Year: 1866




to all Others Its tendency is distracting


and demoralizing, and such state OF affalrs


is only to be tolerated on the ground OF q


necessary regard to the public safety. AS


soon as that safety is secured it should ter


inmate.


Your committee came to the consideration


of the subject referred to them with the most


anxious desire to ascertain what was the con-


dition of the people of the States recently in


insurrection, and what, if anything, was


necessary to be done before restoring them to


the full enjoyment of all their original priv


ileges. 1t was undeniable that the war into


which they had plunged the country had ma


terially changed their relations to the people


of the loyal States Slavery has been abol-


ished by constitutional amendment. "A large


proportion of the population had become,


instead of mere chattels, free men and cltl-


zens. Through all the past struggle these


had remained true and loyal, and had IN


large numbers fought on the side OF the UNI


on. 1t was impossible to abandon these


without securing them their rights as free


men and citizens. The whole civilized world


have cried out against such base ing"atitude,


and the bare idea is offensive to all right


thinking men. Hence it becomes important


to inquire what could be done to secure their
rights, civil and political 1t was evident to
your committee that adequate security would





provisions. By an original provision OF the
Constitution, representation is based on the
whole number of free persons in each State,
and three-ffths of all other persons. When
all become free. representation of all neces-
sarily follows. AS consequence the newt
able effect of the rebellion would be to in
crease the political power of the insurrec-
tionary States, whenever they should be al
lowed to resume their position as States OF
the Union. AS representation is, by the
Constitution, based upon population, your
committee did not think it advisable to re-
commend a change of that basis. The eXer-
else of representation necessarily resulting
from the abolition of slavery was considered
the most important element in the questions
arising out of the changed condition of af-
fairs, and the necessity for some fundamental
action in this regard seemed imperative. 1t
appeared to your committee that the rights
of these persons, by whom the basis of repre-
sentation had been thus increased, should be
recognized by the general government. While
slaves they were not considered as having
any rights, civil or political. 1t did not
seem just or proper that all the political adj
vantages derived from their becoming free
should be confined to their former masters,
who had fought against the Union, and
withheld from themselves, who had always
been loyal. Slavery, by building up ruling
and dominant class, had produceda spirit of
olgarchy adverse to republican institutions,
which finally inaugurated civil war. The
tendency OF continuing the domination of
such class by leaving it in the exclusive
possession of political power would be to en-
courage the same spirit and lead to a similar
result. Doubts were entertained whether
Congress had power even under the amended
Constitution to Pre- scribe the qualifications of
voters in State, or could act directly on the
subject. 1t was doubtful in the opinion of
your committee whether the States would |
consent to surrender power they had always |
exercised, and to which they were attached. !
As the best, not the only method of sur |
all difficulty, and as eminently |
just and proper in itself, your committee |
comes to the conclusion that political power |
should be possessed in all the States exactly |
in proportion as the right of suffrage should !
be granted without distinction of color or
race. This it was thought, would leave the !
whole question with the people of each State,
holding out to all the advantage of increased
political power as an inducement to allow
all to participate in its exercise. Such a
proposition would be in its nature gentle and
pursuasive, and would lead, it was hoped, at
no distant day, to an equal participation of
all, without distinction. in all the rights and
privileges of citizenship, thus affording
full and adequate protection to all classes of
citizens, since we would have through the
ballot-box, the power of selfprotection.


Holding these views, your committee pre-
pared an amendment to the Constitution to
carry out this idea, and submitted the same
to Congress. Unfortunately, as we think,
it did not receive the necessary constitutional
support in the Senate, and therefore could
not be proposed for adoption by the States.
The principle involved in that amendment
s, however, believed to be sound, and your
have again proposed it in another
orm, hoping that it may receive the appro-
patton of Congress.


Your committee have been unable to find
n the evidence submitted to Congress by the
President under date of March 6, 1866, in
compliance with the resolutions of January
and February 81, 1866, any satisfactory
proof that either of the insurrectionary States.
except perhaps the State of Tennessee, has
placed itself in a condition to resume its po-
itical relations to the Union The first step
oward that end would necessarily be the es-
ablishment of republican form of govern
nent by the people 1t has been before re-
marked that the provisional governors ap-
pointed by the President in the exercise of
lis military authority could do nothing by
irtue of the power thus conferred toward
he establishment of State government
They were acting under the War Department,
nd were paid out of its funds They were
imply bridging over the chasm between re-
ellion and restoration. And yet we find
hem calling conventions and converting
legislatures Not only this, but we find the
onventions and Legislatures thus convened
citing under executive direction as to the
rovisions required to be embodied in their
onstitutions and ordinances, as conditions
recedent to their reorganization, by the
resident. The inducement held out by the
resident for compliance with the conditions
imposed was directly in one instance and
resumably thereafter in others. the immedi
te admission of Senators and Representa-
yes to Congress. The character of the con-
entions and Legislatures thus assembled
as not such as to inspire confidence in the
ood faith of their members. Gov. Perry, of
outh Carolina, dissolved the convention as
'mbled in that State before the suggestion /
ad reached Columbia from Washington
nat the rebel war debt should be repudiated.
nd gave as his reason that it was "revolu- '
onary body" There is no evidence of the
yalty or disloyalty of the members of these t
inventions and Legislatures except the fact {
pardons being asked for on their account. {
,me of these States now claiming represen- s
Ition refused to adopt the conditions i'm '
n L.