Mr. INGERSOLL. Iam going to answer it myself. The Constitution clothes the president with no such power. He cannot make a citizen of an alien. He cannot make a natu ralization law. Those people in the southern States became aliens by virtue of their rebellion and treason, and he cannot restore them to citizenship. It requires a greater than he. The legislative power of the country is the only pOWer that can restore them to citizenship, the richt of which they have forfeited. hen what follows? Unless the rebels were entitled to representation in Congress immediately upon the surrender of the rebel army they are not entitled to it today unless congress has intervened and by appropriate legisation has given them that right, and we all lepodw that congress has done nothing of the m and here let me say that the President himself once recoized the fact that the rebels lost their political rights; that their State governments had ceased to exist by reason of their rebellion and treason; that they had no power inherent in themselves to resuse itate those governments; that they were no longer citizens of the U.S. but were alien enemies, conquered by the Federal power. That was big position less than one year ago, as I will prove. The present President recognized the effect of the rebellion upon the southern people in the forfeiture of their litical and civil rights by stepping in, in the a sence of Congress, and proclaiming to these men what to do, and irecting them to do it; by appointing over them provisional governors; by pardoning rebels for the purpose of making them Governors; by instructing them how to exercise the duties of their office; by telling them to call the people together in convention, and what kind) of a constitution to make; by declaring who should and who should not vote. who should and who should not hold odice; in short, by directin from beginning to end what the people should and what they should not do.What was that but a clear recognition of the forfeiture of their political an civil rights? Now, I maintain that if the States wherein be exercised that power were States within the Union, or in the nion as he now claims they were, and that they were never out of the Union, then he was a usurper, an invader of State rights in undertaking to control them in the slightest degree. If they were States in the Union by what authorit did he go into them and do what he did? twus in violation of their constitutions that existed prior to the rebellion. He set those State constitutions aside, be disregarded them; he called new conventions without authority of State laws, simply as the executive head of this nation, without any authority expressed in the Constitution, and against the constitutional rights of the States thus invaded. If they were States in the Union, and entitled at that time to rere sentation in Congress, he had no more authority to go there and revamp their old constitutions, or refurbish them, or dictate new laws and designate men to execute those laws in SCarolina, Georgia and Mississippi, than he had in Wisconsin, Indiana, and Illinois. He would not dare to go into any of the northern States and tell the people to call a convention, saying that such a portion were citizens and entitled to vote, and such a portion not, and calling upon them to incorporate such and such provisions and exunge others from their State constitutions. lilo would be de nounced as a usurper for undertaking to do such an act, and would be hung as a traitor unless he could find a pardoning power like that he exercises now. Upon his own hypothesis, he has no more right to invade a rebel State than a loyal one, and every proclamation he has made and every not he has done in regard to the southern States since the cessation of hostilities has been a violation of their rights under the Constitution of the U.S. But I believe that he has not been ansurperto the extent that his own position indicates. He says they are entitled to representation now. So does the party that supports him. We say, on the other hand, that the men who sought to destroy this Government have no right to a voice in making the laws which direct the manner or mode of reconstructing their States. Sir, it is a principle which the world will no niese e in, which the people of this country will sustain, that the ieroic people of the loyal States, who subdued this rebellion, shall, through their representatives in Congress, dic State the terms upon which the southern people shall be represented in Congress and we must stand by that principle, for I would not give a rush for the government, unless it can be preserved by the heroic and persistent effort of the northern people from the overwhelm in ruin which these southern men would in evitably bring upon it if they should now be erm.tted to assume control of national affairs. estore these unrepentant sinners to Congress, with AndrewJohnson standing by them, and with the support of those who are here ready to receive them with open arms, and your country will be on the down grade to certain destruction. Why, sir, do you suppose that the people we have subjugated are coming here to Congress to vote a repudiation of their debt? Do you imagine that they are going to forget their own rebel soldiers who have been disabled in the war, or the widows and orphans of their own soldiers? Think you they are going to vote for a constitutional prohibition upon the claims of their own people, who sacrificed their treasure and their blood in the war against this Government? Nol every man of them will vote to assume the rebel debt and pension the disabled rebel soldiers, and the widows and children of those who lost their lives in the rebel cause, and pay for the property that has been destroyed by our armies1hat marched through the South and when Congress votes to do all that the bankruptcy of this Government is achieved, your own loyal debt is repudiated, and the credit of your Government is annihilated. You will no long or be able to pay the pensions to your own isabled soldiers, or the widows and orphans that have been caused by this war. The vote of the southern Representatives will imoverish your treasury and wide s rend ruin wrlFifollow. Loyal men of the N ort, are you not; prepared to welcome the rebel States into your Congress now? 4 God forbid that that dayshould come. The loyal people of this country have suffered too much to endure that humiliation and disgrace. I appeal not to AndrewJohnson, because I feel that it would be appealing in vain. I appeal to the people to stand by their Representatives until we have put it be and the power of the rebels of the South and their northern s m pathizers to destroy this Government. An let us, the Representatives of the people, legislate for the interest of the country and of freedom. We must place such safeguards around this Government as shall secure its perpetuity, its grandeur, and its glory for all coming time. Wait a little while, gentlemen on the other side. Do not be too anxious to allow this southern Samson to at his hands upon the pillars of this temple. ou, too, may be crushed in the rain as we las we. For your own sakes as well as ours let these southern Representatives stay out a little while until loyaltyin their States gets a better foothold; until they shall send loyal men here; and if they have notthe inherent sense of justice to do justice themselves, let us impose upon them such constitutional obligations as shall require them to do justice to all men, of all conditions, the lowas well as the high; as shall require them to maintainarepublirrzn form of State government. Then, sir, I would admit them, but not till then. But till then let the same heroism devotion, patriotism, and courage control and direct the legislation of the country for the preservation of that Government an that Constitution which has been saved by the indescribable valor of half a million heroes now sleeping theirlast sleep, and by that million of veteran survivors who are among us to remind us of their heroism and courage, and then not only will the present generation bless you, but future generations will treasure up your acts in grateful hearts, and God Himself will also add His blessing.