Year: 1866




admission Of members lay this great point,
whether the condition of those States was
such as to render the admission of those
members safe. ! have had this extract from
the Presidents speech read simply TO show
what everybody must admit with regard to it.
The last paragraph of the extract that sent
to the Chair and had read, is this:


| am free to say TO you. as your Executive,
that | am not prepared to take any such po-
sition. | said in the Senate IN the very in
ception of the rebellion that States had no
right to go out and that they had no power to
60 ont. That question has been settled, and
can not turn around now and give the lid
direct to all profess to have done in the last
FIVE years | can do no such thing ! say
that when they comply with the Constitution,
when they have given sufficient evidence OF
their loyalty, and that they can be trusted,
when they yield obedience to the law, say
extend to them the right hand of fellowship,
and let peace and union be restored.


So say |, and so say all. When they do
that let these consequences follow. There is
no difference on that point. The President
himself, instead of saying anything different
from rs, says when they have complied with
these conditions then they ought to be ad-
mitted He himself in his speech makes that
preliminary to examining the question OF
credentials to see whether men come here
properly accredited. Lest gentlemen on the
other side should have failed to notice this
sentence, let me read it again. 1t is pecu-
liarly expressive:


II say that when they comply with the
Constitution, when they have given sufficient
evidence OF their Loyalty and that they can be
trusted, when they yield obedience to the law
! say extend to them the right hand offelow
ship, and let peace and union be restored. -


That, it seems, is matterinto which some
4 body has a right to inquire. should like to
/ know IL the Congress of the United States
have rot right 10 ask these very questions
and be satisfied upon them before they admit
men as senators and representatives in the
several bodies which constitute Congress II
| Congress have right TO inquire. land agree
with the President entirely on the subject
what have We done more than than to inquire.
When Congress appointed this committee with
power 10 examine into the condition. for that
Us all there was of i'll of these so called con
iederate States and report whether they were
IN bit condition TO be represented by Sena
tors aud Representatives, what did " DO more
than simply to endeasor to c,,ry ont precisely
what the President has laid down in hisspeech
as preliminary 10 the admission of Senators
and Representatives? state this in order
that The country may understand what al this
NOISE has been about III reference to the az
poIntment Of this committee.


But the President undertakes to saw that
legislative power hes been granted 10 this com
mittee; that the power OF legisiption which
Congress possesses-he calls il ''the power OF
legislation over the question Of the admis
sion ofSenators and Representatives has been
passed out of the hands Of Congress and given
to central power


Mr. Ramsey Central directory. "
Mr.. Fessenden-A central directory. which
chooses to exercise this power Sir. is this
committee Of fifteen anything more than the
servant OF Congress? lsany committee either
Joint or several, which Is appointed. anythiup
fmore than the mere servant Of CongresS-
Can any member OF it. or the whoe of it. sci
up It's will for a single day or "A single hour ni
a single moment against the will of the bod,
which eonstiiutedig We appointed for
a special purpose, to make inquiries. and re
port to Congress the result OF our inquiries
and for what reason? " hat was the great rea
son? Simply that neither branch. acting with
out sufficient information, mighttake a course
from which the Other branch would differ. and
thus bring about a collision between the two
bodies which constitute Congress. Under
those circumstances, + II quite fair to de>ig
nate the committee OF fifteen as a central
directory, as power assuming to Judge auG
TO decide questions which belong to the bodie.
which the committee represents2 l. il Quit,
ialr to designate II rs central power sitting
here with a view To set up the government q.
few against the government of the many
can understand the aliuslon IN no other way.
and II any gentleman can place different
construction upon it: | should like to have him





do so. am unwilling myself, individually
to rest under such al imputation. have the
honor TO be one Of that committee | never
understood myself as anything but the servant
OF Congress. or ofthe body which sent me
there. to endeayor to obtain information and
to come TO a conclusion upon which the body
might act understandingly: and that We have
not come to conclusion yet is only a proof
that the question Is a much larger one thar
gentlemen might have supposed, and involves
more consideration and more examination
than might possibly have been apparent L
those who looked upon the surface. and Judged
only from what they could gather from com.
mon report.


lfthe Executve-and mean to speak OF
the President with respect, because entertain
for him respect-has an idea that the several
points which he has suggested are premina
ries to the admission OF Senators and Repre
sentatIyes from the States, the question arises
who Is to exercise that power of judgment
Does il belong to MS, If a Senator prespnts
himself here. 10 ascertain in the first place il
those conditions have been complied with OF
the part Of these States or does il belong to
him? The honorable Senator from Wiscon
sin Mr. Dooliite. undertakes TO find fault
with something that think he will find did
nor say. Probably he anticipated that should
say it.


Mr. Doolitle-I thought You did say it.


MIR. Fessenden-It may be; but il so, am
very much mistaken. If made remark o.
that kind have not misconsirued the Presi
dent; anu that brings me to short eonside
ration OF the veto message. | will say in re
gard to that message, that had no very par
ticular attachment to the bill which was thus
vetoed. In some particulars ii did not meet
my approval, think some of the reasons
which the President gives for not approving ii
are such as would commend themselves to
public consideration. 1t is a bill upon the
provisions of which there might we'll be very
considerable difference Of opinion. yielded
however. the objections | had, and one OF
them was verr much like that stated by my
honorable friend from West Virginia mir
Wiley to the sixth section of the bill,
because / thought on consideration that the
power did exist, aud it was especially neees
sary TO exercise it, and the bin therefore re
ceiSed my vote. If the President had confined
himselfin The objections which he stated, to
criticism of the biilitseIf, it is very possible
that might have been quite willing to waive
my own feeling and opinions in regard to the
bill as II passed, and to sustain his veto. Bui
on looking Mt the veto message, and the rea
sons given in it, it struck me. that after pass
ing from the consideration of the provisions