New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-05-14
Association Of ONE ANorHpn-The New Gre
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IN ,be Union as to be counted on the question of
ra+ifeatioy. II was absurd to suppose that any
more TN three.tOurths of the States which pro-
noseFthe amendment were required to make it
vsla, believing then that this was the best propo
sSion that could be made efeetual, he (Stevens)
accepted it.
Referring to the other constitutional amendment
passed in the House this session, and which waited
in the Senate, he said it was slaughtered by
puerile and pedantic criticism. Its death, pro-
duced by self-righteous Republicans and unrghte
Gus copperheads, had postponed, perhaps for ages,
the salvation of the colored race But it would
not do for those who had for thirty years fought
the beasts at Ephesus to be frightened at the
tangs Of modern catamounts, Heaven forbid that
the Southern States, or any of them, shall pc rep
resented in Congress until the monuments OF Tree
dom are built full high and firm against the viii OF
Congress. The Southern States had been absent
for four bloody years. and must wait tlli congress
is ready to receive them. He beheYed mat TINS
Congress would not approach the tul measure OF
justice until every fugrown man in the late rebel
States was provided with homestead on the land
where he had been held as slave. Forty acres
| of land and q hut would be of more value to him
| than the right to vote. Unless Congress gives
them that measure of justice, it would receive the
I censure of mankind and the curse OF heaven. In
! conclusion Mr. Stevens, in order 70 have control
| of the bill, entered motion to recommit it.
/ Mr. Baine called the attention of Mr.. Stevens
and of the House to an objection to the third sec
tion Of the amendment, which he deemed serious,
if not fatal to that section, as follows: Provided,
! That until the 4th of July, 1870, all persons who
voluntarily adhered to the late rebellion, giving it
aid and comfort. shall be excluded from the right
to vote for representatives in Congress, and for
electors for President and Fice-President of the
| United States.
1t appeared to him that that was o violation of
good faith in reference 60 that large class of peo
pie in the South who came within the terms of the
amnesty proclamation of President Johnson, and
who were thereby restored to all their civil rights.
He asked Mr.. Stevens for an explanation on that
point,
Mr.. Stevens admitted that the pardon extin-
guished the crime. After pardon there was no
such crime in the Individual. Those who were fully
pardoned did not come within the operation of the
third section,
BIr. Blaine understood the gentleman from Yir.
ginia to say that those who came within the terms
of the proclamation of amnesty would not be con
sideredas having voluntarily adhered to the late
instruction.
Mr.. Stevens assimiated their condition to that Of
person convicted Of felony and thereby rendered
incompetent to testify, but who, if pardoned and
: if his testimony were challenged could produce
! his pardon, thereby showing his competency.
Mr.. Blaine suggested hat, il that was the proper
construction to be given the section, it should be
so amended that there could be no question about
its construction and he should, at the proper time
move an amendment to that effect.
The point made by Mr.. Blaine, and virtually adj
mitted by Mr.. Stevens to be well taken seemed tc
create considerable stir in the Republican ranks
E Members drew near and listened to the CollOquy
with great interest as if recognizing the possibly
fatal character of the objection.
Mr. Garfield stated that he was pleased will
g almost everything in the proposed amendment
He regretted that the situation of the country had
not been found such to justify the presentation
Of the plain, unanswerable proposition that every
sane citizen of the United States, unconVicted Of
+ crime, should have the right OF suffrage tor he
believed that the right to vote, ii not one OF the
9 natural rights of all men, was necessary for tht
i protection of those natural rights.
& The whole scheme was revolutionary, and
e most shallow pretense for excluding the votes o
a eleven Southern States in the next presidential
s election. He hoped the people of those State
: would rally around the just and wise policy o
. Andrew johnson. This measure was dangerous
to the safety of the Union. 1t would protract az
t unfortunate contest, without promising any bene
fetal result to harmony. He was in favor of thu
first, second and fourth sections of the proposed
4 amendment but not so fully satisfied with thu
5 third section, which the gentleman from Main,
(blr. Blaine) had shown to be at least susceptible
of misconstruetion.
r Mr. Stevens explained that, whereas pardon
washed ont crime and its punishment there was
difference between punishment for crime and with
holding privilege of pardon, which conferred nj
other advantage than relief from punishment.
s Mr. Garfield, without going into that point, ex
pressed his opinion that the third section TIL
only proposition in the amendment not bottomet
clearly and plainly upon right principles. |
9 those who had participated in the rebellion Wert
unfit to be allowed to vote on the LIST of January
Y There was no sufficient reason for that, and j
a would be said that it was purely piece of poIit
n ical management in reference to the presidential
S election There were also practical objections tt
IT, Ii nine-tenths of the people We're disfranchise
e for five years, how was that to be carried out
, Only by having military forces Of the Unitet
4 States in eleven States of the Tnion. He did no
think it, therefore, wise or prudent both for prac
teal reasons and for reasons of construction al
l suggested by Mr. Blaine, that the third section
should stand as part of the amendment, and he
should move TO amend by striking out the third
section.
The speaker stated that, pending the amend
ment, motion for reeommitment could be offered
Mr. Blaine said he would when he had an oppor.
tunity, move to amend the first section, by adding
to it the following:
Provided, That nothing contained in the article
shall be construed as to permit Congress to con
troll or regulate the elective franchise in any State
or to abridge or restrict any State to regulate
control the same within its own jurisdiction, eX
eept as in the third section hereof prescribed.
Mr., Kelly replied that he was in favor Of dis
ranehisng every traitor in the land, whether white
or black, but he did not believe the gentleman
could find black volunteer traitor.
Mr.. Smith said he had seen many colored men
prisoners of war, taken with arms in their hands
who admitted that they had Joined the rebel!
voluntarily.
Mr. Kelly said he would REQUIRE stronger evi
dence against eolored men, charged with treason
than he would against Lee or any other leader o
the Confederate army.
BIT. SchenGk continued that he did not believe
IN one sense that the eleven States were out of the
f Union. He did not subscribe to the doctrine o.
their being reduced to the condition of territories
He believed that the government had the right t
thrash them and subject them to obedience, pre-
I clsey on the same principle on which a fathel
3 thrashed child. He believed that after punish
ing them in that way they had the right to put tina
+. child IN corner and keep him away from thu
+ family table until he should show proper dispo
y stion to behave himself. He understood the con
gressional theory to be this: Thatthose States tina
tore themselves, so far as they had the power tt
do so, away from their normal and proper relations
to the rest of the States in doing SO forfeited Ger
tain rights, and by refusing to be represented il
Congress, and by discaming their allegiance, they
d forfeited their right of representation, and mus
wait now until it was properly and by law restored
. to them. He understood further, the congressional
theory to be that that right could only be restored
n to them by law, and that until law was enacted
: BY which any State that had flung itself out of thu
= Union was permitted to come back and stand OF
tue same footing with the other States it could no
e not enjoy representation in Congress-.
5 recess was tahen till evening.
THE NEW TAX BILL.
:, The first section, imposing tax of Sc. per poun
on cotton being under consideration and the ques
!, tion being on Lynchs amendment excepting 6O(
Il pounds in the hands Of producers from taxation,
was rejected.
! Mr.. Epson moved to reduce the tax to thre
L cents
Mr.. Stevens opposed the amendment, and ia
: yored tax of eight cents. Were it not for til
" constitutional prohibition, he would be in favor