Year: 1867




To THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,


have considered the bill entitled IAN act supple
mentary TO TO provide for the more efficient gov
ernment Of the rebel States passed March 1867
to facilitate restoration and return the House
Of Representatives with my objections


THIS bill provides for elections States brought
under the operation Of the original which
supplementary Its details principally directed u
the elections for the formation of the
but by the sixth section OF the bill all elections
States occurring while the original act remains in
force are brought within its provisions.


Referring the details II will be found that first OF
ALL there is to be registration Of the voters No
whose name has not been admitted the list be
allowed to vote at any of these elections To ascertain
who entitled to registration reference made
ry. by the express language Of the supplement the
original act and to the pending bill.


The fifth section OF the original act provides as 10
voters that they shall be male citizens Of the State
twenty-one years old or upwasds OF whatever
race, color or previous condition. who have
been resident in said State for one year This
Is the general qualification, followed, however
by many exceptions. No be registered accord.
ing to the original act, who may be dsfranchised for
participation in The rebciliona provision which left
undetermined the question what amounted TO dis
fianchisement, and whether without judicial sen.
ience the act itself provided that effect This supple.
mental bill superadds OATH to be taken by every per-
son before his be admitted upon the registra-
ton, that be has not been DISTINGUISHED for participation
in any rebellion or civil against the UnitAa Sta.es
1t thus imposes upon every person the necessity and
responsibility Of deciding for himself under The peril OF
punishment BY . military commission If be mascs
mistake what makes disfrmshsnent by pssicips,ieu
IN rshellion and what amounts ssch Dartic patton
Alhoes cvcry man-the- 1egro a. wef as the whjse-
ssess twenty one years q sGe whe was rsdsn IN tha
tariy at time and in WY, did participate In
rssSssnce To- the lawful asihos 81 the general sps
exnmcaI The question with the citizen when
this oath is proposed must be fearful one; for while
the bill does not declare that perjury may be assigned
for "a Sc swearing nor ax any penalty for the offence
person is answcrAble 70 military commission. without
previous prcsentment BY grand Jury, for charge
authority OF the military commander determines the
question what be the measure Of punishment


The fourth section Of the bill provides that the
nanding general each district shall appoint az many
Boards Of Registration may be necessary, consisting
ol three loyal officers persons The only qualification
stated for these officers is that they must be loyal they
may be persons the military service, civilian resi-
dents OF the State strangers yet these persons
exercise most important duties and vested with
limited discretion they are to decide wba, names
shall be placed upon the register, and from
their decision there s 70 be no appeal; they
eide all the questions which may arise; they are
have the custody Of the ballots and make





commit must pass without redress All that is left
for the commanding general is TO receive the returns
open the same and ascertain who are chosen according
70 the returns OF the officers who conducted such
eections


BY such means and with this OF agency are the
OF delegates be constituted As the dele
gates TO speak for the people, justice would
require that they should have authority from
the people themselves. No convention constituted
will in any sense represent the wishes of tie iphabt
ants OF the States for under the aembracing sections
OF these laws, by construction which the uncertainty
Of lat.ota
Board of 0fcers the great BODY OF the people may be
excluded from The polls and from all opportauy OF ex
pressing their wshes or voting for delegates who
will faithfully reflect their sentiments


do not deem IL necessary further 10 investigate the
details of this bill. No consideration could induce
TO give approval TO such election law for any
purpose and especially for the great purpose OF framing
the constitution OF State. II ever the American citizen
should be left to The free OF s juds smen,
IL is when he is engaged in the work Of forming the
fundamental law under which he is 10 lse That work
Is his work and cannot properly be taken out Of his
hands All this legislation proceeds upon the contrary
assumption that the people OF each Of ths States sli
have constitution except such may bs Arbitrarily
military rule. plain statensns Of facts makes this evil
dent


formed in shs socussomsd way BY The people Goa
gress however, declares that these constitutions
not loyal and republican and REQUIRES the people 70
gross IL necessary to make the copstsuion Of STATE
loyal and republican, The original act answers the
which the federal Constitution leaves to he ss.ss .sem
selves All this legislation machinery-martal Law,
military coercion and political acknowledgements
avowedly for that purpose and none other The exist
ing constitutions OF the ten states conform 70 the
knowledged standards OF loyalty and repuolicansm.
srnmsn. their on are more republicans now
than when these States, four Of which were Of the
original thirteen, nrst became members Of the Union.
Of their constitutions be changed except such
as connne suffrage 70 the white population
do no. conform 10 the standard Of repaid
canism which Congress seeks to establish That there
may be no mistake is only Necessary that reference
constitutions should provide that the elective franchise
shall be enjoyed by all sucn persons a. have the quan
tions helen stated for electors OK delegates Which
class OF persons meant clearly appears the
section that Ia say, the male czens OF said
state twenty years od and % up~srs o. whatsse,
said State for year previous 10 the day OF such
election. Without these provisions no constitution
which be formed IN any one OF the ten States will bc
Of any avail with Congress-


This then ~ the test Of what the constitution OF a
State Of this Union contain to make republican.
Measured by such standard how few Of the States nov
composing the Union have republican constitutions
II Congress- In the exercise Of the constitutional guar
antee tDat 10 shall TO every State repubican
form Of government shall require universal suffrage
blacks as we'll as whites as qua nor the work OF
reconstruction may as well begin In Ohio Ia Virginia,
in Pennsylvania in North Carolina


When l contemplate the millions Of our fellow c
the South with no alternative left but 70 impose
upon themselves this fearful and untried experiment Of
complete negro Acknowledgement and white disranchse.
meut it may be almost complete submit indfnlsey
she rgcr Of martial law, without single attribute Of
fvssmen deprived Of all the sacred guarantees Of oar
federal CONSTITUTION and threaseneh its eveA worse
wvpnes hNsemB 10 me their condition the most de.
piorabe 70 which any people can be reduced fI IA
true that they haye been suSseed IN Iebed5on and
skas in er 0emw 70 bring about PREPARATION VI tie
States and dissolution Of the Union OBJ.
gation resting upon every loyal citizen them
enemies and to wage against their cause Infexiby
opposed 10 any movement nperillng integrity OF the
government did not hesitate TO urge the adoption Of
necessary for the of the psur.
rection. After long and terrible struggle the Efforts OF
the government we're trumphantly successful and the
people o. the SOUTH submitting 70 the stern arbrament
yielded forever The tissues Of the contest Hostites
terminated; soon after u became my duty 10 assume the
responsibilities Of the chief executive officer OF the
republic, ana at once endeayorcd to repress and
control the passions which civil strife had engineered
and no longer regarding these cvring Millions ~ enc
mics, again Acknowledged them ns fiondr and our