American Eloquence, Volume 4: Studies In American Political History (1897)
History
American Eloquence, Volume 4: Studies In American Political History (1897)
Speeches, addresses, etc., American; United States -- History; United States -- Politics and government
By the bill we propose to preclude the judicial question by the solution
of a political question. How so? By the paramount power of Congress to
reorganize governments in those States, to impose such conditions as it
thinks necessary to secure the permanence of republican government, to
refuse to recognize any governments there which do not prohibit slavery
forever. Ay, gentlemen, take the responsibility to say in the face of
those who clamor for the speedy recognition of governments tolerating
slavery, that the safety of the people of the United States is the
supreme law; that their will is the supreme rule of law, and that we
are authorized to pronounce their will on this subject. Take the
responsibility to say that we will revise the judgments of our
ancestors; that we have experience written in blood which they had
not; that we find now what they darkly doubted, that slavery is really,
radically inconsistent with the permanence of republican governments;
and that being charged by the supreme law of the land on our conscience
and judgment to guarantee, that is to continue, maintain and enforce,
if it exist, to institute and restore, when overthrown, republican
government throughout the broad limits of the republic, we will weed
out every element of their policy which we think incompatible with its
permanence and endurance. The purpose of the bill is to preclude
the judicial question of the validity and effect of the President's
proclamation by the decision of the political authority in reorganizing
the State governments. It makes the rule of decision the provisions
of the State constitution, which, when recognized by Congress, can be
questioned in no court; and it adds to the authority of the proclamation
the sanction of Congress. If gentlemen say that the Constitution does
not bear that construction, we will go before the people of the United
States on that question, and by their judgment we will abide.
GEORGE H. PENDLETON,
OF OHIO. (BORN 1825, DIED 1889.)
ON RECONSTRUCTION; THE DEMOCRATIC THEORY;
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, MAY 4, 1864.
The gentleman [Mr. H. W. Davis] maintains two propositions, which lie
at the very basis of his views on this subject. He has explained them to
the House, and enforced them on other occasions. He maintains that, by
reason of their secession, the seceded States and their citizens "have
not ceased to be citizens and States of the United States, though
incapable of exercising political privileges under the Constitution, but
that Congress is charged with a high political power by the Constitution
to guarantee republican government in the States, and that this is
the proper time and the proper mode of exercising it." This act of
revolution on the part of the seceding States has evoked the most
extraordinary theories upon the relations of the States to the Federal
Government. This theory of the gentleman is one of them.
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