Mr. DOOLITTLE. Yes, sir; and in the reclamation he uses the language which I have quoted, that while he pledges the support of the executive Government to the States thus reorganized or reconstructed, he expressly says that this is not to be construed as in any wa affectin the right or power of congress each House or itself to judge of the e eetions, returns, and qualifications of its members. Now Mr. President, let us go a step further. Under this proclamation, proceedings we. taken in the States of Louisiana, Arkansas, and Tennessee. Mr. Johnson, the present incumbent of the executive office, resigned his seat in this Chamber to go home to Tennessee, under the direction of Mr. Lincoln. to reconstruct or reorganize the State government there. A friend has handed me the proclamation of Mr. Lincoln. I call the attention of the Senfrom Illinois to this language: "To avoid misunderstandin. it may be proper to say that this proclamation.so nr as it relatesto State governments.has noreferenceto Stateswhereinloyal into governmentshave all the while been maintained and for the same reason. it may be proper to further say, that whether members sent to congressfrom any State shall beadmitted to seatse onstitutional] rests exclusively with the respective Houses, an not to any extent with the Executive." I undertake to say that there is not a word to be found in any speech or letter or document coming from the present Executive. orso far as I know, from any person who upon this floor or the floor of the other House has maintained the policy of reconstruction favored by the Executive, who has not always held that each House had the right to jud for itself, not merely of the form of cregntials, not merely of the regularity of the returns, but whether the States were in acondition to elect, the Senate judging for itself if there was a legislature capable of electing Senators, and the HoRep whether the several districts and each district for itself were in a condition to elect Representatives. But, Mr. President I do not propose to go into the argument of that question. That is not in the line of discussion which I proposed to myself today.