Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-07-21
VOL. XX-NO. 10.

The joint resolution was passed BY l25 &
The announcement Of the result wa
greeted with general applause, on both tn
floor and galleries.
Mr.. STEVENS, from the Joint Commit
tee on Reconstruction, reported a bill L
, restore TO the States lately in insurrectiol
! their full political rights. 1t peovides 70
the restoration Of any ofthe rebel Stltes a
soon as they shall have ratified the Consti
tutional Amendment, and it becomes a par
: of the Consttdtise. 1t also permits sucl
States te assume The responsibility for di
+ rect taxes remaining unpaid, and allow
the same to remain in the hands of sucl
States for ten years. Laid on the table by
a vote Of g6 to 81.
Mr.. STEVENS offered the following as .
question of privilege:
RcsolUed, The Senate eoncurring, thai
when Congress ad journs on the it will
adjourn to meet again on the lst day oi
December next, unless sooner convened by
the President or Joint call Of the presiding
officers of both Houses, who are hereby au-
thorized to exercise this power.
The SPEAKER stated it was for the
| House to decide whether the resolution was
to be entertained as a question of privilege.
| Mr.. STEVENS made a speech declaring
| that his object was 10 guard against any i'm =
proper action on the part Of the President.
He believed Congress could delegate the
right of convening the House to the door
keepers if it choose to do so. He expressed
his apprehension that coup de etat would
De attempted during the recess, but he
| hoped it would not be. Congress should
take measures to protect itself.
The resolution was entertained es & priv
| ilege question and then rejected by vote of
yeas IS, nays 75. .....
The House then adjourned.
SENATE.
Mr.. STEWART called up the bill grant
ing the right to aliens of the United States,
who have declared their intention 70 be-
come citizens, to enter and explore unoceu-
pied mineral lands and prescribing the
manner in which they may obtain and
retain possession. Bill passed.
Messrs. LANE, VAN WINKLE and
DAVIS were appointed Committee Of
Conference on the bill increasing the pen
sions of the widows and orphans of soldiers
who fell during the war Of the rebellion.
Mr.. POLAND introduced a bill to pre-
vents courts from being used as instruments
of persecution against lOyatpersons, which
was referred to the Committee on Judiciary.
1t provides that in any action of loss on
person or property done between April lS,
1851, and July 1, 1865, it shall be lawful to
plead or give in evidence in bar Of said
action: .
First, That at the time when the wrong
was committed plaintiff was disloyal to the
Government of the United States.
Second, That the plaintiff was engaged
in insurrectiOn and rebellion against the
United States
Third, That plaintiff aided and comforted
and sympaLhized with rebels and insur-
gents against the Government Of the United
States.
Fourth, That the plaintiff applied for or
obtained a pardon from the President re-
leiving him of the penalties of treason.
The establishment of either point shall
be good defense
Mr.. FESSENDEN, from the Committee
on Finance, reported .he bill to protect the
revenue and for other purposes with amend
ments-
Mr.. SUMNER, from the Conference Com
mittee on the Consular and Diplomatic
Appropriation bill, made report which
was read
Mr.. Johnson dAziEa tn ask the Sens
ssvJ5T -LI-esachusetIs (SumnerJ wiIotAsE
the mission to Portugal has been abolished |
or whether it continues. |
Mr.. SUMNER-The compensation has |
been taken away from the present ineum- |
bent and there is no appropriation for him |
for the ensuing year
Mr.. SUMNER explained that it was in
consequence of letter written by the min
lister at Portugal, Jas. E. Harvey, to the
Secretary of State, animadverting on the
action of Congress, and which was shown to
tho President and by him recommended to
be published, which was done in the New
York Times.
After some discussion the letter referred
to was read.
Mr.. SUMNER said he sympathized with
the House, aud said that the writer of such
letter, setting forth such sentiments, thus
hostile to those principles which the ma
jority of Congress regard so essential to the
public welfare, ought not hold Office abroad
/ do not wish any such man 10 speak for
our country in foreign land. But this
whole discussion seems to be good deal out
Of place. The question is on agreeing to the
report of the Committee of Conference which
involves great many matters OF which this
is only one, and involves the fate of the
bill.
Mr.. HOWARD-H has been remarked
that the letter under consideration was pub
Iished at the request Of the President Of the
United States. | would like to enquire of
the Senator from Massachusetts, whether
there is evidence Of that fact @
Mr.. SUMNER-Certainly. The Secretary
of State says so in his letter.
{ EMr. HOWARD-I am inclined to think
the House has done exactly right in cutting
off all compensation to the present minister
resident at Portugal.
Mr. SUMNER2The letter was written in
April.
been in session some months before the date
of the letter. 1 do not understand what
riSht an American Minister abroad has to
pass such reflections upon the legislative
authority of his country, whether they
could be found in a private letter or pub
lie one, we draw no distinction of land. Sir,
an American Minister who assumes to CEN
sure the conduct of his country at home or
its policy, or set himself up as a censor Of
the public conduct of his couutry at home,
is not, in my opinion, fit to be a represen-
tatiye of that country. | listened, sir, with
a good deal of pain to sentiments contained
in that letter. II is written in the spirit of
a partlzan-a spirit of hired aud paid par
tizanship, written for the very purpose
of being used as q partizsn docu-
ment. The person to whom it was sd-
dressed. saw fit to use it for that purpose,
and it has been used for the promotion OF
the interest in which it was written. L pre-
fer, Sir, to teach the gentleman who thus
assumes to represent the American govern
meut abroad, that for the future he cannot
be paid for spending his time in Portugal
in such unworthy employment 80
Mr.. HENDRICKS said he would regret
very much to see the report adopted. Con-
gress would not, he thought, be sustained
by the country in any such action. He had
heard it stated again and again that the
fate of the bill depended on agreeing to the
report of a conference committee He did not
believe it in this case, there were four days
of this session remaining. and he had seen
appropriation bills passed within two days
of an adjournment There was no danger
of failure of the bill, and he hoped the
Senate would no. be driven into agreeing
10 what it did not endorse. There was 40
justification for refusing to pay this salary,
/ except it could to found in the fact that the
minister had written private letter which
had become public without his knowledge
Tor consent But suppose it was public
hIetter addressed 70 one Of the journals Of the
/ country for publication, would that be suf-
/ fcient justification for refusing to pay his
llsalary? He thought not He contended
THAT there was nothing in Mr.. Harvey's
letter which n1erited the punishment pro
Iiposed by the conference committee.
Il Mr.. C0WAN defended Mr.. Harvey, and
Hin the course of his remarks read the fol-
flowing dispatch received yesterday from
iiGsvernor Brownlow, which he said was a
Ilflthy allusion 70 the President, written by
a high official and published by the Score
tary Of the Senate= ...t.-...-.-.
NJ L. r.