The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1866-03-15
From Washington.
WASHINGTON, March 9, 1866.
THE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT IN
tue SENATE.

I
THE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT Is
TUE SENATE.
The Senate, after long and excit
ed session Of over six hours, reached
conclusion this evening, in which
nothing is concluded. The constitu
tional amendment from the Ho Ist
was taken up at 10 o'clock, and Mr.
Fcssended, in pursuance to a previous
agreement, spoke for two hours there
] on. The general argument for tn,
measure had been presented over an,
over again, and he did not repeat il
but contonted himself with replying
to the point made against it, and ar.
swcring some personal illusions made
by Mr.. Sumner and others. He dc
Tended himself from Mr.. Hendricks
charge of trickery in attempting, by
the measure, to do indirectly what he
could not do directly, and said it wa:
the part of wise legislator to deal
with facts as he found them. lie
defended the Committee on Recon
struction from Mr.. Hendricks charge
that they had reported this as a party
measure, saying there was not tho
least warrant for the charge.
lie then passed on to reply to the
charge of Mr.. Buckalow, that it was
conceived in the interest of New Eng
land, and said Pennsylvania was the
last State from which that charge
should come. He next replied to
some of the legal points made by Mr..
Yates, as to the power of the States
on the subject of suffrage, taken the
ground that the whole question was
under the control Of the States them
selves. Passing from this. he took
up Mr.. Summers late speech, and dis
sected it in his most caustic manner,
picking out some of its choice ex-
pTessions and stilted and bombastic
sentences, and holding hem up to ridi
culo in style rarely equaled. The
scene was enjoyed grately by the
Senate and galleries. He followed
this by showing the weakness of Mr..
Summers argument, and concluded by
saying that the proposed amendment
was not compromise of human rights
and saying that he preferred the judg-
mcnt of nine-tcnths of those with
whom he usually acted, backed up by
the almost unanimous voice of the
loyal press and people, to that of Mr..
Sumner. So long as he had the form
or with him he could get along with
out the latter. There had been full
and fair understanding that the vote
should be taken at three O'clock. Mr..
Fcsscnden closed at that hour. Mr..
Sumner, however, begged the floor for
live minutes, and made speech of
half hours length, which was par
tial repetition of that of Monday last.
Mr.. Wilson said he could not allow
Garrct Smiths name to be used
pending the proposition, without call
ing attention to the fact that he also
had opposed the abolition of slavery.
Mr.. Henderson said he thought the
country was ready for his sproposition,
viz a: that there shall be no distinc.
tion in political rights on account of
color or race. lie believed every
State in the North would at once
adoptit, and he would pledge the
present Legislature of Missouri to
adopt it in twenty four hours. This
closed tho general debate, and voting
began at four o'clock.
During the. next two hours no less
than eight different yeas and nays
votes were taken. There was OF
course great deal of running debate
during the voting on the different
proposition, and the proceedings,
which were witnessed by moderate
ly well flied gallery. were very noisy
The first vote was on Mr.. Henderson :
proposition, which was lost by 10 to
81, the yeas being Messrs. brown,
Chandler, Clark, Henderson, Howe,
Pomeroy, Sumner, Wade, Wilson and
Yates, The vote was then taken on
Mr.. Summers bill in favor of estab-
fishing universal suffrage by Con-
.grcssional enactment, which received
the votes of Messers. Brown, Chand
Ter, Howe, Pomcroy, Sumner, Wade,
Wilson and Yates, the nays being 80.
Forty or fifty other proposition were
made, but went down--not so much
on their general merits as because
the Senate was determined to vote on
the main question, unembarrasscd by
one side issue. This vote was reach
ed at quarter before 6 p. NJ, and on
the passage of the amendment as il
came from the House, the vote wa,
20 to pa clear majority, but moi
two-thnds.
As soon as the vote was counted
Mr.. Henderson moved TO roeonside,
tho vote, which was carried, the object
being, now that the Committees pro
position had failed, to see if an agree.
ment could not be effected on one Of
the numerous propositions chaugin,
the basis of representation on eisctor
and male citizens qualified to vote
Messrs. Doolittle, Conness and Sher
man proposed amendments to this ei
feet, and the Senate got into gener
al wrauglc. 1t becoming apparen
that nothing could be settled to
night, Mr., Fcssenden moved tha
the whole subject be postponed to mex
Thursday. This was agreed to b
general consent, and tho Senate the
adjourned.