unts to nothing
more than an unwilling admission of an unwelcome truth. As
to the ordinance of secession, it is in some cases declared
'null and void,' and in others simply 'repealed,' and in no
case is a refutation of this deadly heresy considered worthy
of a place in the new constitutions.

"If, as the President assumes, these insurrectionary States
were, at the close of the war, wholly without State
governments, it would seem that before being admitted to
participate in the direction of public affairs, such
governments should be regularly organized. Long usage has
established, and numerous statutes have pointed out, the
mode in which this should be done. A convention to frame a
form of government should be assembled under competent
authority. Ordinarily this authority emanates from Congress;
but under the peculiar circumstances, your committee is not
disposed to criticise the President's action in assuming the
power exercised by him in this regard.

"The convention, when assembled, should frame a constitution
of government, which should be submitted to the people for
adoption. If adopted, a Legislature should be convened to
pass the laws necessary to carry it into effect. When a
State thus organized claims representation in Congress, the
election of Representatives should be provided for by law,
in accordance with the laws of Congress regulating
representation, and the proof, that the action taken has
been in conformity to law, should be submitted to Congress.

"In no case have these essential preliminary steps been
taken. The conventions assembled seem to have assumed that
the Constitution which had been repudiated and overthrown,
was still in existence, and operative to constitute the
States members of the Union, and to have contented
themselves with such amendments as they were informed were
requisite in order to insure their return to an immediate
participation in the Government of the United States. And
without waiting to ascertain whether the people they
represented would adopt even the proposed amendments, they
at once called elections of Representatives to Congress in
nearly all instances before an Executive had been chosen to
issue certificates of election under the State laws, and
such elections as were h