uction, "was not intended as a reconstruction bill," according
to the interpretation of Mr. Stevens. "It was intended simply as a
police bill to protect the loyal men from anarchy and murder, until
this Congress, taking a little more time, can suit gentlemen in a bill
for the admission of all those rebel States upon the basis of civil
government."

The various amendments proposed were designed by their authors to add
a plan of reconstruction to the pending bill. Of these Mr. Boutwell
remarked: "Without examining into the details of the amendments, I
have this to say, that any general proposition for the restoration of
these States to the Union upon any basis not set forth in an act of
Congress is fraught with the greatest danger to future peace and
prosperity of the republic."

The amendments of Mr. Bingham and Mr. Blaine were finally combined by
their authors. The combination made an amendment providing that the
"States lately in insurrection" should be restored and relieved of
military rule upon their ratification of the Constitutional Amendment
and adoption of impartial suffrage. In order to "disentangle what
seemed so much entangled," it was moved that the bill be recommitted
to the Judiciary Committee, with instructions to report back
immediately the amendment of Messrs. Blaine and Bingham.

Mr. Stevens then addressed the House, premising that in his state of
health a few words must suffice. He felt a moral depression in viewing
the condition of the party responsible for the doings of Congress.
"For the last few months," said he, "Congress has been sitting here,
and while the South has been bleeding at every pore, Congress has done
nothing to protect the loyal people there, white or black, either in
their persons, in their liberty, or in their property."

Of his previous bill, which had been consigned to its tomb in being
referred to the Committee on Reconstruction, Mr. Stevens said: "I
thought it was a good bill; I had labored upon it in conjunction with
several committees of loyal men from the South for four months; I had
altered and realtered it, written and rewritten it four several times,
and found that it met the approbation of numerous societies and
meetings in all the Southern States. It was, therefore, not altogether
my fault if it was not so good a bill as might be found; but I did
think that, after all, it was uncivil, unjust, indecent not to attempt
to amend it and make it better, to see whether we