Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1866-12-13
CONGRESSIONAL.

SENATg.--Yesterday afternoon, the hill reg
nia Ing the elective franchise in the District of
Columbia being under consideration
Mr.. Sprague said that the South ranrssentad
aristocracy, the North temocracy. Let NO OBJ :
stacle stand in the way Ol Sang I,,- usonIa
rom a more desperate struggle than had Vet
beer witnessed. -
Mr.. BuekaIew did nor consider that voting
AGAINST the amendment was voting on the
Question OF rhe exten sion OF suffrage. He was
opposed TO extsudiBg the electoral system here
or elsewhere. IL ought rather 10 be restricted
AS choice between IL and the coun Ter prom
osition he would vote Tor the amendment.
Mr.. Dooiittis said the amen dnent opened n
very grave question: upon which the ablest
minds were divided, but upon which they
were called upon 10 vote. He would vote
against the amendment He had arrived al
the conclusion thatthe trne foupdation mon
which TO rest suffrage was the family-the
head OF the family. We were Caucas,ans
Hirfery, eduea,ion, and experience taught that
most men OF thar race We're compeient The
history OF other races showed that they were
incompetent. When he was told thai the In
disn OF The African was competent he was
told what he could not believe though soms
few OF the latter might be. IL would he n bnr .
lesqus upon republican institutions To saw
that hose who had lately been slaves vyere
con pstent was, ne thought, contrary to rea-
son lhfIe were exceptions, but no law could
be formed 10 recognize them. SO with tbe
Chinese In California and elsewhere Here
where aIl the negroes conld flock from the
Seuthern States, IL was preposterous to talk of
It. At the late election this issue was avoided
every where, with the exception, per hans OF
massachusetts To say. then, that the people
were IN favor of IL was folly. He learned that
IL was proposed to offer an amendment ttach. .
ing qualification. He might support such n
measure, but he could not support either this
bill or the amendments. ..-..f -
MIR. POlneroy was for this meas u re earnestly
and for that reason he would vote again st the
amendment, believing g that It was merely in
tended to defeat the bill. . --9 .0.,.-- = =
IEe yeas and nays were then taken sn the
amendment of MIR. Cowan-9 yoIina in favor
of n, 10 81 against
Mr. Dixon offered the folio wing am end neuf.
10 come at the end OF the first section OF the
bill reported by the committee. ~
ProrSded. That no person who has not here
tofore voted in this District shall be permitted
TO vote unless he shall be able, at the time OF
onerlng the vote, 70 read, and also TO write his
own name. r.... ....... F........
Mr.. Dixon briefly supported his amend
meni, and called the yeas and uays
MI. Hendricks was not IN favor of placing
suffrage on That basis. but as a lesser evil e
considered 10 his duty 10 vote for IT, -
Mr.. salisbury believed that the never salts.
ned abolition element would n cod this Distri CT
with negroes so as 10 get eontrol OF the corpo-
ration government With a view TO evade a
far a possI this catastrophe he had thought
OF Noting tor the amendment OF Mr. Cowau
but that 10 included the negro women He
could not vote Tor the proposition OF the Sem
ator from Connecticut. Mr. DIxon.r What in
.ei1genee ana & was implied in the ability 10 read
Congress was not TO ser up model govern.
ment in the District OF Columbia lf Congress
sustained the same relation TO this District as
the Legislature OF & state to its people, would
any Legislature give similar rights to the
Negro race IL there was such a majority OF the
whites agsinst it! Senators in such cases
would not vote for Ii unless they intended to
make political martyrs OF themselves Thew
werethe Legislature of the District of Columbia
but would not conform their action to the will
OF the people, endeavOring rather to set up
model for the States 10 follow He denied that
as alleged, the southern States would folio W
that example. Nothing could SO sting preud
sonl as dishonor, and he trusted that no sop of
Southern State would so degrade himself as
10 accept seat here on such terms. As to the
equality OF races in the sght of God, and the
clam i;i OF the Senator from Maine, tMr. Nor.
rill, that all who denied IL were infidels. ii
sucb were the case tnen all those whom he
reyered Were iGfidels--nay the author OF the
Pentatsnch was an infidei. II the Senator be-
fieyed the Bible he believed they were descen. !.
dants OF Ham, and, therefore, set aside as ser.
wants He would refer him TO the original for
the term 'seryant or servants;'' he would find
that II meant "a slave of slaves" or "a slave
forever" And the same with the correspouc- :
ing word in Greek. Did any Senator believe
That irving the right Of suffrage TO the blacks n
tins District would result In any I'm pro yemeut
of his Government, or In the happiness of the
people, Was there any great wisdom recently
discovered in these people! Ii so ID was a
wonderful discovery, indeed. He would not
occupy the time of the Senate further. hnt
wonid content himself with simply voting
aRaiust the amendment. fa -
On motion, the Senate then adjourned a
HoUsE sE-Yesterday afternoon
The iurther considerations OF the bill regu-
latmg appor tments to and removals from OF.
fee and lhe amendments. was postponed un.
I'll to-day. .s..s !, .s'
Mr.. Hooper, Mass by unanimous consent,
rtloited bill 10 proyid- n national currency
secured by pledge OF Ipited States bonds
apd ~ provide for The eire ealation aud redemp
ton thereof, and for other purposes. =
On motion of Mr. Niblack tind.l a resoiu ton
Nas~sdSpisd calling upon The Prrsideut for
all rSrrespondsnee, reporis, and Information
in his possession in RELATION 10 the riot alleged
Ia have occurred at New Orleans on the Goth
of jul last.