, Pool
Pratt, Ramsey, Robinson, Rice, Rose
| SchurZ, Sherman, Stewart, Sumner
Thayer, Upton. Warner, Williams,
Wilson and Yates-30.
Nays-Anthony, Bayard, Boreman
Casserly, Conkling, Davis. Edmunds
! Fenton, Ferry, Fessenden. Fowler
/ McCreery, Norton, Patterson, Sawyer
] Sprague, st ckton, Thurman, Trum
bull aud Willey-20.
Trumbull proposed several verba
amendments, designed 10 remove tn
antiquities in the original bill, whicl
were agreed to.
On motion of Edmunds, the sixtl
section authorizing the Cemmandin
/ General to suspend the action Of tn
Legislature upon all laws that he ma
| deem unjust and oppressive wa
struck out.
Edmunds then offered an additions
section, which was adopted, declaring
that the proceedings Of any of th
said States shall not be deemed fna
or separate as a complete restOFagio
until their action shall be approve
by Congress.
Davis said, understanding that tll
people of Virginia, Mississippi an
Texas were willing to accept the bill
as passed by the House, be had no
intended to say anything against
although he opposed 1t; but he c0ui
not let that most unconstjtutIOual an
OUTRAGEOUS addition to the bill pas
without protesting against it.
Sawyer offered an amendment t
the first section, which was agreed tC
striking out the words " the registere
voters of said State, and inserin
instead the words veiers oil sal
States registered at the time OF sue
. admission"
II Stockton declared himself oppose
to the original bill, aud was especial
opposed to the amendment of the Ser
ator from Indiana, which was not onl
unconstitutional and an outrage up0
, the people, but an anomaly even upo
the Congressional Beconstractie
Committee.
Bayard opposed and denounced til
: bill on the same grounds.
Casserly said he would have oppo.
: ed the passage of the bill, as it ha
5 come from the House, because thi
3 was simply a compliance with the e1