Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1866-01-05

tI4ANfI AiiNAANiNtib OHlESA1 VI tiiG AfEhldA
and give their places to those most distin
gulshed for service to the country. Adiour
ned.
On the 18th inst message was received
from the President in response to the resolu
ton requesting information regarding tn,
Southern States, accompanied by reports oil
the condition Of those States by Gen. Gran
and Gen Carl Schulz Both the President
message and Gen Grants report express
confidence in the good faith of the Southen
people, and strongly urge the restoration o
the Southern States to their former untram
meled position. The report Of Gen. SchuE
was not read, but was ordered to be printed
Mr. Sumner denounced the message of the
! President as worse than President Pierce
WhiteWashlng message on Kansas. lie
| was replied to in defense of the President By
| Mr.. Doolittle Of Wisconsin, Mr., Dixon oi
/ Connecticut, and Reyerdy johnson of Mary
land, the debate being somewhat animated
A resolution was adopted calling on the Sec
retary OF War for statement Of the strength
| and disposition of the various portions Of
the army. The House resolution for the
! holiday recess was amended so as to make il
extend only from Dec. Il to Jan. s. Notice
was given by Mr. Trumbul of a bill to en-
large the powers Of the freedmen Bureau.
An executive session was held, after which
the Senate adjourned
HOUSE
In the House, on the Sth inst: the ere
dentials OF Mr. James NJ Johnson member
elect from Arkansas were presented aud re-
terred to the Committee on the Southern
States. To this committee were also refer
red resolutions providing that no lately rebel
llous State shall be entitled to representation
until its Legislature shall have repudiated
the rebel debt and all claims for slaves
emancipated aud declaring that the repre-
sentatiyes should be admitted from those
States that have ratified the anti slavery
amendment, repudiated the rebel debt,
passed laws for the protection Of the freed
men and complied with other requirements
of President johnson. Permission was re-
fused to introduce resolution inquiring
why JEFF. Davis has not been tried Mr..
Thornton OF Illinois offered resolutions de-
claring any extensiono Of the elective franchise
BY the President or Congress to be an un-
warranted assumption, which were tabled
BY a vote Of LII to 46. A resolution was
adopted requesting information Of the Presi-
dent relative to the steps taken by Maxi
milan to obtain recognition by the United
States Bills were introduced authorizing
the construction ola railroad bridge over the
Mississippi river at Quincy, Illinois and to
prevent any person hereafter being commits
stoned a civil or military IT, 5. officer in
Utah until he has disayowed the doctrine of
polygamy The Territorial Committee was
instructed to inquire into the whole subject
OF polygamy in Utah The Special Committee
on the Southern States was instructed to in
quire into the expedieucy Of giving the
freedmen OF the South the same civil and
political rights as the whites. The House
concurred in the Senate arrangements for an
oratien on the virtues Of President Lincoln
A bill was passed appropriating S25, ,006 to
Mrs. Lincoln. \ resolution iudorsing the
views Of the Secretary Of the Treasury in re
gard to a contraction Of the currency was
adopted by vote of IA TO 6. The House
went into Committee of the Whole on the
Presidents Message, and Mr. Thaddens
Stevens occupied the remainder of the ses-
SION IN speech on reconstruction He
held that the Southern States must either
remain as conquered provinces or be admitted
into the Union as new States; and as there
were no signs that they would be fit for con
stttuhonal government for some wears he
urged the establishment Of Territorial Gov
ernments, under which they could learn
.,e,si.s-.;s>l4ae.- -e.f f-anrlr.'s. -
On the 10th inst resolution was adop-
ted instructiug the Committee on Elections
to inquire into the circumstances Of the ap-
pearance in the House as Il member of Ben
iamin G. Harris Of Maryland, who. some
time ago was convicted by a court martial Of
having aided the Rebels, and was sentenced
TO perpetual disqualification for holding any
Government office. \ bill was passed au
thorizing railroad companies throughout the
country to carry freight, passengers, Gov
ernment supplies, &c. across States not
withstanding any State law to the contrary.
The Senate amendment changing the dates
for the holiday recess was not concurred IN.
The resolution proposing an amendment to
the Constitution to prohibit any portion of
the Confederate war debt being paid, was
adopted by vote of l49 to H. Adjourned
President johnson has approved the bill
to prevent the importation Of cattle and the
bill for the selection of jurors in the District
OF Columbia.
SENATE.
On the 20th petitions were presented by
Mr. Sumner from the Rev DR. Cheeyer and
citizens Of different Northern States, for the
appointment of Provisional Governors for
the lately rebellious States, and to secure the
equality before the law of all their inhabi-
tants. They were referred to the Recon
struction Committee. The bill to pay Mrs.
Lincoln S25, 900 was passed The bill grant
ing the franchise to colored men in the Dis
trict Of Columbia was reported favoraby
upon, with an amendment requiring the e.
lector to be able TO read aud write, and was
! then, after short debate, laid over The
bill to maintain the freedom of the negroes
in the Southern States, multiplying all State
/ laws making distinctions of civil rights on
account Of color, was called up, when Mr..
| Sumner again alluded TO the President S
message on the condition Of the South as an
attempt to whitewash affairs in that section.
! He claimed that the Southern people are
still disloyal, and that they are perpetrating
| the grosSest outrages on the freedmen. lie
was replied to by Messrs Cowan of Penn
sylvania, and Salisbury Of Delaware in de-
fense ofthe President S policy The death
of Mr.. kellogg, late member of the House
fiom New York, was announced, and e.
ulogy pronounced by Senator Harris Ad-
journed.
DEc. p. "A resolution was adopted ask
ing the President to inform the Senate Oh
what charges Jefferson Davis is imprisoned
and why he is not brought to trial. The
Senate Committee on Reconstruction was
announced, and consists of Messrs. Fessen
den, Grimes, Harris, Howard, johnson anC
Williams. Ar. Sumner presented peti
ton from the colorcd citizens of tennessee
asking that the Members of Congress should
not be admitted TO their seats until eaua
| Su4frapa IL granted IN tbat Stato u, aIsf