78 LIVES OF THE PRESIDENTS he expressed it, "to vindicate my previous action in regard to it." Many outrages had been committed in the south against the freedmen, and congress spent much time in considering measures for the suppression of these crimes. On May 31, 1870, a bill was passed, called the Enforcement act, which empowered the president to protect the freedmen in their newly acquired rights, and punish the perpetrators of the outrages. Several supplements to this were subsequently enacted, and a most onerous and exacting duty was imposed upon the executive in enforcing their provisions. The reconstruction of the states recently in re bellion now progressed rapidly under the 14th amendment, which guaranteed equal civil rights to all citizens, and in July, 1870, all the states had ratified this amendment and been readmitted to the Union. The votes of Arkansas and Louisiana were not received by congress in the presidential elec tion of 1872; but this was on account of fraud and illegal practices at the polls. In the president s annual message to congress, December, 1869, he recommended the passage of an act authorizing the funding of the public debt at a lower rate of inter est. This was followed by the passing of an act, approved July 14, 1870, which authorized the secre tary of the treasury to issue bonds to the amount of $200,000,000, bearing interest at the rate of 5 per cent., $300,000,000 at the rate of 4% per cent.,
