Reconstruction. One

of the leading problems remaining after the Civil War was how to reconstruct the governments of the States which had seceded. Mr. Lincoln had proceeded upon the theory that nothing i more was nece ary than that a sufficient number of the citizens should form a State Government, of which the officials were loyally desirous of maintaining constitutional relations with the Government of the Union. The separation of West Virginia from Virginia had been accomplished by a Virgin i an Legislature so constituted. President Johnson proceeded upon the same theory. In Congre other theories were broached, some even going so far as to hold that the seceding States had ceased to exist as States, and constituted a territory respecting which Congre was at liberty to make such arrangements as it chose. The view generally upheld by Congre was that the Southern States could pe re-admitted only on such terms as Congre should impose. Its maintenance of this view was largely owing to its belief that the substantial results of the war in respect to the enfranchisement and civil rights of the negro could not be secured in any other way, because of the reluctance of same Southern Legislatures to accept these results. Before Congre met in December, 1865, Johnson had recognized provisional governments in all the Southern States but one, on their accepting the Thirteenth Amendment. But Congre proposed the Fourteenth Amendment, and insisted on its acceptance as a pre-requisite to re-admi ion of any State. In 1867 it pa ed the Reconstruction Act, which divided the South into five military districts, under the command of generals of the army, who were to effect a registration of voters, including negroes, and excluding those disqualified by the Fourteenth Amendment. These voters should elect a convention, which should make a constitution, ratified by them. It should then be submitted to Congre , and if it was acceptable to Congre , the State should be reinstated whenever its Legislature had ratified the Fourteenth Amendment. The result was the notorious black or ‘‘carpet-bag’’ governments. Under this act Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana and the Carol in as were re-admitted. Tenne ee had already been re-admitted by Congre in 1866. Georgia, Mi i ippi, Texas and Virginia were required also to ratify the Fifteenth Amendment, and were not re-admitted until 1870. In 1868 the Supreme Court, in the case of Texas vs. White, sustained the Congre ional, as over against the Presidential, theory of reconstruction. 157