Year: 1864

vote, and his vote shall be excluded if
the commissioners, Notwithstanding his
oath, shall bslieve that he has held any
such Office or voluntarily borne arms. The
re turns of election shall be made to the
governor, who shall canvass them, declare
the result, convene the delegates, admin
lister to each of them the said oath, and
preside over. their deliberations. The
bill then provides that tho convention
shall declare


First. That no person who has held or
exercised any Office, civil or military,
State or confederate, under the usurping
power shall vote for or be member of
the Legislature or Governor.


Second. That involuntary servitude is
forever prohibited, and the freedom of
all persons is guaranteed in said State.


Third No debt, State or confederate,
created by or under the sanction of the
usurping power shall be recognized or
paid by the State.


And having done so it shall proceed to
establish State Constitution which shall
embody theRe provisions, and which shall
be submitted for ratification to the cleo
tors who chose the delegates. IF the
eonsti sution shall be ratified by them it
shall be certified to the President, who
shall, with the assent of Congress, by
proclamation recognize the State govern
ment and constitution as the constitution
al government of such State, and from
and after such recognition, Representa-
tives, Senators, and electors for President
and Vice President may be elected in.
such State according to the laws of the
State and of the United States.


If the convention refuse to make the
required declaration, the governor shall
dissolve it, but a new convention may at
any time afterwards be ordered by him
under the advice of the President


The govern or shall see that the laws of
the United States. and the laws of the
State in force when the State government
was overthrown shall be faithfully execu-
ted, he shall assess and collect the same
amount of taxes as was provided for by
the State in the year preceding its seces-
sion; and shall apply the money so col
lected to the expenses of his adminiStra-
ton. and shall pay over the balance to the
Treasury of the-United States. Fhe
President shall appoint such officers as
we're provided for in the State constitu
ton, but neither they nor the governor
shall recognize or regard any law or GUS
tom whereby any person was held to ia
voluntary servitude in the State.


The bill then provides that involuntary
seryitude is forever abolished in all the
States in rebellion, that persons held in
bondage are set free, that they shall be
discharged by habeas corpus, that to re-
strain them of their liberty shall be pun
islable by fine and imprisonment; and by
IL l.. - g tod hot
son who, after its passage, shall hold any
Office, civil or military, State or confede-
rate, in the rebel service shall not be a
citizen of the United States.


These are the provisions of this bill
The gentleman from Maryland MIR. Da-
Wis, facctiously entities it "a bill to guar
anty to certain States whose governments
have been usurped or uyerthrown, re-
publican form Of government"


At last the mask has been thrown off.
At last the pretenses have all been laid
aside. Three years of war have done the
work, and the purposes and objects of
the Republican party have been at last
acknowledged This bill is the consum-
nation of its craftsmanship, the fruit of
its experience, the demonstration of its
purposes. The gentleman from Mary
land introduced it; it is understood to be
distasteful to some of his party friends;
but it is a party measure; it will be voted
| for by every member of the Republican
organization; it defines their ideas of
Union; it interprets their construction of
the Constitution. As such / accept it,
We have had double-d dealing, hypocrisy.
and sraud for the last three years. We
have had false professions, false names
and double-faoed measures. We Lave
had armies raised, taxes collected, battles
fought, under the pretence that the war
was for the Union, the old Union, the
| Unicn of the Constitution. These were
the catch-words for the patriotic people
In the secret council-chambers of the
party they were sneered at as devices with
which to ensnare the innocent, to deceive
the ignorant, to coax the obstinate. They
were to be discarded as soon as in the
heat of war, in the evaporation of pas
sion, in the exultation of victory, or in
the bitterness of defeat and disaster and
oppression, it would be safe to divuIge the
great conspiracy against the Union, the
the constitutional confederation, the prin-
ciples of free government.


That time has come. The veil is drawn
| aside. We see clearly. The party in
possession of the powers of the Govern
ment is revolutionary. 1t seeks to use
those-powers to destroy the Government,
to change its form, to change its spirit
1t seeks under the forms of law to make
a new Government, a rew Union, to en-
graft upon it new principles, new theo-
ries, and to use the powers of the law
| against all who will not be persuaded
1t is in rebellion against the Constitu-
ton; it is in reasonable conspiracy
against the Government. It differs in
nothing from the armed enemies except
in the weapons of its warfare. They fight
to overthrow that apthroity at home
They would cqrtaii the limits of the ju-
risdictiou of the Federal Government; it
would extend those limits, but change
the basis and principles on which it rests,