The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1865-12-23
CONVERSATIONAL.

ton OF Vice Admiral tarragut and eleven
hundred other naval officers, asking for an
increase of pay. Referred to the Committee
on Naval Affairs. Mr.. Wilson offered
resolution providing for the appointment Of
an examining foard TO relieve officers Of
the regular army who have not rendered
meriioriuUs services in the late war. and To
! ill their places by appointments from the
| Regular Army Veteran Reserve Corps and
volunteer force. Mr.. Wilson offered Il Till
| TO grant one million acres Of public land for
! the benefit of public schools in the District
of Columbia 1t provides that one million
acres Of any lands Of the United States not
subject to private entry. are granted to the
cities of Washington, Georgetown, and the
county of Washing ton, ID. G.. to be divided
! between the three according to the popula
ton thereof as ascertaincd by the last cen
sus. All money arising from the sale Of said
lands TO be !, sacred trust fund, never to be
reduced the income of which shall be de.
voted to the instruction Of children between
the ages of five and seventeen, without dis
| tinction Of color or race.
In the House. on Monday, Mr.. Harris. of
Nd, appeared and took the test oath. Mr.
| Price, OF Iowa, offered a preamble. setting
forth that as an attempt may come in some
| shape to rep idatc the national and assume
the Rebel debt. tn ,relorc. that no represent
tative from the States should be admitted
until an amendment be made to the Consti
tuition prerluding such result, which was
referred to the Committee ON Reconstruct
ton. On motion of Mr. Loan it was resolved
that the select Committee on Freedmen in
| qulrc into the eXpedicncy of some mode of
| legislation securing to freedmen and colored
citizens Of the States recently in rcbeiiOn
the political and civil rights of other citizens
| ~ .tl D,l.
dois, offered a dccaratoIy resolution, as the
nsc Of the House, that in restoring the
normal relations Of the States lately in re-
! bellion, it is the high and sacred duty OF the
representatives Of the people to secure the
largest attainable liberty to all persons. ir
| respective of race or color. The resolution
was referred to the select Committee on Re
construction. Mr.. Mouton offered Il reso.
luton calling upon the President to inform
! The House why Jefferson Davis has not been
tried for treason against the United States,
and what if any. obstacles stand in the way
If trial. Objection being made, the resolu-
ion was laid over. Mr. Thornton offered
| resolution that any cNtcnton OF the elective
franchise to persons in the States. either bv
act Of the President or by Congress, would
be an assumption Of power which nothing
in the Constitution would warrant: and to
properly referred to the several States The
resolution was laid on the table by Il vote Of
II to 49, The House passed a resolution
! declaring that the test oath should not be
| dispensed with. The resolution of the Sen
| ate with reference to the ceremonies to be
observed on the Eth of February, in token
of respect OF the late President, was agreed
| to, and bill to allow Mrs. Lincoln $50 600
was passed, the House refusing to increase
the amount to 100000. Mr.. Wilson re-
ported n bill from the Committee on the Ju,
dietary. to extend suffrage in the District of
Columbia striking out the word ''whie'
wherever it occurs in all laws, etc. 1t was
made special order for the 10th Of .Ianu-
lry. by Il nearly unanimous vote the House
expressed Its concurrence in the views of
The Secretary of the Treasury in relation to
the contraction of the currency with a view
o the early resumption OF specie payments.
and pledged its corporation in carving ont
these views. Several resolutions directed
against the continuance and increase of no
iygamy in l tab were introduced aud appro-
prlatcIy referred. Mr.. Stevens. Of Pcul>y-
wanna. submitted resolution referring the
different portions of the Presidents Mes.
sage to appropriate committees, and address
I'd the House at length on the subject of
Reconstruction. Mr.. Stevens takes the
ground that it requires the action Of Con
grcSs to enable the States. lately in in,ur.
rectlon. to form State governments and send
representatives to Congress-, and that they
must come IN AS new States or remain as
conquered territory. In thus restoring or
demonstrating these States, Mr. Stevens
hItds that the concurrent action Of Congress
"a the Executive is necessary. Mr. Stevens
in the course of his remarks said =
'.Ihn first 1t tbnSu
change the basis Of numbers to actual voters.
Now all the colored freedmen in the slave
States and thrcc-fths Of the slaves are rep.
resented, though none Of them have votes.
The States have nineteen representatives
of colored slaves. If the slaves are now
free, then they can add for the other two.
iltlhS, thirteen more, making the slave rep.
reSentatives thirty-two. ! suppose the free
blacks in these States will give at least five
more, making the representation of non.
voting people of color about thirty sevcn-
The whole number of representatives now
from the slave States is seventy: add the
other two,h tths and it will be ninety,three
1t the amendment prevails, and these
States withhold the right of suffrage from
persons of color, it will deduct about thirty
seven, leaving them but forty. five: with the
unchanged, the eighty-three Southern mem
bers, with the Democrats, who will in the
best times be elected from the North, will
always give them majority in Congress and
in the Electoral College: they will at the
very first election take possession of the
White House and the Halls of Congress.
need not depict the ruin that would fol.
low the assumption of the rebel debt or the
Reputation of the Federal debt The OPP
preston of the freedmen, the amendment
of the State Constitution and the re-esab-
itshment of slavery would be the inevitable
result. That they would scorn and disregard
their present constitutions. forced upon them
in the midst of martial law, would be both
natural and inst. No one who has any re-
gard for the freedom Of elections can look
upon those governments, forced upon them
in duress, with favor.
If they should grant the right of suffrage
to persons of color, | think there would al
ways be Union white men enough in the
South. aided by the blacks, to divide the
representation, and thus continue the Re.
publican asccndency. If they should refrse
to thus alter their election laws, it would re-
duce the representatives of the late slave
States to about forty-fve, and render them
harmless for evil. 1t is plain that this
amendment must be consummated before |
the dcfunct States are admitted to be capa
BILE of State action, or it never can be.
The proposed amendment to allow Con-
gresS TO Law a duty on eSports is nraniSelv in |