Baltimore daily commercial. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1865-1867, 1866-03-02


Guy Of new iork tThe speaker here remarked that
for fear OF msstating any one he preferred to read
| his recent speech in New York charging the Com
| mittee on Reconstruction with a design of keeping
| out OF the Union eleven States)
Continuing his remarks, Mr. Trumbull said be read
that passage to bring before the audience the distinct
charge against the Congress of the United States
which he intended refute by facts speaker in this
city charged Congress with usurpatiOn in the design
of keeping out of the Union these eleven States If
Congress had any such design it certainly would be
guilty of usurpation but the assertion lacked truth
| fulness. What are the facts? The war closed du-
ring the recess of Congress. The President of the
United States gave encouragement to the formation
of State governments in the rebelliouS States Where
did he obtain the authority for doing [Cres of
| do not complain of his action however I should
be willing that the people of these rebellious States
| without assistance from Congress or ANYBODY else
| would get together and manifest their devotion to
| the Union, and set up State government in har
mony with the C9nstltution, and send loyal men to
| Congress. ! would welcome them to their seats.
| Cheers. Before the meeting of Congress several of
| these State governments were organized. On the
first OF December Congress assembled and the ques
| ton arose whether should recognize these gov
eruments Was it proper for your representatives to
inquire into the character Of these organizations
| not
| Suppose the Common Council in the city of Charles
ton had got together and called itself tho Legislature
| and selected two Senators in Congress Were
they to be received if they took the oath without in
quiring who sent them thcre? Senators can only be
selected by the Legisature-muSt not then inquire
| if there be n Legislature?
| Mr. Trumbull contended that Congress had only
Ol,rG
| JOINT committee OF Congress. He Is not member
| of that Committee, but he understood that it had
been taking testimony n regard to the condition of
| and the rebel General Lee have been examined and
witnesses procured from all sources. resolution
had been adopted IN Congress calling upon the Pres
dent for all the information he possessed touching
the reorgan zaton of these States. but to this day
| the resolution is unanswered. This Committee is
| laboriOusy at work, and will report and they
willreport either that they are loyal and give facts
to prove it, they will show that they are dilnyal
| loyal pegUlg o
| the nation.
Dispatch and the policy bring every one of these
the very first moment consistent with the dignity and
safety of the nation. Until then it will not be done
lChcerSI What then becomes of this question about
Congress- Has it not the authority to pass upon this
Carolina during the war, had elected senator's and
| sent them to Washington. What would you have
said if Congress had received them? Who was to de-
| has he to do with it?
tany Bay. Laughter.l Was not Congress the au
| th0rity to decide upon it2 The Constitution says
each House shall judge of the its own
members, and wherever the State is organized and
| constituency established, then Congress declares who
| shall be admitted. The State Government of Ten
United States. Now it is said there is Government
there. Who says 50? Why perhaps you say so. Is
| it? And yet that is called usurpation!
| MIR. Irumbull here spoke Of the case occurring
| little over a year ago of the Louisiana Senators.
Their credentials were referred to the Committee on
| the Judiciary, Of which the speaker was chairman.
| Mr. Lincoln was anxious that the State Govern
ment of Louisiana should be recognized. The speaker
wrote report on tho subject, and the Senate deter
mined that the governments OF these States had been
usurped and oyerthr0wn, and aresOlutiOn was adopt
ed declaring certain States in rebellion and that the
people were not qualified to vote for electors for
President and Vice President &c., until the rebellion
| had been declared suppressed in proclamation OF
the President, made in pursuance of act of Con-
gress hereafter TO be passed. Mr.. Trumbul alluded
TO the tact that tins measure met the approval Of
| every Senator in Congress except three including
Morgan of New York, ,Doolttle. of Wisconsin, and
| even McDougal Of California. ILaughterl
Senator johnson. of Maryland, had also voted for
| it: The mention OF Mr.. Jnhnson's name greeted
| with Kisses, but Mr.: Trumhul promptly interposed
saying that he would be obliged to the audience to
abstain from any manifestations of like or dislike.
| lie was not there to bring odum or disreSpcct upon
| anybOdy) This is exactly what the committee has
reported nowin the shape OF concurrent resolution.
Until both Houses upon some basis of admis-
sion ofmembers from the revoltsd States no other
course was practicable; tor one House might decide
to admit members and the other not. and thus only
produce confusion; The States were declared in in
surrecton by act of Congress- and that they are to
| be declared out of lnsurrectiOn.
| 1t was monstrous assumption to claim for any
body else than the representatives of the people the
| right to decide the question of admission Of these
States into Congress. lie quoted from Mr.. SewaTds
late New York speech in relation to representatives.
from the lately rebellious States waiting the doors
of Congress for admission while taxation and other
| burdens were constantly being imposed upon The
| people they represent. The speaker denied that
| there had been single law passed imposing upon
those people any burdens whatever in the way of tax
| alton.
| Another class of charges against the Freedmen's
| Bureau bill, which the speaker had introduced in
| Congress, and which was not nonstrous as was
| rcpresented-inde was harmless thing-wouid
| now be noticed Mr.; COwan, Senator had told the
people OF this city few nights since that il conferred
upon the negroes the right to vote and set over the
people federal officers in every county in every State
The simple object of this bill was TO perfect the
to all classes of persons in the rebellous States So
far as its Judicial authority concerned only
| intended to operate IN those districts IN rebellion,
Military authority is exercised in them every day.
General Sickles few days since issued an order in
South Carolina for the government of the freedmen.
man for shooting anegro and sent him to the Albany
penientiary for ten years. Martial law existed in
all the rebeous States, and he didn't object to such
| proceedings under these circumstances There was
no trial by jury in this case II it was legitimate for
General Grant TO issue order for the protection Of
the trcedinen, 1t certainly was in the power OF Con
| gress to pass law for the same purpose. General
| Howard, who pTesides over the treedmen's Bureau
| was brave soldier, and gets no additional pay,
neither does any other officer of the Bureau beside
| what Is due him as an oilGer OF the army.
! So far related TO the largo number of officers
which the Bureau bill provided for the appointment
of, they were to be appointed by the President and
not unless he deemed 1t necessary. II, however, it
was necessary to have man employed in every coun-
ty in the eleven States. to prevent the negro from
being returned TO slavery let them be appointed-an
| hundred thousand II need be- The bill to pre-
vent injustice to The negro. In Mississippi law had
been passed denying the freedman the privilege OF
| buying or leasing land in that State.
Previous to the passage Of this law number had
secured plantations, and an officer of the Bureau
| when this law enacted, addressed General How
ard to know what was to be done in the premises.
| General Howard telegraphed back to him that as
long as the Bureau was in existence in Mississippi
the freedmen should be protected. Would it not be
| mockery to free the negro and not protect him by
! law? They meant to give him freedom in fact and
The power conferred upon the President by this
bill, given with the belief that he would not
abuse 1t, as other powers are entrusted to him. lie
| is cOmmanGeT-ln-chicf of the army he ought to
| be- and could direct the entire army to be PUT on
board the and kept moving, which would cost in
snort time SoOOWO,UUO, but dd any one suppose he
| would do such thing? MIR. Cowan had made great
objection to the issue Of ralonS, fuel &c. author
lied by the BILL but he either misrepresented the
case ddn know what he talking about lie
| presumed the gentleman would not misrepreSent the
| facts, and therefore he concluded he didn't know
what he was talking Of, The new bill contained a
provision, which the old bill did not limiting this
| matter within certain bounds-no persons were
| ployment gain livelihood Wasn't it modest in
Mr. COwan to say that it impossible for the
President to sign this bill because the Constitution
gave no authority for it, and that no one ever pre-
| thought so? If it would have been perjury in the
Doolittle to vote for it, he did before twas vetoed
1t was bad cause that would induce public speaker
to make such accusations against both Houses of Con
| greSS efore an Intelligent Baltimore audience.
He read from the testimony of General Fiske an
agent of the Bureau for Tennessee, given before
committees in Congress, to prove thar /" lat st.+e
more Thlte peapio bad been r",plents Of The aoe b
ehts Of the Lur"n" nan the blacks u '"o 0eh-
: 20 then referred to IL. v johnson and A, H. Ste
|
had been sent to Congress representatives of the
people of the Southern States Congress keeps such
| men out and means to keep them out. These State
| Governments were presided over by men fresh from
the rebel army and from the murder of our sons and
brothers. Congress proceeding with this matter
with all the haste consistent with due consideration
to whether these State organizations thus set up
in the hands of loyal men, and upon such basis
that the moment they recognized they will not
| be oyerthrown by rebels and We would soon have
report, and ii they loyal there n man in
Congress who would not rejoice at their return,
| 1t was matter of regret that such men Horace
| Maynard and Colonel stokes, of Tennessee, and
others from Arkansas, necessarily kept out by
this investigation. But Col Stokes did not want his
until the question of the loyalty of their organ
| izatiOns was clearly proven. While Congress
claimed the right to make these Investigations they
4 did not complain that the President reorganized
| those Governments but they wished to ascertain
whether there is sufficient loyalty justify their
admission, and there doubt that Congress
| would virtually triumph in the position they had
4 assumed.
| lie doubted not but some of these States would be
In the Union before the close of Congress- But the
people dldnt want rebels in Congress who would re-
cognze the rebel debt and repudate the loyal debt
make loyalty d reputable and rebellion respectable
Congress had the right to judge OF the character of
policy was to keep them out, but to let them in
soon possible consistent with safety to the re-
public. That their policy and they would adhere
| to it.
| Mr.. Trumbull sat down amid the most tremendu-
GUS applause.
Mr.. M'KEEs REMARKS.