Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1866-01-23
AFFAIRS AT WASHINGTON.
SENATOR rooL1rrLE's SPEECH.

| like those OF the President, are democratic
| and therefore he is averse toerect Ger Govern
ment into an absolution by holding third Of
| the territory and population of the country as
safety: Mr.. Doolittle is man of decided
capacity, and therefore, in point of ability, he
rs constantly Improving.
WHAT HE SAID.
Mr.. Doolittle said he would ask how manv
States compose this great republic, which;the
world calls the United States Of America
! The President and those who think with him
| say thirty-six. The gentleman from Nassa.
chusetts, and his colleague( Mr.. Howe) aud
| those who think with them, say twenty five.
| Where are the eleven States which belonged to
! this Union2 These States are larger by ma
ny thousand sqnare miles than the whole of
Europe. Where are they, and what are thew?
| That they once constituted an integral portion
| of this confederation is certain. President
Lincoln, that great and good man, said they
do. President johnson says they do. The
Senator from Massachusetts, and nay colleague.
and the op,'rable member of the other House
| CIR Stevens,) say they do not. Two radical
IDEAS radically false, brought on this civil war,
| which has cost the nation half million of
| lives. First, that the States had right to
| sccede; and second, that slavery is blessing.
| These ideas have been surrendered bv the
! South, and we have now basis of permanent
| peace. Is it of no consequence whether these
eleven States, with twelve millions Of people,
shall rule themselves, under q republican
| form of government, subject only to the laws
and Constitution of the United States. or
whether they shall be held for an indefinite
| period as vassals, and be governed by the
| sword! Is it Of no consequence whether the
! flag that bears on its folds thirty six stars
| speaks to the world nation truth or nations
tasehood! These, and many other questions.
are to be answered. 1t is subject of the first
magnitude, and must be met.
We must stand on one side, supnortino, tbe
Lincoln and johnson policy, or We must take
our stand with the Senator from Massachusetts
on the other Mr.. bincoln's policy received
the unqualified appreciation Of every member
Of his Cabinet, and every day up to his assas-
sination he was more tavorably convinced of
its right and justice. Mr. Dooittle continued
to argue most ably in support Of the Pres-
dents policy, and contended against any pow
err vcsting in Congress to destroy a State.
He said that on the return of peace the army
should be Withdrawn, the sword should be
returned to its scabbard. Ofall governments
on the face of the globe, the military govern
ment was the worst 1t was the concentrated
essence of despotism.
We make the following extracts from the
! W S9pOlIdCuSS VI VIC
SIM:
There is plenty of sound conservative feel
ing in Congress upon the subject of negro
! suffrage and reconstruction, but it is at pre-
sent rcpressed by the violence of the radical
leaders, who, in concerning the extraordinary
| programme OF hostility to the President with
! which the session opened, do not intend to be
put down or baked in their purpose. The
! politicians in Congress want the South to be
unrepresented, to the end that they NAV pro.
cure appointments there, and through them
make fortunes in trade operation. That is the
morale Of the thing.
1t is probable that the tcst-oath as applied
to attorneys practising in United States courts
will be repealed or Sc: aside by decision of the
| United States Supreme Court in the Garland
case. The court was to have pronounced their
decision on Monday week last, but, for some
reason, it has been deferred. 1t has been sur
missed that this decision will be favorable to
the petitioner. The Chief Justice stated dur
ing the argument OF the case, that the dccis on
in this case would govern all similar cases.
Mr.. Stevens has affirmed his resolution for the
| repeal of the act Of July, 1861, extending
the test-oath to attorneys, with knowledge,
perhaps, that the court desires the repeal,
The repeal Of this act, on every decision set
ting it aside as unconstitutional, will, nc doubt
have tendency in favor of an early repeal Of
the tcst-oath required of members OF Congress
WAsH1NGTON, January 1S.-Sendte-
Mr.. Nesmith, of Oregon, made speech on
Mr.. IiOwc's joint resolution to provide Pro-
visi0nal Governors for the Southern States.
in wh:cl! he endorsed the President and advo-
Gated generous policy towards the South. He
looked upon negro suffrage, which he termed
radical remedy for all ills as a remedy
worse than the disease. He said the war was
fought to deny the right Of secession, and to
hold that the South was ont Of the Union
was to acknowledge secession as having been
accomplished.
Mr.. Wade gave the President full credit
for what he had done, and honored him for
the manner Of doing it, but he had failed to
put the key stone upon the arch he had built,
and ii left where it was, ruin would follow
He said to President Johnson, to the Demo
cratic party, and to the people of the United
States, that he would never yield the contro-
verSy until all men in America stand upon an
equal tOoting-equal in every respect before
the law.
Nouse.-Mr. Dclano, from the committee
on claims, made report asking to be relieved
from the consideration of claims growing out
OF the destruction or appropriation Of property
by the army or navy in suppressing the re-
bellion: to pay all these claims would en-
barrass the public credit and lead to increased
taxation.
The House was engaged all day in discus
sing the bill extending the right of suffrage
in the District OF Columbia, and passed it BY
vote Of llG against so, in form giving
without restrictions the freedom of the cleo
tive franchise to negroes in the District of
Columbia
JoHN BELL OF TENNEssEE-The Louis
vile Journal publishes the first of series of
letters by the Hon. John Bell, of Tennessee,
ON the Issues Of the daY ME- Boil was can.