fit to take advantage of their own wrongs will have no occasion to fear
any future punishment being inflicted upon the State for so doing. Under
the plan thus proposed the State that may thus take advantage of its own
wrongs will not only receive no punishment in the reduction of its
representation in Congress, but its methods and practices will have been
approved and adopted by the Republican party.

"On the other hand, the plan I propose is one which is equivalent to a
notice to the different States that, while the National Government may
not be able to enforce by appropriate legislation the war amendments to
the Constitution, the Legislative department of the Government can
prevent a State from taking advantage of its own wrongs, through the
infliction of a punishment upon the State in the reduction of its
representation in Congress. Since representation in the National
Convention is based upon the States' representation in Congress, it will
be seen that if the representation in Congress from such States should
be reduced, it would result in a reduction in the representation from
such States in the National Convention. The main purpose, therefore,
which the distinguished gentleman from Pennsylvania seems to have in
view will have been practically accomplished, but in a far different and
in a much less objectionable way. It will be some satisfaction to
southern Republicans, who are denied access to the ballot-box through an
evasion of the National Constitution, to know that if they are to be
denied a voice in future National Conventions of the party to which they
belong, because they are unable to make their votes effective at the
ballot-box, the party or State by which they are thus wronged will not
be allowed to take advantage of, and enjoy the fruits thereof. They will
at least have the satisfaction of knowing that if they cannot vote
themselves, others cannot vote for them, and thus appropriate to
themselves the increased representation in Congress and in the electoral
college to which the State is entitled, based upon their representative
strength.

"The strongest point in favor of this proposed change, as I have
endeavored to show, grows out of the apparent inequality in
representation in the National Convention due to the denial of access to
the ballot-box to Republicans through an evasion of the Fifteenth
Amendment. I cannot believe, Mr. Chairman, that this convention can be
induced to favorably consider any