wer neither to the executive nor the legislative
department of the Government."

Mr. Dodge, although a Republican, and in favor of "protecting the best
interests of the colored man," could not vote for either of the
propositions before the House. "The result of the passage of this
bill," said he, "if it shall become operative, will be to disfranchise
nearly the entire white population of the Southern States, and at the
same time enfranchise the colored people and give them the virtual
control in the proposed organization of the new State governments."

Mr. Dodge was particularly opposed to the military feature proposed by
Mr. Spalding. "This is not likely," said he, "in the nature of things,
to bring about an early reoerganization of the South. The commercial,
the manufacturing, and the agricultural interests of this country, as
they look at this matter, will see in it a continuance of taxation
necessary to support this military array sent to these ten States."

"This bill, if executed," said Mr. Hise, in the course of a speech
against the measure, "will in effect establish corrupt and despotic
local governments for all those States, and place in all the offices
the most ignorant, degraded, and corrupt portion of their population,
who would rule and ruin without honesty or skill the actual
property-holders and native inhabitants, making insecure life,
liberty, and property, and still holding those States in their Federal
relations subject to the most rapacious, fierce, and unrelenting
despotism that ever existed, that of a vindictive and hostile party
majority of a Congress in which they have no voice or representation,
and by which irresponsible majority they would be mercilessly
oppressed for that very reason; and this will be continued, I fear,
until the country shall again be precipitated into civil war."

Since the "beneficent conservative power" of the President was
overcome by two-thirds of Congress, Mr. Hise could see safety for the
nation in but one direction. "Our only hope," said he, "of the
preservation of a free government is in the judicial department of the
government, and in the decisions of the Supreme Court pronouncing your
acts unconstitutional and void."

Mr. Raymond preferred the Constitutional Amendment as the basis of
reconstruction, and blamed the party in power for abandoning that
policy. "Last year," said he, "that man was untrue to his party
obligations who did not stand by it; this year