ABSENT—Messrs. Foot, Howard, and Wright—3.
Two thirds of the Senators not having voted for the joint resolution, it was lost. The defeat of the proposed constitutional amendment was accomplished by the combination of five "Radical" Senators with six "Conservatives," elected as Republicans, whose vote, added to the regular Democratic strength, prevented its adoption by the required constitutional majority of two-thirds.
The advocates of constitutional reform, though foiled in this attempt, were not disheartened. Their defeat taught them the important lesson that pet measures and favorite theories must be abandoned or modified in order to secure the adoption of some constitutional amendment to obviate difficulties of which all felt and acknowledged the existence.
Meanwhile other measures, designed to lead to the great end of reconstruction, were demanding and receiving the consideration of Congress.
CHAPTER XVI.
REPRESENTATION OF THE SOUTHERN STATES.
Concurrent Resolution — A "Venomous Fight" — Passage in
the House — The Resolution in the Senate — "A Political
Wrangle" Deprecated — Importance of the Question — "A
Straw in a Storm" — Policy of the President — Conversation
between two Senators — Mr. Nye's Advice to Rebels — "A
Dangerous Power" — "Was Mr. Wade once a Secessionist?" —
Garrett Davis' Programme for the President — "Useless yet
Mischievous" — The Great Question Settled.
It was understood when the Committee of Fifteen introduced the joint resolution proposing a constitutional amendment relating to the basis of representation, that this was only one of a series of measures which they thought essential to the work of reconstruction, and which they designed to propose at a proper time.
In pursuance of this plan, on the 20th of February, the day after the veto of the Freedmen's Bureau Bill, and while the amendment of the basis of reconstruction was pending in the Senate, Mr. Stevens brought before the House, from the Committee of Fifteen, a "Concurrent Resolution concerning the Insurrectionary States," as follows:
"Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, (the Senate concurring,) That in order to close agitation upon a question which seems likely to disturb the action of the Government, as well as to quiet the uncertainty which is agitating the minds of the people of the eleven States which have been declared to be in insurrection, no Senator or Representative shall be admitted into either branch of Congress from any of said States until Congress shall have declared such State entitled to such representation."