The Congress passed the Act of the 28th of February, 1871, which so supplemented the Act of May 31st, 1870, as to place the whole control of the registrations and elections when and where Representatives to Congress should be chosen, in the hands of United States officers, the supervisors, and the deputy marshals, commissioners and judges of the United States courts. It may be claimed that Congress, under the power to regulate the manner of holding Congressional elections vested in it by Article I., section 4, of the Constitution, was authorized to pass this law, provided it confined the action of it to the Congressional registration and election. But since the "State" elections were held at the same time and place, and under the same control and direction as the Congressional, it was inevitable that the control of the United States officers would be exercised, either directly {257} or indirectly, over those also. And this was unquestionably the chief purpose of the Act, so far as its execution in the Southern "States" was concerned. [Sidenote: The President's Message of March 23d, 1871.] But this was not yet enough in the views of the Administration. In the two years of his incumbency of the Presidential office, General Grant had fallen into the arms of the radical Republicans, who appeared to be in large majority, and the usual manoeuvering had begun for the second term. Upon the basis of information, which turned out to be very insufficient and unreliable, the President, on the 23d of March, 1871, addressed a message to Congress, in which he affirmed that life and property were insecure in some of the "States," and the carrying of the mails and the collection of the revenue dangerous; that the power to correct these evils was not possessed by the "State" governments; and that it was doubtful if the Executive of the United States, under existing laws, had the power to meet these exigencies; and asked Congress to pass such laws as would enable him to cope with the situation. [Sidenote: The Ku-Klux Act of April 20th, 1871.]