Year: 1866

SPiSsehIaeioH ln Congress-, un-
less all the rules which since the
foundation of the Government have
been deemed essential in such eases
shall be regarded. The Committee
then review at length the condition
and feeling of the Southern people,
saying among other things, that the
latter claim as a right the privilege Of
participation at once in a Govern
ment which, for four years they
sought to overthrow, while their
lpresses abound in abuse of the loyal
otatesSNod efforts are made to per
petuate the deNdly hate and discord
between the two sectisas and excite
hostility against the FedernA Union.


The report, which is long one,
concludes as follows, which may be
regarded as summary OF the whole
case:


The evidence Of an intense hostil.
ity to the Federal Union and an in
tense love OF the late Confederacy,
by the war, is decisive. While it ap
pears that nearly all are willing to sub.
init at least for the time being. to Fed.
eral authority, it is equally clear that
the ruling motive is a desire to obtain
the advantage which will be derived
from u representation In Congress.
Officers OF the Union army on duty,
and Northern men who 90 South to
engage in business, are generally de.
tested and prescribed. Southern
men who adhere to tie Union are
bitterly hated and heartlessly perse.
cuted. In some localities prosecu
Lions have been instituted in State
Courts against Union officers for acts
done in the line of their official duty
and similar prosecutions are treat
ened elsewhere as soon as the United
States troops are removed. All such
demonstrations show q state of feel
ing against which it is unmistakably
necessary to guard. The testimony
is conclusive that after the collapse
Of the Confederacy the feeling of the
people OF the rehcllious States was
that Of abject submission. Having
appealed to the tribunal of arms, they
had no hope except that by the mag
nanimity of their conquerors, their
lives and possibly their property
might have been preserved. Unfor
tunately, the general issue OF pardons
TO persons who had been prominent IN
the rebellion, and the feeling of kind
illness and conciliation manifested by
the Executive and generally indicated
through the Northern press, had the
effect to render whole communities
Iiorgetful of the crime they had com
mitted, defiant towards the Federal
Govern .Eent and regardless Of their
duty as citizens. The conciliatory
measures of the Government do not
seem to have been met even half way.
The bitterness and defiance exhibited
toward the United States under such
circumstances, is without n parallel
in the history Of the world. In re
turn for our leniency, we receive only
an insolent assumption of rights and
privileges long since forfeited. The
crime We have punished is paraded
as a virtue, and the principles OF Re.
publican government which we have
yindicated at so terrible q cost, are
denounced as unjust and oppressive.


If we add to this evidence the fact
that although peace has been declared
by the President, he has not to this
day deemed it safe to restore the writ
OF haheas corpus, to relieve the in
surrectionary States Of martial law,
nor to withdraw the troops from
many localities, and that the com.
manding General deems an increase
of the army Indispensable to the pres
eryation OF order and the protection
of loyal and well. disposed people in
the South, the proof Of a condition OF
feeling hostile to the Uuion and dan
gerous to the Government Throughout
the insurrccinary States would seen
to be alarming. ....


We now propose to restatc as brief
ly as possible the general facts and
principles applicable TO all the State.
recently in rebellion: - .a.l.a-


First. The seatq of Senators and
Representatives from the SO. called
Confederate States became vacant in
the year 1861, during the second
session OF the thirty sixth Congress,
by the voluntary withdrawal ol their
incumbents, with the sanction and by
the direction of their respective
St,tn. ,rt;a ,.oa Jnun aa a hnafifa
act against the Constitution and the
Government of the United States,
with the declared intent to overthrow
the same by forming a Southern Con
federation. This act OF declared
hostility was speedily followed by an
Organization OF the same States with
Ia Coniederacy which lived and waged
war by sea and land against the
United States. This war continued
more than four years within which
period the rebel armies besicged the
national capital, Invaded the loyal
States, burned their towns and cities,
robbed their citizens, destroyed more
than 250, 900 loyal soldiers, and i'm
posed an increased national burden
of not less than $4,000, 900, 900, o
which seven or eight hundred millionl
have already been met and psid.-
From the time these Confederatet
States thus withdrew from their rep


resentation in Congress and lsyie,
war against the United States, the
great mass of their people became
and were insurgents and traitors
and all Of them assumed and occupied
the political, legal and practical rela