Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1866-04-23
XXXIXth CONGRESS- First Session.


WASHINGTON. April 81, 1865.
The Senate il not in session to-day, having ad-
jOurned over until Monday,
HOUSE.
The proceedings Of this days session wsro, by
order G Mined 70 general debate on the Presidents
Mr. NICHOLSON, Of Del, was the first speaker.
lie took strong grounds against the constitutional
tended that the effect of il would be TO destroy the
fcde al character Of tho government to produce
consolidation and TO subject the people to the worst
tics. There was 10 propriety in it. The States
themselves were the best judges as TO what CON
cerned their internal order and we'll being,
Mr.. PERHAM took directly an opposite view Of
the question Of ofrecontruction. He considered it Of
little mporance whether the late rebel States we're
regarded as dead, according to the views OF some
snspendGd accord ng TO the views OF the President
The great .act remained apparent, that it was the
duty Of Congress to provide for the establishment
of State Governments which should correspond with
those provisions Of the Constitution requiring Con-
gress to guarantee TO the States republican form
Of Government This Was about what Congress had
been going 10 do for the last five years. with-but
partial success. II was the duty Of Congress to see
not only that new States 10 bo admitted had such
form Of Government. but to guarantee to the old
ones, also if tAsre nOtlOyal men enough in the
South to ll the Ofjes some of the Federal heroes
Of the war should be appointed and told TO take part
in the Administrator Of the GOVernment of tho
States which they had saved by th5ir valOr. In
the'e Sta'es rebels we're now in the ascendency,
loyalty was the exception and disoyaty- the rule
On whom devoved now the duty Of deciding wheth-
the late rebel States were In condluO 70 bc rep
resented in Cong essY Not on the Executive. N
such power was delegated to him. Not on the House
OF Representatives. nor tnc Senate acting lndepene
dentlyOJ eacn other, but on the law making pOwe-
of the Government. ltwas the duty Of Congress tor
take the whole subject into consideration. as II was
now doing. and to decide what guarantee should se
required to secure equal and exact justice to al
citizens, and 10 prev mt the recurrence OF another
tiOnal amendments as could MT fail TO accomplish
the object, and on the ratification Of such amend
meGts by the late rebel States, as a
would allow them to be represented in Congress on
equal fOptngI with the other states. The guarau-
tees nc should require were. lst, Tha lealing in
tsgent traitors conscious traitors, as tho President
calls t1em should he deprived Of all political rights
at least for the present, and unti they snail have
brought 9rth iruts meet Tor OF until the
loyal sentiment OF the Sa'eS has become so strong
10 render them pOwerle.s for evl and that all the
rights Of citizenship including tnat OF Suffrage, shall
be given t9 all oya citizens Irrespective ot race or
color 3D. That the payment of the Confederate State
debt' contracted in aid Of the REBEL on should be
prohibited, aud also the payment by the nation OF
ny States for emancipated slaves: h, That the
doctrine Of secession shall be rcpudiated and branded
with everla ting iniamy lie gu ted from the Ma h.
vile speech Of President Johnson, deliye ell, he
said, before his head ha become gidly with Dwer
heads had led him captive, calling upon the Prcsi-
dent cooperate with Congress in wing effect to
the doctrines enumerated IN tlat Spee'D. UQ'On
members did not de re to have any conflict with the
President, and would nave nOne unless 50 far as the
President rep Idiatcd th- principles that prompted
him in 1861. For himself he had only to swear that
he would never consent, by his vote, that the Gov
ernment Of the country should he taken from the
loyal citizens who hal saved it by their blood, and
should be given to ira tors.
Mr. MILLER next addressed the II use on the
question Of rccOnstructiOn. He dit not agree with
the c'rnes euuncated on Il at subject by his col
le-gue (Nr. StevenD. or by his other colleague (Mr
Wi iamsl. or by the able gentleman from Ohio. MIR
Shel abarger) For himself he he'd that no rebel
liuus action could force a State out Of the Union
The southern ates notwithstanding the rebellion
still remained part and parcel Of the Union HC
would accord TO the rebels no such honor as their
ing successful in taking e.eyen States out of the
Union, or taking one stare out. All the action o
the Confederate Government was gross viola
tion Of right. The Government had never been ad
nitted into the family Of nations. The Fedora
Government bad over those ates and their people
all its legal rights veil as the rights Ufwar.
Mr.. JOHN l. THOMAS, Jr- next addressed thu
House on the question Of reconstruction. He helC
that Congress had full control over the whole sub
ject. The unseemly haste Of the Southern States L
be admitted to repre- senntlOn IN Congress on tre
| own terms, was only equalled bv their precipitat
action in leavi the halls Of Cong ess in 1861 The,
had then attempted to break up by force of arms thu
| Cove nment which they would break uo tomorrow
nv political trckcry il they had the power. His owl
| desire was that the rohei States should have thei
| rep esen atyes n Congress; but at the same tint
| no was sensible Of the duty ne owed ~ the cOuntr
| and to those lOva men Of the South who had stO
true tn the Union in the hOLr of peril lie believed
| hat the country vas on the eve Of a revolution r.
porteutlOus tothe next generation ~ the recent re
! billion had been to this. The very men who haC
brought IN the war o. rebellion STRIVING to ge
back to the places they had 81 ignominiOusy desc
Grated, in order that they mg1t cont nl the Gov
| eminent which t0eY ha sO impinuSly stiven t
overthrow. lie believed that the President ha
| made u great aud sad, and. he cared, a fatal mis-
! take, inthe indi crlmlnate manner in which he ha
grahte pGrduns. IL was no wonder that the re l.
handed traitors we're such friends to the Pres dent
policy because the, that that policy was to CIV
them back all their rights Ms ul a'-p ace them il
power aid possession of the Govern lent-.hefor
thev went iuto the rebellion. The Prssident's pol
i'y hAd done more IN make treason spected ant
traitors heroes than the establishment Ut au inde
uendent ContedeTA Q Guvernment could have doue
If the Presidents policy carried out, it woul,
not ouy nut the eleven States IN the hands Of reb
els, hut the time would not be long bsiore bel
| would have complete control of the Government ii
al, its departments. IL was no wonder that ever
rrbel, from JEFF Davis down to every subaltern in
cuhng busn wbaeker', Jtyh Ters and guerrIlas
| cents policy. IL was just the policy for them be
c-use il was the only one they could 1--we by, anl
the one which they prolessed through their papers
Mr.. SSlfTH vas the next to address the Honse
He prOpo ed, he said, to discuss the present ndi
ton of tue States and theeountry. and prop ystipn
| OF the President and Congress. He held that tn,
secession ordna eeS were null and void. and that al
| the &c passed by Congress in the four years o
| war were ,el on the ound that the rebel state
we're not out Of the onion. and could not get out o
| the Union. H. did not follow, because the reba
States admi tel TO the right OF representation
| they should be allowed ~ take seats in ethe
| House. hat had never been asked by the Presi
| dent or any other loyal man. What cou Cong es
| do contrary o what had been dOne2 The policy in.
! augurated by tie a'e Pre- ident Lincoln had beer
carried out by President johnson, and under il tn,
| southern States bal rmed their organizations
How was that policy to be changed, or what change
| was there ~ h- made in IL 0
! Mr. SUHOFlELD kei if it made anv difference
| wheeler nal who had cen engaged in the renel.
! hon was INIT ell a. representative, or man whc
! had not been engaged in the reheIlinn. but wnr
| would vote exactly as the ex rebel would vote?
| Mr. SMITH repied that he did not see how that
diff 'ultv wilt ever be avoided
| Mic. SM tn then referred to the question Of con
| act between the President aud ConHeSS, He as ,ed
| why. # the President had no power tn do wnat hC
had dOne,C 7esI had not und0uei aud done some
| thing that " iuld be better? What was COGg~est
exist ID there must be the same sort of acAinrr
carry them IN. But il is said the southern State,
must repu late the rebel debt That had been done
| 1t said tnat they must ratily tie Constitution
amend nent hing slavery. That had been done
also. Thea It said they must elect loyal men It
| TO gress. How did Congress h Ow it had mi
| been done in every instance? Who had tried tha
| question? The com uIttee on lecti9ns which wa;
the proper authority on that subj ect, had aid moth
MIR. SCHOFIELD asked WIN Mr.. Smith had moi
| Introduced sucn q measured -. .rrcr e. ~
| Mr.. SMITH said he would do so if those who were
Mr.. SCHnFlELD asked why he hat not done il
| some time during the last FIVE months?
| MIR. ELDRlBGE ing III ed if nr. Smith supposed
Congress had power to laws by which those men
would be tried and condemned, or whether they
must be tried under laws existing at the time the
| crime was committed
| Mr. SMITH replied that. as a matter of course
they mnst be tried under the laws existing ut the
fix tho means by which they could be brought t.
| justice.