The Sun.
London, England, 1866-01-09 00:00:00

puzzled farmers very much, and on Saturday the
magistrates at the Norton-court were waited upon
for interpretations of the orders. The North and
East Ridings have not uniform regulations, but it
seems quite clear that in both the removal of cattle
is, as far as possible, suppressed. Mahon being the
border town of the two Ridings, is peculiarly affected
by the orders, the town being in the North, but the
railway is the East Riding ; thus the North Rid-
ing cannot take cattle to the railway, and the East
Riding cannot send in for slaughter. The pecu-
liarities of the case and the hardship and incon-
venience likely to arise were admitted, but without
special legislation to meet the Malton case there is
no remedy. The Superintendent of Police at Mal-
ton also waited upon the bench to report that con-
trary to the North Riding order prohibiting the sale
of " sheep, lambs, pigs, and goats," in addition to
cattle, the market was held on Saturday, every
attender being liable to a penalty of £.2o—equally
enforceable against seller and buyer. Ignorance of
the order was pleaded in every case, and the bench
thought as so limited a time had elapsed no proceed-
ings could in fairness be taken. A regret was ex-
pressed that " sheep, pigs, &c.," were not included
in the East Riding regulations ; and during the dis-
cussion a person in court vehemently called out for
the suppression of fox-hunting, protesting that " the
foxhounds were worst of all." A proposal has been
made in the North Riding to restrain the move-
ments of dogs. It is now certain that a disease
similar to the rinderpest has attacked the pigs--in-
stances having occurred in Malton last week.

Senate Debate on the President's Re-
construction Message.

Owing to the interest everywhere felt in the subject
we append a report of the brief but spirited debate in the
United States Senate on the President's Reconstruction
Message.

Mr. Sommt.—l wish to make one remark with refe-
rence to the business before the Senate. I wish to know
whether the report of Major-General Carl Schurz is annexed
to the Message of the President ?

Mr. FOSTER (in the chair.) —The Chair understands that
it is.

Mr. SIININER.—Then I think it had better bo read.

Several Senators—lt is too long.

Mr. Smarm—At any rate we can begin it ; it is a very
important document. The Senate will remember that
when the report was made out on the condition of affairs
in Kansas every word was read at that desk. Now the
question involved is much more important. We have a
Message from the President, latch is like the whitewashing
Message of Franklin Pierce with regard to the atrocities in
Kansas. I think the Senate had better listen to the report
of General Schurz on this important subject.
Mr. JOHNSON said ho was surprised to hear the Senator
from Massachusetts characterized the Message as an attempt
to whitewash. There was no whitewashing about it. It
was a fair and clear statement of facts, called for by the
Senate. He thought the report of General Schurz had
better be printed, together with the other documents.
The reading of General Schurz's report was commenced,
but the Clerk had not proceeded far when
Mr. SHERMAN moved that the further reading be dis-
pensed with, and that the report be printed.
Mr. SUMNER—I shall not object to that if the Senator
from Ohio thinks that it is proper we should, on this im-
portant occasion, dispense with the reading. I think
the Senate could not listen to anything of more impor-
tance than that accurate and authentic report regarding
the actual condition of things in these States. Here is
an eminent citizen, lately a Major-General in the Army
of the United States, sent on a special mission by the
President to visit these States and report upon their con-
dition. Ho has made a visit, not hasty, like General
Grant, for instance, or some other officers or citizens, but
a visit occupying time, and extending through the diffe-
rent States, and ho has recorded the results in an elabo-
rate document. Now, sir, if the question were a trivial
one, if it were a transitory question, I would think with
the Senator from Ohio that it had better not be read.
If 'the Senator insists upon his motion I shall not
object.

Mr. SIT:ERMAN objected to the reading of the report as
not being in accordance with custom.

Mr. DOOLITTLE—The Senator from Massachusetts gave
expiession to one remark which brought, it seems to me,
injustice to himself, and which he ought to qualify, if not
altogether to retract. Speaking of the Message just re-
ceived from the President, he said it was like the ►white-
washing Message of Franklin Pierce .to cover up the
transactions in Kansas ; and that the affairs in these
States sought to be covered up and whitewashed by the
Message of the President were much worse than those
affairs in Kansas. Now, Mr. President, I think the
Senator from Massachusetts must have let fall that ex-
pression without giving it sufficient thought. I cannot
believe that the Senator, occupying the high position he
does, representing the great State he does wishes
to be understood as stating here in the Senate and
to the country, that this Message just received from
the President is a whitewashing Message, seeking to cover
up or conceal certain transactions—a state of things in-
finitely worse than the transactions in Kansas. That
terrible affair, which was the beginning of all our troubles,
was a civil war iu itself—the prelude to the great war
from which we have 'just emerged. I believe, sir, that
the honourable Senator from Massachusetts will at least
qualify, if he does not wholly retract, this strong expres-
sion.

Mr. SUMMER—I have nothing to qualify ;. nothing to
modify; nothing to retract. In former days there was
but one Kansas to suffer under illegal power. Now there
are eleven liansases suffering only as ono suffered ; there-
fore, sir, as eleven are more than one, so is the enormity
of the present time more than the enormity of the days of
Franklin Pierce.

Mr. Dixox.—The Senator from Massachusetts says the
enormities in the States lately in rebellion are greater than
those of Kansas in former days. I beg leave to remind
that Senator that that is not precisely the question raised
by the Senator from Wisconsin. There is no question
here as to the misconduct of anybody in Kansas, or in the
Southern States. The charge has been directly made in
the Senate that the President of the United States has
sent in a whitewashed report with regard to these enor-
mities. Now, sir, I cannot pass that in silence. What is
a whitewashed report ? It is a report intended to cover
up by falsehood and misstatements certain facts. That is
a whitewashed report. Now, sir, as a friend of the Pre-
sident (and I express no exclusive or peculiar friendship
for him) I cannot sit quietly and listen in silence to such
charges. I sustain the policy of the President as I under-
stand it ; not because it is the President's policy, but
because it is right. I believe in the truth of the state-
ments he has made, and although he needs no defence I
cannot suffer such charges to go to the country without
a protest.
Mr. DOOLITTLE spoke again at this point.

Mr. SUMNER—I am sorry that I have given pain to my
honorable friends ; I certainly did not intend to do so.
They suggest that the question has been raised as to the
policy of the President. I have raised no such question,
and have expressed no opinion in regard to it. The
Senator from Wisconsin dwells on that point, and reminds
the Senate that the policy of the President was not in
question. I knew it was not in question, and, therefore,
expressed no opinion on it ; for when I speakj in this
body I try to speak directly to the question. There was
then no question directly before the Senate. Had there
been I should have been ready to meet it. The only
question was on the character of the document read, and
that I characterized as a "whitewashing document."
My honorable friends rose one after another, and like two
lexicographers proceeded to give a definition of the word
" whitewash." I do not accept their definition. I intended
no such meaning as either the Senator from Connec-
ticut or the Senator from Wisconsin has attempted to
give. I have no reflection to make on the patriotism or
truth of the President of the United States. Never in
public or in private have I made any such reflection, and
do not begin now. When I spoke, I spoke of a docu-
ment that had been read at the desk, and I characterized
it and thought it ought to be characterized. My memory
goes back in this chamber further than that of many I see
about me. I remember the other scene when a white-
washing Message did come into this body from Franklin
Pierce. We all called it a whitewashing report, and lam
not aware that any one then on the other side undertook
what my honorable friends from Wisconsin and from
Connecticut have undertaken to do to-day. We all felt
then that Mr. Pierce's Message was a whitewashing docu-
ment. I simply undertook to-day, after hearing the docu-
ment read at the desk, to characterize it as the patriotic
party of 1856 characterized the Message of Franklin
Pierce.

PRESENTATION TO M. BENJAMIN MORAN.—We learn
from a letter of the London correspondent of the Chicago
Tribune, one of the most ably-edited newspapers in the
United States, that Mr. Moran, the United States Secre-
tary of Legation to this Court, has been made the reci-
pient of an original and really splendid portrait in oil of
General Washington. The correspondent states that the
donor is an English gentleman, in whose family the
portrait has remained since the original sat for it, and who
presents it to the Secretary of Legation as a mark of high
personal esteem, and because, in his opinion, such a relic
should be in possession of an American before all others.
An ancestor of the donor, an Englishman, was on intimate
terms with the General, who became godfather to his
third child, and sat for this portrait to the eminent artist
Pyne. The painting was brought away to Europe, and
during the present century has remained at the family
seat in Wales, lost, as it were, to the whole world. Now,
however, it is in the hands of a gentleman who will prize
it at its full value, a gentleman who, notwithstanding the
very delicate position he has to fill in this country, appears
to change all acquaintances into warm and endearing
friends. It is peculiarly appropriate that such a portrait
should be in such hands.