ll recognized the _de
facto_ State governments at the South as valid "for municipal
purposes." It required the President to issue a proclamation within
six months calling conventions to form legitimate State constitutions,
which should be ratified by the people. All male citizens above
twenty-one years of age should be voters, and should be eligible to
membership in these constitutional conventions. All persons who held
office under the "government called the Confederate States of
America," or swore allegiance thereto, were declared to have forfeited
their citizenship, and were required to be naturalized as foreigners
before being allowed to vote. All citizens should be placed upon an
equal footing in the reoerganized States.

On the 28th of July, the last day of the session, Mr. Stevens brought
this bill to the notice of the House, without demanding any action
upon it. He made a solemn and affecting appeal to the House, and
insisted upon it as the great duty of Congress to give all loyal men,
white and black, the means of self-protection. "In this, perhaps my
final action," said he, "on this great question, upon careful review,
I can see nothing in my political course, especially in regard to
human freedom, which I could wish to have expurged or changed."

On the 19th of December, 1866, a few days after the reaessembling of
Congress for the second session, Mr. Stevens called up his bill for
the purpose of amending it and putting it in proper shape for the
consideration of Congress after the holidays.

On the 3d of January, 1867, Mr. Stevens addressed the House in favor
of his plan of reconstruction. "This bill," said he, "is designed to
enable loyal men, so far as I could discriminate them in these States,
to form governments which shall be in loyal hands, and may protect
them from outrages."

As an amendment to this bill, Mr. Ashley, chairman of the Committee on
Territories, offered a substitute which was intended to establish
provisional governments in the rebel States.

Mr. Pike brought in review before the House three modes of dealing
with the rebel States which had been proposed for the consideration
and decision of Congress. The first was the immediate admission of the
States into a full participation in the Government, treating them as
if they had never been in rebellion. The second was "the let-alone
policy, which would merely refuse them representation until they had
adopted the constitutional amendments