The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-07-10
THE LAST WEEK IN CONGRESS.

THE LAST WEEK IN CONGRESS-
Three important events stand out on the
records of Congress for the last week-the
passage, in the Senate, of the bill of Mr..
Toombs, referred to the Committee on Terri
tories and subsequently reported by Mr.. Doug
las, providing for an enumeration, apportion-
ment, and the organization of State Govern
ment in Kansas; the reception and reading of
the voluminous report from the Commissioners
appointed to take testimony in regard to the
troubles in Kansas; and the passage BY the
House of the bill reported by Mr.. Grow, from
the Committee on Territories, providing for
the admission of Kansas as State, with its
Topeka Constitution excluding Slavery.
Of the first measure we have already pre-
sented clear synopsis. The Committee
amended it, by inserting section, re-affirming
the guarantees of freedom of speech and the
press, liberty of conscience, right of petition,
&C., contained in the Articles of Amendments
to the Constitution of the United States, in
tending, without formally annulling the sbomi-
nable acts in Kansas against free discussion,
to make the country believe that they were to
be in fact set aside. Another amendment
entitled persons, inhabitants of the Territory,
who had made oath of their intention to be-
come citizens of the United States, to vote
and still another provided stringent safeguards
against fraud and violence at the ballot-bax.
The bill was taken up on the I'd, discussed
with great ability, sometimes acrimony, through
the remainder of the day, and all night, till the
next morning at eight o'clock, when it was
passed.
A sketch of the debate and proceedings
which we transfer to our columns, furnished
by the Washington correspondent of the Ne,o
York Herald, will enable the reader to form
some conception of the protracted struggle.
The Republican members bore themselves
manfully.
On motion of Mr.. Adams of Mississippi, the
provision authorizing persons to vote who had
taken the requisite oath to become citizens of
the United States, was stricken out. All mo-
tons to change the date at which the enumera-
ton of the inhabitants of the Territory is to be
made, were voted down. So far as we can
learn, the leaders Of the Propaganda on the
Missouri border are always appraised in time OF
any important movement proposed by their
friends in Congress.
The Fourth of July, according to several
concurrent reports in newspapers, was the day
fixed for descent of Missouri invaders upon
Kansas. By singular coincidence, the bill
provides that the census to be taken, shall EN-.
brace the inhabitants of the Territory on
the Fourth of July. All attempts, we repeat
to change the date, were voted down in the
Senate
Two laudable amendments were agreed to-
of much importance-one, declaring that nc
act, impairing freedom of speech or of the
press, or requiring test oath, or an oath to
support any particular law, as a condition to
Office or suffrage, should be in force, or en-
forced in the Territory; the other, providing
for the case of inhabitants of Kansas, who
having been driven by force or menace from
their homes, shall return after the day fixed
for taking the census.
The vote on the final passage of the bill was
as follows:
YEAs-Messrs. Allen, Bayard, Bell of Ten
nessee, Benjamin, Biggs, Bigler, Bright, Brod
head, Brown, Cass, Clay, Crttenden, Douglas
Evans, Fitzpatrick, Geyer, Hunter, Iverson
Johnson, Jones of Iowa, Mallory, Pratt, Pugh
Reid, Sebastian, Slidell, Stuart, Thompson Of
Kentucky, Toombs, Toucey, Weller, Wright
and Yulee-33.
"NAYs-Messrs. Bell of New Hampshire
Collamer, Dodge, Durkee, Fessenden, Foot,
Foster, Hale, Seward, Trumbull, Wade, and
WilsOn-l2.
"The following fourteen named Senators
| were absent: Messrs. Adams, of Mississippi
Butler, of South Carolina; Clayton, of Della.
ware Fish, of New York Hamlin, of Maine
Harlan, of Iowa; Houston, of Texas James
of Rhode Island Jones, of Tennessee Mason,
of Virginia; Pearce, of MARYLAND Husk, oil
| Texas; Sumner, of Massachusetts; and Thorn
son, of New Jersey.
"There are three vacancies in the Senate
viz one in California, one in Missouri, and one
in Indiana.
"If the Senate had been full, the relative vote
would have been about the same"
Messrs. Fish, Hamlin, Harlan, and Sumner
had they been present, would have voted against
the bill; and had James voted the same way
(which is doubtful,) the negative vote would
have been II. OF the 80 yeas, 81 were from
| slave States.
The next event was the reception and read
ing of the Report of the Kansas Commission
by the House of Representatives. July LIST, Mr..
Barclay having moved a reconsideration of the
vote by which the bill for the admission OF
Kansas had been rejected, a warm debate
sprang up; and at last Mr.. Houston, of Alabama
moved to lay the motion to reconsider on the
table. Just at that moment, Mr.. Howard
chairman of the Kansas Commission, rose to
a question of higher privilege-he was ready
to present the report Of the Committee. Mr.
Houston objected, on the ground that the mo-
ton he had made was a privileged one, and
could not be superseded. The Speaker deci
ded that
"Fhe motion to reconsider is a privileged
motion, and takes precedence of every other
motion relating to the ordinary business of the
House, except motion to adjourn. But that
class of business which belongs to the right Of
| a member to a seat in this House is of higher
| privilege. Therefore, the report from the spe-
cial committee takes precedence of the motion
| to reconsider"
This was the signal for a general movement
by the Administration and Fillmore parties to
override the Speaker, and keep out the Re-
port. The report of proceedings occupies a
dozen columns of the Globe, and shows with
what skill war against any particular measure
may be waged by raising points of order. We
have often expressed our admiration for Mr.
Banks, as Speaker. An attentive and i'm
partial observer of the House for the last ten
years-always disposed to give full credit tc