Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-03-07
XXXEXth Congress
HOUSE.
NJ

WASHINGTON, March 8.
On motion of Mr.. LOAN, the Senate bill
| granting land to aid in the construction of q
| railroad and telegraph line from the States
| of Missouri and Arkansas to the Pacific
coast was taken from the Spe; ker's table
read and referred to the COMMITTEES on the
Pacific Railroad.
Mr. BOUTWELL,, from the 5int Com
mittee on Reconstruction, reported in part
relating to Arkansas, Mississippi, Georgia
and Alabama, and asked that 1t he printed
1t was so ordered.
Mr.. KELLY, Of Pennsylvania, intro
duced a bill allowing compensation to
manned soldiers aud sailors who are en-
| titled by law TO artificial limbs in lieu OF
such artificial limbs. Read twice and re-
| ferred to Committee on Military Affairs.
The House recOusidered its order in ref
erence to the Military Academy bill so that
| Mr.. Schenck might effer his amendment,
which he did as follows:
Provided further that no part Of the
money appropriated by this or any other
act, shall be applied to pay or subsistence
| for any cadet from any State which has
been in rebellion against the government OF
the United States, appointed after the first
| day ofJan 1866, until such State shall have
been returned to its original relations in the
| Union, by virtue Of an act or joint resolu-
| tion of Congress for that case made and
| provided.
MIR. BLAINE, of Maine, opposed the
amendment, and sent up to the clerks desk,
and had read substitute, which he pro-
posed to offer to the amendment, as follows:
That no part Of the money appropriated,
chall be applied to the support or pay OF
any cadet hereafter appointed, not in con-
fIrmity with the express provisions of the
law regulating the appointments of cadets
at that Academy.
| Mr.. BLAINE said his substitute was YER
batim, taken from the West Point bill, ap-
proved April, 1864, designed TO cure the evil
of foisting on Southern districts boys from
| the Northern States. Thirty weight or forty
| Northern boys had been sent to West Point,
eolonized as if appointed from Southern
| districts, and sent there in violation of law.
| There were not vacancies now for one third
of the Southern districts. The places had
been filled BY Northern boys, appointed as
if from the South, and would remain filled
| till 1867 or 1865. The President has au-
thority to make ten appointments annually
| and the adoption Of this amendment would
| besaying to the President in substance, We
cannot trust you TO appoint single cadet
from the South. If you desire to nominate
a son of Governor Browulow or John Minor
Bolts. you can't do it. This amendment
would cut of from the President the power
to appoint a boy from the South, even
| though his father and all his male relative:
! had fallen in the service of his country.
He considered the amendment most illib-
eral, narrow and prejudiciel to everything
like good feeling. 1t could only be justified
on the ground taken by the gentleman from
| Pennsylvania (Nr. Stevensl. that every per
son in the eleven rebel States was an alien
He believed that a Southern man who hao
been loyal was entitled to its protection
He should vote a most decided negative
on the amendment.
Mr., CONKLING asked whether the
amendment suggested would disturb the
bows whom the gentleman from Maine de
scribed as having been cOlonized.
Mr.. BLAINE-No, sir, neither amend
ment effects them My substitute merely
prevents any further colinization from
the South aud leaves the question JUS
where the law leads it to-day.
SCHENCK replied as to the charge Of thi
being a narrow and illiberal proposition
He could not stop to handy epithets; he hat
but this to say: His amendment warned
the President and Secretary Of War not t
violate the law. They were simply expect
ed to conform to it. He knew that appoint
ments had been irregularly made, but tina
! /
such appointments were those of Northern
Young men who had served in the army
, and who, being in Alabama, Tennessee o
Southern States, got their appointments a
J | if from those States. His amendment di
not interfere with any appointment alread
made, but laid down the rule that in futur
no appointment should be made from an
State that has been in rebellion until tbs
State is regularly re-habilitated by act {
Congress according to what seemed to
the settled policy of Congress, at least 0
the subject of restoration. Appointment
. of cadets were appointments incidental
! the representation Whenever any distri'
! in a Southern State should be represente
here, then It's representative could have Il
nomination for that district. It was Il
representative Stokes, Of Tennessee, an
r other such representatives, to nomlna
cadets, and not for the President and Seer
: tary of War to forestall them His amen'
4 ment did not reflect on ta rssident
Secretary of War.
Mr.. BLAINE asked ". i.- F. propose
If substitute would not pre- ems Tie i'elide'