"Because we cannot devise any thing of a civil nature adequate to the emergency," said he, "it is urged that we must fly to the most violent measure the ingenuity of man could devise.

Let me remind gentlemen that this has been the history of popular governments everywhere, the reason of their downfall, their decadence, and their death." -- Mr.Garfield indicated his support of the measure if it could be amended.

"But," said he, "I call attention to the fact that from the collapse of the Rebellion to the present hour, Congress has undertaken to restore the States lately in rebellion by co-operation with their people, and that our efforts in that direction have proven a complete and disastrous failure." Alluding to the fact that the Fourteenth Amendment had been submitted as the basis of reconstruction, Mr.
Garfield continued, "The constitutional amendment did not come up to the full height of the great occasion.

It did not meet all I desired in the way of guarantees to liberty, but if the rebel States had adopted it as Tennessee did, I should have felt bound to let them in on the same terms prescribed for Tennessee.

I have been in favor of waiting to give them full time to deliberate and to act.