The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1865-11-11
lmille Anipn.
q. siNEz5s : q. FasIl.Asr..
saTUaDAT, aovEMBER II, 1856.
ForneY On the OTgaEization of the

I
FOrheY On the OIgaEization of III
House.
WASHINGTON, Nov. (, 1865.
Vixen Mr.. Lincoln called the XKXVIIt
Congress together, on the fourth Of Jul,
1861, eleven Of she Southern States havin
seeded, thera Was not q single distrist
any Of these States represented by rsgulr
election. But this fact did not prevent
number Of persons from claiming 10 o,cup
some Of the -vacsied seats on various pr
texts. Nsafly ell Of them were politics
advturers, although protesting earnest de
Totion 70 the Union aud bitter hatred of "a
trsiiors. Thei fact that they have passe
irum the stage Of action, almost from ID
memory oi men, show how untitled the
were isr, and how unworthy OF, The impol
tant duties to which they aspired. A stron
pressure was brought to bear upon -
Clerk Of the House Of Representative
the former or XXXTIth Congress (whos
duty it was 10 place the names Of the dull
elected members % the new House upon th
Initial roll aud to call them % order prepar
atory % thsir formal and Constitutional or
/ eaniiatont - res5rriae and Healf' thes
usurPers; end this pressure wes backed b,
many OF the most prominent men in tn
Honse. Regarding himself as amply
ministerial officer, with no power Whateve
70 decide upon the claims Of con
testing members, especially from DIS
trIcts which be onged TO States that has
broken away from their allegiance, h
sternly refused 20 yield, and read emily tn
names Of the members from the districts il
the adhering LOYAL States. After the or
I ganizatiOn Of the House, and il remem.
brance Of his professions of devotion to th,
/ Union, Emerson Etheridge was chosen Clerl
Of the Honss. But before the close Of lhs
l XXXVIIth Congress, Mr.. Etheridga be.
/ came an earnest adversary Of the men who
had elected him and many approximations
were INDUCED lest, Ia the next and
XXXVlith Congress, he might decide tC
place on the early rol, Or call the names o.
the claimants 70 seats in the House IRON
certain districts in the seeded States. Il
was known thata large number of operators
Of this class were preparing 10 be present
and press their claims. But it is due TO Mr.
Etheridge to Gay, that, however honestly
these apprshensiOns may have been enter
tanned, his impartial conduct in the organ
ization Of the new House, on the 9TH OF De-
eember, lass, showed there was no real
foundation Cor them. Accordingly, on the
Sd Of March, 1865. Mr.. Menzies, of Ken
lucky, from the Committee on Elections, re-
ported a bill, of which the following is q
copy;
Congress, and Of every subsequent Congress,
| the clerk Of the next preceding House OF
Representatives snail make a roll Of the
| Representatives elect, and place thereon
the names Of al persons, aud OF such per
sons only, whose credentials show that they
were regularly elected in accordance with
the laws Of their States respectively, OF the
laws Of the United States.
approved, March Sd, 1861"
This bill was passed by the House and
Senate and signed by President Lincoln,
all on the same day, and is new the law Of
the land. lie terms are so clear that have
been surprised that any other but the right
construction should have been placed upon
il even by the most partial partisan. M
better answer 10 the extraordinary expecta-
ton, INDUCED IN some quarters, and among
i the rest, in the National IEtelligencer here
that Mr.. Mcpherson, Clerk Of the last
| House, WHO is b. call the new House u
order on the 4th day Of December, 1865,
should recognize and call IRON his initial
roll the claimants from the recent seeded
States-eould be desired than that furnished
| in the course Of Mr.. Etheridge on the 7th Of
December, 1858, That gent eman ia. now
acting with the Democratic party, and his
action has a direct bearing upon the at
tempt made by the late secessiOnists, aided
by the Democratic organs, to obtain q re-
presentation in Congress before the merits
Of their respective cases are fairly examined
and decided BY the body Of the uncOa.
tested members ] ind in the the CongEss-
| sional Globe, first session XXXVIIItn Con-
| gress, that Mr.. Etheridge, acting under
| This law, called the names, 10 use his own
words, aud toe words OF the law, page q
part j, Of Globe above DRmedl sol such
| persons, and such persons only, whose ere
/ dentials show that they have been regularly
| elected in accordance With the lava OF their
States respectively, or with the laws Of
the United States" Acting under this
/ formal caution, he omitted the members
from Ma,aland, q State that had not Sc
| ceded, but had maintained its regular or.
ganizaton throughout the rebellion, and
| mad elected is Senator'S and Represents
tives to both Houses Of Congress. Mr..
| Dawes, Of Massachusetts,, offered the follow
ing resolution, which, after an Intellectual
m -tion to lay it on the table by a Demo
cratic member, Mr.. j. Z. Allen, Of Illinois
was adopted, says the reportI ''ami4 re-
newed applause from the galleries."
"Resofped, That the names Of John A. j.
| Creswsll, Edwin Il. Webster, Henry in
I
Harris be placed on the roll Of the House Of
Represenlaliyes from Aary land"
The Clerk, Mr.. Etheridge, had also omit
ted 70 call six members ir0m Missouri, viz
| Francis r Blair, Jr., Henry 4. Blow, John
W. MClurg, s. II. Boyd, Benjamin Loan
and William A. Hall; and these were, By 3
resolution similar 10 the above offered BY
M. Davis, Of Aia1yland placed on the regu-
lar roll.
| Oregon, A. c. Wilder, Of Konsas, and the
| thrss members Of West Virginia, Jacob B.
Blair, William G. Brown, and Killisn V
| Wbailey; and these were ordered 70 be en-
tered on the regular roll By . Similar reso-
| luton and votes. In all these instances the
| certificates we're regularly made out and
| signed BY the Governors Of the States Of
| Marvlsnd, Missouri, Oregon, Kansas end
| West Virginia, respectively, but Mr.. Eth
sridge, following what he conceived 70 b
| he strics letter Of the law Of Msrch 3, 1868
aid not believe "they had been regularly
| elected in accordance with the laws OF then
| states respectively, or with the laws Of tbs
| United States" he had, however, enrolled
| the Louisiana claimants, Messrs. d
| Field, and Thomas C0itmsn as coming with
| in the law, and they were both subsequent
Nv denied their seats on a report OF the com
n,ittee OF elections, approved by a lsrg,
| majority Of the House. The example Of Mr.
| Ethendge, in excluding members from reg
MAR adhering States like Maryland, Mis-
| souri,. Kansas, Oregon, and West Virginia
| from the first roll 81 the organization Of the
House in the AAANIiIth congress, Was
sanctioned by the Democracy with
/ equal unanimliy and dissemination. | sub
mIt 70 such authorities IS the New Yorl
World and National Intelligsneer whether
| they had not better pause and take breath
before trying 70 make an issue in advance
against Mr.. McPhersoo, who will have th'
| House IN the XX1INth Cor gress TO call {,
order, by inserting that be should do ether
wise in regard 70 States that were in bloody
rebellion against the Union for four years
and are not now ready 70 obey soIne Of IN
most important laws Of Congress, including
/ ire oath that every senator aRd Rspresen
! tativs in the last Congress freely sWore
! That there arc districts IN some Of the re
/ cent seeded states, in which claimants Il
/ seats in Congress, have been legally elected
/ vii not be ouesti oned but Whether, unde
i any circumstances, Mr.. Mcpherson VII
1 conceive n his duty 10 discriminate even il
/ thsir favor. and whether they themselves
| ,,;Il r,ot he giuing 10 submit their cases u
| tb.arbitration ola loyal majority are matter
/ 80 III s.ii,ra isation- The Whose ease doe
-, sesro Ii be worth the exciting discussion
| (, 49, PRODUCED. We might have had {
| 4 .eers,i. condition Of things, had the wishe
| "a Presideut johnson been carried into efiec
| IL Al the Southern States in their efforts q
--.nrp n Allegiance but i would demans
pnnsrsllelsd hnrdihood, in The face Of tn
i - al 1913, 70 recognize applicants for seat
1 hi The National Legisiature, who may no
~ COR petent 70 take the congressional oath
Mo AVE been probably chosen by consti
! t,,snts thai will insist upon the recognition
of,he rsbel war debt, and who steadily r.
S,,ss 40 raiiiy The anti-slaFery amendment Z
he National ConstiIution- OccAsioSAL-
v..-e-1 EGeir IN DAYTON.