Mr. ASHLEY, of Ohio. If I have not, I withdraw it now. Now, Mr. Speaker, in reply to some of the arguments addressed to this House by gentlemen on the other side, I want to say that the greatbody of Union men deny that during the entire war there has been any constitutional State government in anyone of the States in rebelhon. Tennessee has been readmitted, or its reorganized State government has been recognized by Congress since the war. The gentlemen who have served with me here during the entire war recognize the fact that the eatbody of men constituting the Republican Jnion party have held that opinion since the outbreak of the rebellion. At the 1st regular session of the 30 7th Congress [introduced a bill to establish temporary provisional governments in the then 11 rebellious States. The ComTerritor authorized me to report such a bill, and on the 12th of March, 1862, I did report such a bill to this House, which was laid on the table by a small majority, the great body of the Union members Present and voting voted against laying the bill on the table. At the commencement of the 1st session of the "38 h Congress a special committee was organized on the subject of reconstruction, of which the late Henry Winter Davis, of Maryland, was chairman, and of which I also was a member. They proposed to this House, and the House and Senate passed, a bill again recognizing the principle on which the Union Republican party have acted during the entire war, declaring there were no "constitutional State governments in those States. These bills recognized the fact that the sovereignty of the nation was in the people residing in States which maintained constitutional State governments, acting in practical relations with the Government of the U.S. They held that Congress as the rePresentative of the sovereignty of the nation had the right to legislate on all subjects in States where constitutional Stategovernments had been overthrown or destroyed. That bill passed both Houses, but failed to become a because Mr. Lincoln declined to sign it, although he said he was acting and intended to follow practically the principles contained in the bill.