Baltimore daily commercial. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1865-1867, 1866-03-10
The Civil Rights Bill in the House.
WITHDRAWAL OF BONDED GOODS.
WASHINGTON. March 9. 1866.
SENATE.
PETITIONS PRESENTED

:, PETITIONS PRESENTED.
Mr. move presented the petition of citizens of Wis
consul ASKING That the election of President and Vice
President be made directly by the people. and thai
those otcials be Ineligible for second term; also
tnat quallhcatons for voters be established on jus
and equal basis. Referred to the Committee Of Fif
teen.
Mr.. Wilson presented petition ofcitizens of Mas
SachusettS, asking that treason be punished by al
least ineligbty to Office and thatloyalty be reward
ed Referred to the Commtte on Reconstruction.
= - GOODS IN BOND.
On motion of Mr.. Conness the motion to reconside,
the vote by which the bill extending the time for thu
withdrawal of goods from public stores and bonded
warehouses, was taken up.
Mr. Sprague discussed the bill until the expiration
OF the morning hour.
THE BAsIs OF REPRESENTATION
The JOINT resolution fixing the basis of representa-
ton was then taken up, upon which Mr.. Fessenden
OF Maine was entitled to the floor
Mr.. Fessenden said he did not intend to renew the
arguments which he had already advanced bat some
things had been said which in his judgment required
areply. He had been taught that when desirable
object was unatainable to endeavor to come as near
to it as possible, and it was with this view t5 inc
committee had reported this resolution That it was
from Indiana (Mr. Hendricks had commen ted rather
severely on his assertion that he thought it best to
accomplish indirectly, what he could not do directly
and had intmated that it savored of trick Mr., f.
explained his position to rid himself of this imputa-
ton. lie thought many of the blacks were unfit to
exercise the right of suffrage now and system that
would gradually prepare them for condition in
which they were A. would, in his Judgment, be far
better than forcible interpositon which would gen
crate dscord and assai the life long prejudices of
those among whom these people lived. The Senator
dh1lana ma had also charged that this measure
case. 1t would benefit one party and injure another
and it would become him ,lMr. F. just as much tc,
would be to the injury of his party -
But he would not do this Every one knew that
the hOnOr0be Senator brought party consider
atiOns into the Senate. Another objection urged by
the honorable Senator that it was intended as
punishment. His leading associate in opposition to
this measure, the Senator from Massachusetts, (Mr
Summer disagreed with him altogether. That Sepa-
tor declared that it was no punishment at ALL So we
see how doctors disagree. 1t certainly held out pol
cal advantages to the Southern States if they would
do what was right, and inflicted political punish
ment II they declined but could it be charged that
thlS was unjust? The Senator had again charged that
1t was blow at the industrial interests of the West
and intended for the advancement of New England
Senators from Iowa and M McbrSgn bGg a% who not the
talnly were much interested in that section
as he, look upon it in the same light? Why should
it be, charged that when they were seeking to
give them Just rights to immense class that they
were actuated only by petty considerations of self-n
terest? He did not think the argument of fhe
senator from Indiana was pertinent to the subject
1t was not addressed to the right of it at all
Mr.. Hendricks said he had charged that this mea-
thought he was justified in so doing by the language
Of the chairman of tbs committee (Mr StevensJ who
had distinctly asserted in the House that this mea-
sure was intended for the advancement of the Re-
publican party.
Mr.. Fessenden said the Senator might gloss it over
to mean that but the chairman of the committee had
said the party of the Union. Did the honorable
Senator belong to that party?
Mr.. Hendricks-I think I do, hope do but 7
do not belong to that party which calls itself the
Union party and yet denies admission to States of
Mr. Fessenden-The Senator SAYS he belongs to tbo
Union party, but he had singular way of showing
1t during the whole four years of the war. believe
he fe vSted tor the aPDEOpIqtion bills but that is ALL
speech to abuse of New England. Ha told us, how
ever, ne did not disnse New England. for which we
are much obliged to him. and think can say that
New England does not dispise him.
He endeavored to show the great disparity in rep
resentatlon here between New England and the
great Middle. States. where the disproportion, as
compared with other small States. is greater To say
the least of it, he thought such talk out of place
Mr.. +. then referred to the attack on New England
by the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Buckalew).
and said no State had made larger drafts in New
England Tor assistance in measures to promote her
own interests than Pennsylvania, and this attack
came with worse grace from that State than any
State in the world.
Mr.. F. said he had no expectation that this amend
ns mens wopEd @ 6c adoptfd TG use gngoy phrase
noses nose f nsd oeem ana IT was boosted outside
would not desert his friends this account and the
measure must stand or fall according to its merits
The resolution in question adopted by the COM
mittee after careful consideration. 1t came here
from the House of Representatives with large ma
JorIty and that House was certainly not inferior to
any which had preceded it. 1t had a large majority
of friends here and he could not abandon it because
mputatons, the most gross, as he thought, had been
cast upon 1t.
He replied to the assertion Of Mr. Sumner that too
much personality had been used in the debate, and
that he Mr.. 81 would endeavor to avoid it. That
Senator had come here with long, labored, written
and printed oration, carefully prepared the study
while other Senators had spoken without prepara-
tion. He had never been there but he understood
that in the British Parliament no member was al
lowed to read his speech, he coughed and scraped
doWn' and he believed it was the same in France.
Mr.. Fessenden-There arc two kinds of PERSONAL
ties one when members in the heat of debate utter
regret the other is when carefully prepared pro-
duction is full of bitterness, and SO stated that
though 1t means all, take to himself Both
these kind OF personalities are wrong. Mr. F. read
from Mr.. Summers speech variety of metaphors so
plentituly used, amid great amusement. He said he
would leave to the taste of the Senator himself
whether It was proper to apply these flowers of rhe-
torlc to his associates on this floor.
MIR. h. then continued his argument, and assumed
the ground maintained yesterday by Mr. Wilson that
the States alone had the right to prescribe the quail
ifcations OF voters.
and Mr. ates, the latter assuming the ground that
the negroes having become free, are consequently
fdtEefs ana that 1t Is not in the power of any State
some length, when Mr.. FeSsenden refused to be fur
ther interrupted.
He said there was not one single argument ad-
yanced by the Senator from Massachusetts (Mr Sum
ner) which would be considered plausible by man
offs sense. He had gone back to the writers of modern
and ancient time; he quoted Lord Coke and John
Locke. How many freemen of England voted at the
time Lord Coke wrote? The great mass of the Eng
lish people did not vote then. The very writers
quoted by the Senator lived under governments and
approved governments which did not allow all men
to vote. Massachusetts had qualification. and he
(Mr. F. thought very wise qualitcatiOn-an educa-
tona one but he had never heard the Senator raise
his voice agansit 1t was use in oontepding that
we could not have republican form of government
unless every man voted. 1t had never been So
and never would be- unless just before the millennium
He was just as anxious the Senator that the black
men should vote. and had hesitation in stating IL
and this amendment, though admitting the power of
these States to deprive their coored citizens of the
ballot expressly says to them that if you do exclude
these people, your representation will be cut off
d. had never seen such Heterogeneous opposition
as there was to this measure Senators of all shades
Of opinion attacked 1t on directly opposite grounds
1t white spirits and black spirits blue spirits and
gray spirits The Senator from Massachusetts claimed
that it concession to State rights The Senator
from Maryland (Mr. Johnson) opposed it on the
ground that it attacked State rights Nc man who
who was degrse above an idiot a child at a COM
mon school in New England. but would perceive at
once that this was anything but concession to State
rights The Honorable Senator had charged the Com
ttee et flteen Wlth indecsncy ana immortality, and
II he lMr. J believed that such was the case he
should hang his head with shame but the character
of that committee did not rest upon the efusons of
heated cOntroVersialist When he (Mr. J.) was sus-
tanned by largely majority here when his peo-
pie sustained him. and of the press do
of the Senator.
Mr.. Sumner said the Senate knew the familiar
story OF shield suspended on highway, and two
travellers coming from opposite quarters read the in
scriptlon differently, and each insisting that he
rlght, contest enSued which ended in battle, but
atterTsrds they found that the inscription on the
the Shield Ths Senator read it on side and saw
representation denied. He read it the other side
and saw dlstranchisement of entire race. Mr. S.
then read from letter of Gerritt Smith against the
passage of the proposed amendment. He (Mr. S.
considered 1t recognition of caste, and would OPP
pose 1t with all his might, and denOunce it with all
the power of language which his Maker had given
him. he was against all compromises of hCman
rights. The country needed repose God graft that
1t may haYe repose, put that repOSe must rest upon
eternal principles.
Mr.. Wilson said he would state fact which would
show how much Difference the Senate of the United
States should pay to the views Gerritt Smith That
gentleman influenced by the theory that the Consti-
tuition never guaranteed the existence Of Slavery
opposed the passage OF amendment abolishing It,
where, IN Gods name would be the slaves of the
country II the oplnicns of this gentleman had IN
nuenoed them at that time. He (Mr. W. thought he
knew as much about this matter as Mr. Gerritt Smith
and. if he knew himself he would joyfuly mount the
ment corld be engrafted on the Constitution as he
firmly believed 1t would enfranchise the black man
The question was then taken upon the amendment
offered by Mr.. Henderson, providing that no State
in Prescrbng the qualifications for electors therein
shall discriminate against any person on account Of
color or race, and resulted as follows:
Ayes-Messrs. Brown, Chandler, Clark Henderson
Howe, Pomeroy. Sumner Wade, Wilson and ates
10.
Nays-Messrs. Anthony. Buckalew; Conness. Cow
an, Cragln. CrssWell LAWS, Dixon, Doolttle Fes-
senden, Foster. Grimes, Guthrie, Harris Hendricks
johnson. KirkwoOd. Lane of Indiana, Lane of Kan-
sas. McDougall. Morgan, Morrill,, Nesmith Norton.
Nye Poland, Ramsey Riddle, Salisbury, Sherman,
Spragne, Stewart, Stockton Trumbull Van Winkle.
Wiley and Williams-37. So the amendment was
not agreed to.
Nv, Clark moved as an amendment for the amend
ment of Mr.. Sumner, that representation shall be
apportioned according to the number finale citizens