The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1865-11-15

ORGANISATION OF CoNGREss-The Washington cor
respondent of the New York Evening News whose let
ter we copy is clerk of the house committee cleo
TONS lie says
There is lack of correct inforGationu certain quar-
crs respectp the ORGANISATION of the house of repre
sentatives The clerk of the last congress- by law,
holds over till the new congress elects speaker, and
it is his duty to prepare an official list of members He
calls this roll when the house meets and when the cleo
ton of speaker takes place he this roll Great
power is conferred upon the clerk but could not be
otherwise.
Mr. McPhcarson has informed his friends without
reservation, that he will not place upon the official list
of members any persons claiming to be elected from
State that has been in rebellion against the government
To do differently would be to decide himself one of
the most important questions before congress- for to let
in eighty southern members at the outset vote upon
the subject of their recognition would end the con
troversy in their favor at once.
The uniform practice of the house durine,the last
three years has been not to admit claimants from dis
trcts which have becni1 rebellion till att house has
pronounced upon their papers. This nerses the prac-
tice in ordinary eases, where the persohoding regular
papers always holds his seat till the house decides
against him. Two members from New Orleans partici-
pated in the organisation Of the hirtyeighth congress
but the previous congress had admitted members from
those districts, thus acknowledging that they were en-
titled to representation Mr. Stevens of PENNSYLVANIA
and objected to the vote of these members Messrs
Field and Cottman-but finally consented to waive the
point their vote could not affect the result so that
if the previous house had not admitted members
from these districts, it could not be quoted prece
dent.
An old and influential member of congress has sub
mitted to of his friends plan for the settle
ment of the veXed question of southern representation
in congress 1t is as follows: Let select committee
Ia joint committee would be BETTER be raised to whom
the constitutions OF the reconstructed" Confederate
States shall be submitted with all papers bearing upon
the subject This committee shall consider first whcth
err the State constitutions republican in form secondly
whether it is the act of the loyal people of the State
which it is sought to establish it; and thirdly
whether domestic Tranquility is far restored in such
State that its people maintain its constitution
10 the house committee elections each individual
would be referred usual but said committee will
naturally await the report by the select committee from
each State
This proposition meets with considerable favor here
and will not be opposed by the president
SoLmTIED PETROLEUM Philadelphia Shipping
List says: We are Informed upon what we consider
good authority, that number of gentlemen owning
grounds in west Virginia found, some time ago upon
their premises, hard, black substance, which was
supposed to be coal. Upon chemical analysis it was
found to be scldhed petroleum. crysalised upon the
outside Of the grain and graduated inside 1t lay in
stratiied form, and the vein from fftyfvc inches
deep to $50 feet thick. So far traced the lode is
about mile in length The discoveries were deter
mined to put their acquisition to test and they found it
possible to distl from the substance pure oil at the
rate of from 80 to 100 gallons to the ton The location
of this petroleum mine is ten miles from Cairo and
thrtyonc miles east of Parkersburg Va, Should the
matter turn out represented, it viii eXasciSe a very
important influence upon the production petroleum in
the fluid form.