Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-05-10
WASHINGTON, May
HOUSE.


Grafton of special order, being the eonsti
tutional amendment reported from the Re-
construction Committee.
Mr.. BRO0MALL, of Pennsylvania,
said it was to be expected that the joint
resolution would receive opposition from
the unrepentant thirty-three. 1t was,
therefore, useless to waste argument on
them. 1t was also to be expected that the
six new johnson converts to Democracy
would vote against the measure, commence
ing with the gentleman from New York,
(RaymOnd) and ending with the gentle
man from Kentucky, (Smith) who had the
disease in its mildest and most amiable
form. On them, too, argument was useless;
there must, therefore, be 80 votes against
the measure, and he wanted there should
be more. So far from treason being made
odious, it was the most popular institution
of the South. Treason has been made pop
ular, and loyalty has been made odious.
Mr.. SHANKLIN next took the floor in
opposition to the measure. He said the
first proposition contained in the measure
struck at the reserved rights of the States
Those rights which the founders of the
Constitution believed to be essential to the
existance of the Government. It proposed
to strike down these rights and eoncen-
trate all power in the general Government.
people af the States which had gone into
rebellion until the chains of oppression
could be riveted on them through all time
to come. If these people submitted to the
terms sought to be imposed upon them,
they ought not to come back in the Union
and ought not to hold place or position
as free American citizens. They might
have been destroyed, but their history
showed them a not inferior people. They
had been overcome by numbers, but not by
superiority in wisdom and bravery. He
admitted that they had erred, but they had
believed they were right and had acted on
that belief
Mr.. RAYMOND was the next speaker.
He expressed his qualification at the Recon-
struction Committee having submitted this
scheme as whole, and illustrated the dan
ger of submitting only one portion at a
time by reference to the recent course of
the British Ministry on the Reform bill,
the ministry having commenced the ses-
sion with clear majority Of sixty, which
majority had dwindled down to five, be-
cause the ministry persisted in bringing for
ward only one portion of the reform scheme.
He expressed his belief that all the States
to be effected by the proposed measure
should be represented, but he did not hold
it to be essential to the validity of Congress
sional action on the Constitutional amend
ments that they should be thus represented
The debate was further continued by
Messrs. Mckee and Eldridge.
II the course Of coleoquy between
Messrs. Wilson of Iowa, and Raymond,
the latter stated that he understood il
was intended to bring the measure to a vote
tomorrow, and that there were thirty gen
| tlemen still desiring to speaF. He
expressed approval OF the measure ex-
| cept the third section. He also alluded to
the eagerness with which Mr.. Stevens
seconded the suggestion Of the name Of
General Grant as the candidate of the
Union party in 1868 for President, as giving
| assurance that there would be no dissent
/ in the party on that subject when the right
time should come.
| Mr.. RAYMOND continued. These amend
ments, if adopted by Congress, were to be
submitted to all the States. If accepted by
the North and South, he was quite willing
to take action on them for the purpose o.
/ sending them to the several States.
Mr.. WILSON said the propositions were
| such as he approved. The first reasserted
the principles of the civil rights bill, whic
he had favored thoroughly and heartily
| The second proposition had also been before
| the House for its action, but in form which
he could not then support-a form reeog
| nizing by implication the right of each
State to disfranchise portion of its citizenl
on account of race or color. In its presen
form, however, he could and would sup
port it.
Mr.. RAYMOND said the third section
seemed to have been put in expressly tc
prevent the adoption of any amendment
He would not say that he suspected that Il
| have been the motion, but he thought tina
4 L. - ~ Fhaf =
| must see that the adoption of the amend
ment by the Southern States was made OF
the condition ofits people being allowed tt
elect members of Congress and to have then
elected. The question would have to b
acted upon by the State legislatures or con
ventions, members of which would b.
elected by disloyal as we'll as loyal voters
and who supposed that such Legislature
would disfranchise its own membersl Thl
thing was worse than a sham. 1t was
mockery. No Southern State would rstify
a single one of the amendments. Their peo
pie would be fools if they did, and whateve
else they might have been, they were no
fools. For his part he would not mock thu
people of the South by any such pretense
Mr.. ELDRIDGE spoke against the soin
resolution and denounced the Reconstruc
ton Committee as having entirely disap
pointed the country.
Mr.. MCKEE supported the measure. H
proposed to amend Mr.. Garfeld's motion t
recommit with instructions striking out tn
third section and inserting the following
All persons who voluntarily adhered 10 tn
late insurrection, giving aid and comfort t
the so-cslled Confederate States, are foreve
excluded from holding any Office Of trust o.
profit under the Government.
Mr.. BOUTWELL, accepted 1t as tse
that those thirteen States were not to-day
represented either in the Senate or House
and with his consent they never should b
until the inequality Of representation wa
adjusted. He accepted the statement mad
nv President Lincoln in his last public ad
dress that those States were not in thei
nroper practical relation to the Union an'
tbeY could not get into such relations IN
less by the consent of those who represent
ed the loyal citizens of the country. Il
reference to the third section Of the pro
posed amendment, he freely confessed tha
its adoption was not necessary. His owl
T views would have led him in the opposlt
direction; he should have preferred to II
, cIude those who were the friends Of tn
, government rather than exclude its enc
: mics. He saw no reason for the presen
exception in some sort Of exclusion Of II
members. He believed the Goverrmen