New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-02-06

Mr.. Lane said that there were Indians in Kansas
who owned lands but were not citizens.
Mr.. Henderson asked Mr.. Lane il be did not, q
year ago, say that the best race of men he ever
saw was a mixture of negroes and Indians, III
kansi 9.
Mr.. Lane said this mixed race lived south of
Kansas. He still adhered to the assertion.
Mr. Howard then took the floor. He said he had
recently seen letter from one of our generals IN
Texas, in which the writer states that some time
ago a Union man was discovered in Texas, who
was so imprudent to raise the Federal Tag over
his house after the close of the war. lie was
waited on by citizens and told the flag must be
hauled down; that while the people OF IeNas
| might accept the situation of their deteat,
| they could not sumbit to anything OF TINS
kind He refused to take down >. the Ills nag
and he paid for his refusal with his me. ms ms
was the spirit of these reconstruGted renel ~
they accepted the situation SIMPLY. that was an.
He stated when the constitutional amendment was
| before the Judiciary Committee he was member
I Of il. and the second clause of the amendment he
knew to be ndited for precisely the kind OF legs-
lation now before the senate. ne oe.'ea !nas
| alone from compulsory service. such was not
the construction intended by the friends OF the
amendment, nor by the Bar of the United States,
s sef e w Without law Of this Kind the people Of
the South would have a right to expatriate
freed negro or compel him to labor for whatever
bis employer might choose to pay, thus reducing
| him to q state worse than slavery.
Mr.. Lane of Kansas, offered an amendment to
the amendment Of Mr. Trumbull, to insert after
the words foreign power the words +" a tribal au-
thority."
| bull proposed to define citizenship. Nobody was
| more willing than he to admit that such defni-
ton was desired. The bred Scott decision, how
ever, had decided persons of African descent,
whether born in the United States not, could not
In citizens under the Constitution and the de-
S&Aon had not been set aside. 1t was his opinion
that the only way to accomplish the end proposed
was by constitutional amendment. Legislation of
| the kind proposed, he thought would leave the
question still open as before. He doubted the au-
thority of Congress to pass such bill. The bill,
he said, would affect not only colored but white
people. Under it no State could distinguish be.
tween citizens born its own soil and citizens of
another State or country. Mr. johnson proceeded
to speak of the details Of the bill, and declared
that it's operation would conflict with the laws of
Maryland and other States regulating police af'
| fairs of such State.
| Without action the Senate adjourned.
| H0use.--The House, by majority of thirty
| votes, refused to pass the resolution admitting
Messrs Byers, Kyle and Johnson, from Arkansas,
to the privileges of the floor till otherwise ordered;
in other words, refusing to extend to them the
same courtesy extended to the gentlemen from
Tennessee.
| In the discussion on the resolution instructng
the Committee on Claims, Mr.. Delano, in support
of the resolution, said there was obligation on
| the part of the government to pay for damages
| done by the ravages of war. 1t often becomes
necessary for the army navy to destroy property
of not only the guilty but also that of the inno-
| cent. line of distinction could not be drawn
between such classes, and it would be impract
| cable to determine who were loyal and who were
disoyal. This he illustrated by the claims pending
before the Commissioner for six or eight thousand
| dollars, presented to them by loyal men, There
have heretofore been two favorable reports on the
subject. Sixty of the items were for property de
stroyed when Gen. Buell. commanded in the South
and when there was hope that compensation would
~ In,., Tbnra r1xyfY
from as many individuals; but, when the commit
tee came to scrutniZe them, there was no evidence
to show that these sixty persons were loyal men
The claimants had none on hand, but probably
/ made some arrangements to represent others.
4 Mr. Niblack, of the Committee on Claims, die
not fully concur with the conclusion of the gentle
man from Ohio, but he believed that no committed
could take up in detail and examine these govern
ment claims, and make such reports as should b.
made. There ought to be some general law ap
picable to all such cases, and not special acts, be
sides the status of Southern States was yet
question, and until it was determined by Congress
what are their relations, it would be improper TO
the Committee on Claims to forestall their action
He was under the impression that loyal citizen
who are distinguished from rebels in arms, ough
to be reimbursed for damages sustained.
Mr.. Ward, of New York, a member of the com
, mttee, said that he came reluctantly to the con
cusion submitted in the report. He felt that loya
men in the South were entitled to our warmes
, sympathies, and should be compensated as far a
l
their loyalty, but the amount of these losses, the
condition of finances, and the difficulty which
now existed of separating the oyalist from the
traitor admonshed them not to open door tina
might double our national debt, bring on financia
ruin, and, perhaps, reputation and national dis
grace.
4 Mr.. Horton, of Connecticut, concurred in the
resolution, but did not agree with the reasoning o.
the report The Constitution provides that private
property shall not be taken for public use without
| just compensation What difference was there ii
taking private property from loyal citizens in a
dsloyal State !; If they could pay in State, why
not pay in the other? There could be no difference
merely growing out of fact of residence.
| The House proceeded to the consideration o
of the Senate bill to enlarge the powers of tht
| Freedmens Bureau.
Mr. Donnelly suggested an amendment, to pro
vide common school education to all who appl,
| therefor. recess till evening was then taken
for debate upon the subject of the President'smes
sage.
At the evening session Mr.. Hubbell had tn,
floor, and moved to adjourn in order to allow tn,
members to attend the Presidents reception. Thu
vote stood two in favor and two against it, and thu
Speaker voted the former and the House ad
| journed.
| WASHINGTON, Jan. 31-Sendte-Mr. Grimes
from the Naval Committee, reported the resolution
Of thanks to Admiral Farragut, which was passed
Mr.. Sumner presented petition in favor of the
abolition of all distinctions on account of color
which was referred to the Committee on Recon
' struction.
Mr.. Sprague moved to reconsider the vote OIL
which the bill to extend the time for the with
drawal of goods from public stores was passed
Mr.. Sprague explained that the effect of the bill
would be to reduce the duty on imported good
ten per cent The old law on this subject pro
vided that goods might be withdrawn within tire
months, or if after that time, within three years. OIL
payment of twenty per cent. The present meas
ure provides for the withdrawal, within three
, years, on payment of ten per cent He held tina
this alteration of the law would be to the adyan
,, tage of foreign manufacturers.
+ Mr.. Morgan, Of New York. did not believe tn,
bill inimical to the American manufacturer, other
wise he would not have favored it. 1t had the APP
proval of the Treasury Department. 1t was NJ
! more favorable to the importers than the presen
laws were to manufacturers.
, Mr.. Anthony introduced a bill to regulate suf
frage in the'D District of Columbia to the effect tina
only such persons shall exercise the right of SUI
trage as were entitled to vote at election in 1865
, Under the statutes then in force registries arr
! provided for as well as punishment for fraudulen
, voting.
f Mr.. Trumbul of Illinois, called for the regula
order, which was the bill for the protection Of al
,, persons in their civil rights.
The leading question upon the amendmen
of Mr.. Lane, of Kansas, t. the amendment OF Mr.
, Trumbulls, SO as to make the first section reat
! that all persons born in the United States, no
subject to any foreign power or tribunal author
ity, are hereby declared to be citizens of tn,
United States.
Mr.. Davis, of Kentucky, spoke against the bill
and amendment; he said they were not citizen
, under the Constitution.
| Mr. Lane asked to withdraw his amendment s.