Besides the question expressed in this Proclamation, Mr. Seward indicates by his language a further question, viz., whether the six "newly-constituted and newly-established bodies, avowing themselves to be, and acting as, the legislatures, respectively, of the States of Arkansas, Florida, North Carolina, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Alabama" were genuine "State" legislatures. They were the legislatures established under the Reconstruction Acts of Congress, but as Congress had refused to recognize the "States" for whom these bodies acted as entitled to representation in Congress, that is as "States" having the rights of "States" of the Union, until {204} after these bodies had ratified the proposed Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, it was no wonder that so good a constitutional lawyer and so logical a thinker as Mr. Seward had his doubts as to whether these bodies were genuine "State" legislatures. [Sidenote: The concurrent resolution of Congress upon these questions.] In order to quiet these doubts, if possible, the two Houses of Congress passed on the following day, July 21st, the following concurrent resolution: "Whereas the legislatures of the States of Connecticut, Tennessee, _New Jersey_, Oregon, Vermont, West Virginia, Kansas, Missouri, Indiana, _Ohio_, Illinois, Minnesota, New York, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Maine, Iowa, _Arkansas_, _Florida_, _North Carolina_, _Alabama_, _South Carolina_ and _Louisiana_, being three-fourths and more of the several States of the Union, have ratified the Fourteenth Article of Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, duly proposed by two-thirds of each House of the Thirty-ninth Congress; therefore, Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), That said Fourteenth Article is hereby declared to be a part of the Constitution of the United States, and it shall be duly promulgated as such by the Secretary of State." Upon the basis of this resolution, which decided, in so far as Congress can decide, that the consent of the legislature of a "State" to a proposed amendment to the Constitution of the United States cannot be withdrawn when once given, and that the "newly-constituted and newly-established bodies, avowing themselves to be, and acting as, the legislatures, respectively, of the States of Arkansas, Florida, North Carolina, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Alabama" were genuine "State" legislatures qualified to {205} vote upon the ratification of a proposed amendment to the Constitution of the United States, Mr. Seward issued his proclamation of the 28th of July, above recited. As the Georgia Legislature ratified the proposed amendment on the 21st inst. and also gave its pledge not to allow the repudiation article in its constitution to be enforced, Mr. Seward included Georgia in this last proclamation.