The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-08-29


1865, TO last one. year. A bill TO con-
tinue it till otherwise provided passed
the Senate Jan. %, 1866, by 81 TO 10, a
i strict party vote, and went through
the house Feb. s by 1877 to SO, also a
party vote, except that two Republi-
cans voted with the Democrats in the
negative. Johnson vetoed the bill Feb.
10. three days before his Washing
toms birthday speech Feb. 81 the
Senate tried, but failed to carry the
bill over the veto, eight Republicans
joining with the ten Democrats in the
negative. In the first battle of the
Congress- Johnson war the president
however, turned the tide against him,
and afterward his Republican support
was very small in the only branch in
which he had any of importance-the
senate.
The civil rights bill, for the protec-
| ton of the emancipated negroes in re-
gard to property and contracts, passed
the senate Feb. 2. 1866, by SO (all Re
pHblicanS) TO II (nine Democrats and
! three Republicans), and went through
the house March 13 by Ill Gall Repub-
licans) to So GO Democrats and six
Republicans). Johnson vetoed it on
! March 81, on the ground chiefly that
i it was unwise to give these privileges
! to beings just released from bondage
citizenship inhered in the states. The
senate passed the bill over the veto
| by SO to Is vote April 6, and the house
did it by 122 to IL April 8. The fight
between congress and the president
! was on and henceforth during John
sons time, until state rehabilitation
! was practically completed. the execu-
/ tive ceased to be part of the law-mak-
ing branch of the government.
! The fourteenth amendment was now.
| brought forward 1t was designed to
Subvert the principle of the bred Scott
decision that negroes, though free,
could not become citizens of the United
States; to induce the south to give the
suffrage to the negro by imposing a
penalty for his exclusion; to put the
confederate leaders under temporary
disabilities and to repudiate the con-
! federate debt. 1t went through the
senate June 8, 1885, by vote of SO to
II, and through the house June IS by
l33 to SO, a strictly party vote in both
cases, except that four Republican sem
atorS voted with seven Democrats in
the negative. The amendment was re-
jected by all the confederate states ex-
cept Tennessee, in legislative sessions
between Nov. 8, 1866, and Feb. 6, 1867,
but the reconstruction act of March
2, 1867, made its ratification a condition
of their admission, to representation
anu etIl VI lllclll ulllilldltlN IdllIleQ
thus giving it the vote of SO out of 81
states, the three-fourths required. and
1T was declared in operation July %,
1868. Tennessee, which had ratified the
thirteenth and fourteenth amendments
was readmitted by a joint resolution
signed by Johnson July "a. 1866 and
was the first of the II seeded states
restored to representation under the
congressional scheme of reconstruction.
The effect of the election, and also
of the refusal of the seeded states
Except TenneSSee9 to ratify the four
teenth amendment on its first preSen-
tatlon to them was made plain when
congress met a month after the cleo
ton, on Dec. 3, 1856 Accepting the re-
suit of the election as a popular YER
dict in their favor. the Republicans de-
termined to push the work of recon
Struction with new Vigor. Angered by
the south's action in rejecting the four
teenth amendment and at it's adhesion
TO Johnson'SN policy; the Republicans
now adopted negro suffrage. The SEN
ument in favor of negro suffrage had
grown rapidly in the north during the
exciting days of 1866, the sectional con-
test had increased in bitterness, and
as the alternatives now seemed to be
the presidential plan of state rehabil-
ltatlon and the radical policy adVo-
Gated all along by Sumner Stevens
ttutl TIE lew Quiet extremists. the Re-
publicanS accepted the latter Negro
suffrage in some shape would probably
have come even. if Lincoln had lived
but 1t would scarcely have been imme-
date and unrestricted. Some plan of
state rehabilitation which would not
have involved it in its drastic form it
is likely would have been agreed on, |
this infiiction would have been spared
the south. and the evil effects which |
the reconstruction policy of 1867 |
brought would have been averted or |
diminished. In the temper of the two
sections in 1866, however, negro suf- |
frage in its harshest features was in !
evitable. The masses of the Repub- |
llcan party accepted it because they |
thought it necessary for the protection !
of the eX-Slaves. The Republican pol |
iticians and most of the party leaders
wanted it for the votes they thought |
1t would give the party
Dill to grant the ballot in the Dis
tlict of Columbia to persons without |
distinction on account of race or color
passed the senate Dec IA, 1866, by a
vote OF 20 Gall Republicans to 10 Call /
Democrats, except Van Wrinkle of West
Virginia). and the house the same day
by 12S (all Republicans) to 46 (s7 Dem
oCratS and nine ReOublicans), was We
toed Jan. Z, 1867. and was passed in the
senate over the veto the same day by !
20 to 10. and in the house next day by
115 to So, party vote, except that two
Republican senators and five represent
atiVeS voted III the negative with the
Democrats. This was the beginning of
negro suffrage by act of congress.
Bills We're passed admitting Colorado
to statehood on condition that it should
not deny the franchise to any person
on account of race or color CFeb. g.
1SeO. a tenure of office act tying John
sons hands (March y in the matter of
removals from office: an army appro-
priation bill virtually taking the COM
lnand of the army away from the pres
ident and giving It to the general of
the army (GranD, and bringing the
next congress in session at noon ON
March 4, 1867, so as to deprive Johnson
wise have in the nine months between
the expiration of the old congress and
the meeting OF the new one
AT this time the reconstruction bill
proper was brought forward 1t was
entitled an act to provide for the +;
more efficient government of the rebel
states and was the most important
measure of the congress of 1867. The ,
bill had traces Of Summers state sui
eide" and Stevens CONQUERED prov
nce" theories. and, like Lincoln'S. it
held that the states We're never out of
the Union. but that by rebellion they {
had severed their normal relations with
t and forfeited their rights in it, which
congress proposed to restore under the
conditions set forth. The bill was We
ICED on March 2, 1867, and was passed
over the veto on the same dawn the Il
louse b.. 12S to 81, and in the senate
BY %. to 10. seven Republicans in the
acuse and one. in the senate voting !