s the currency of the United States, or forges its
paper, or forges its bonds, or interferes with the administration of
the Post-office Department. These are all powers incidental to the
possession of the express power, and in the case to which he adverted
the express power was one necessarily belonging to the Government,
because it was a power belonging to and regulated by the law of
nations, and not by any municipal regulation.

"The honorable member from Illinois tells us that the President's
objection, that there are eleven States not now represented, is
entitled to no consideration whatever. The honorable member seems to
suppose that the President adverted to the fact that there were eleven
States not represented as showing that Congress possessed no
constitutional authority to legislate upon the subject, supposing that
they would have had the authority if those States were represented.
That is not the view taken by the President; it is an entire
misapprehension of the doctrine of the President. He says no such
thing, and he intimates no such thing. But assuming, what in another
part of the message he denies, that the authority might be considered
as existing, he submits as a question of policy whether it is right to
change the whole domestic economy of those eleven States, in the
absence of any representation upon this floor from them. My honorable
friend asks whose fault it is that they are not represented. Why are
they not here? He says their hands are reeking with the blood of loyal
men; that they are unable to take the oath which a statute that he
assumes to be constitutional has provided; and he would have the
country and the Senate to believe that that is the reason why they are
not here. Is that the fact, Mr. President? These States are organized,
and how organized? What have they done? They have abolished slavery by
an astonishing unanimity; they have abolished nearly all the
distinctions which antecedently existed between the two races. They
have permitted the negroes to sue, they have permitted them to
testify; they have not yet permitted them to vote.

"Why are they not received? Because, in the judgment of the Senate,
before the States can be considered as restored, Congressional
legislation on the subject is necessary. Whose fault is it that there
has not been Congressional legislation? Is it the fault of the eleven
States? Certainly not; it is our own fault. And why is it that we are
in point of fa