Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1864-02-11
THE VERY LATEST
BY
II z Il Z O. r. a ID H.
CONGRESSIONAL.
xxXVIIIth Congress...First Session.
WASHINGTON. Feb. i

SENATE.-Trumbull reported, from the
Judiciary Committee, various hills to
amend the Constitution, aud an amend
ment, by way Of substitute, providing
for the abolishing of slavery through
State lie .islation. On motion Of Trum
bull, the Senate proceeded to consider
the bill prohibitory of members of Con
gress, heads of Bureaus and others, from
acting as attorneys, except in purely ju-
dicial cases before civil courts.
Cowan moved to strike out members
Of Congress Carried; yeas &c, nays II
The bill provides that no members of
the Senate or House, OF head of any De-
partment, shall receive compensation,
directly or indirectly, for services in any
proceeding, contract, claim, controversy,
charge, accusation, arrest or other mat
ter, in which the United States is inter
ested Any such person so offending
shall be fined $4,000, be imprisoned
two years. and be forever incapacitated
from holding any Office under the Gov
eminent
The bill equalizing the pay Of soldiers
was taken up, the pending question being
in striking out the section giving colored
soldiers the sans pay as white soldiers
Sumner argued in favor of the bill.
The executive session adjourned.
Trimbull from The Judiciary Commit
tee, reported back substitute for the
Joint resolutions of Mr. Henderson, pro-
posing amendments to the Constitution
as follows: Neither slavery nor involun-
20 40 e.. cbr,a rF
for crime, shall exist in the United
States or any place subject to their juris
diction. ID. Congress shall have power
to enforce this article by appropriate
legislation.
Trumbull, from the Judiciary Com
mite, reported adversely on the proposed
amendment of the Constitution by Sum-
ner, making all men free before the law,
so that no man can hold another as a
slave.
Clark introduced bill re-affirming
the Presidents Proclamation of July l,
1861, giving it the face of statute re-
ferring to slavery and freed men.
Brown submitted an amendment to
the Enlistment Bill, confirming the
Emancipation Proclamation, abolishing
slavery throughout the country, and
subjecting colored men to enrolment
and draft.
HoUsE.-The Committee on Military
Affairs have prepared a bill to retire
from the army unemployed Major and
Brigadier Generals
Mr.. Dawes presented the credentials
of James NJ. Johnson, from Arkansas.
Davis, OF Maine, moved to lay them
on the table, pending which the House
went into Committee of the Whole on
the Enrolment Bill
The House proceeded to the consider
alton of the bill to establish Bureau of
Freedmen's Officers.
Elliott, of Mass, explained the bill,
saying its passage was demanded no
less by considerations of high justice,
than by its effects on the pocuniary in
terests of the Government
The committee were for a long time
engaged on the section exempting men,
bers of religions denomination, who
are conscientiously opposed to bearing
arms, from service in the field, but as
signing them to look after freedmen
During the debate Mr. Deming, of
Conn. said there are 100000 non-resist-
ants in the country, and if they were ex-
empted from the draft there would be a
revival among the non-resisting sections,
and their ranks, at least, would be re-
cruited.
Ganson offered as an amendment that
privileges Of the writ of habeas corpus
| shall not be suspended in cases of al
legged minors who may be enlisted. This
amendmeut.was rejected
Stephens offered an amendment that
all persons of African decent between
twenty and forty-fve years Of age, wheth-
er citizens of the United States or not,
shall be enrolled and form part of the
national forces, and when a slave shall
be drafted and mustered into the service
the master shall receive certificate for
800 dollars, and the drafted man shall be
free An animated debate ensued. The
Committee arose without voting and ad
journed.