Baltimore daily commercial. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1865-1867, 1866-02-16
The Deficiency Appropriation Bill.
SENATE.


SENATE.
WASHINGTON Feb. Is, 1866.
WAR DEBT or THE SEVERAL STATES.
Mr.. Wade presented the joint resolution Of the
Legislature OF Ohio against the assumption by the
General Government OF The debts Of the scvera,
States. Referred 10 Committee on Reconstruction.
- PETITIONS PRESENTED.
Mr. Wade presented the petition of 500 coIored
soldiers asking equality before the law, including
the right of suffrage. and state they do not ask social
equality. Referred to Committee Of Fifteen.
Mr. Chandler presented the petition of Agricultu
RAJ Implement manufacturers. asking reduction OF
taX on sales referred to committee OF Finance.
MEMORIAL FROM FREDERICK DOUGLASS AND OTHERS.
= Nj sumner presented the memorial and protest OF
Frederlck Douglass and others, representatives, III
Washington of the colored race against the passage
OF the Constitutional amendment now pending in the
Senate. and against any authority her by implica
ton or otherwise, to any State to exclude any
| from the elective franchise account of race or
color Mr.. sumner said he did not know that ne had
ever presented petition entitled to c0nsidcra
ton or of more weight, and he earnestly entreated
the Senate to hearken to it. Ordered to bo printed
REIMBURSEMENT TO MISSOURI.
MT. Brown, from the Committee on Military At
fairs, reported tavGraby on the bill to reimburse the
State Of Missouri for monies expended in raising
troors 10 put down the rebellion.
THE ARM BILL.
Ar: liscn moved 10 take up the bill TO incraGse
nd n& the military peace establishment of the Uni
TED States.
Mr. Stewart hoped nol he had waited for weeks 10
bring up the bill to admit the state of Colorado.
Mir. wilson said this bill was Of more importance
than tho bill proposed, which would lead to much
Mr.. Lane. of Kansas. said the difficulty seemed 70
90 on the question OF admitting one hundred negroes
| to the right Of suffrage.
! Mr.. Sumner said the question whether n hundred
negroes voted was not such small matter the
| Senator lntfmated. 1t was claimed thai Goorau,
came mere asking Tor admission under the euaOiing &
act, which was not so and besides, he hot
tain that Colorado had population enough % entitie
her to two Senators this floor, thus making hor
! equal to New York or Pen"sylvauia.
Mr. Lane diSciaiped with much warmth the re
! mark imputed to him by the Senator from Mas
r. Cfsfi firtt,a Is a
snare He Thought that such taunt came with very
Dad grace from that Senator Whcn addressed to one
VINO n8d spent eleven years o has lie Iii the service
Mr. Srrague said that the bill vas most important
| one Ihe LeUteGa4t- General was much annoyed hy
the present unsettled state OF the army, and would be
! until its status fixed permanently.
Mr. Stewart c-lled tor the yeas aud nays on the
motion, tutsubscQue1tiy withdrew his demand when
by common consent the bill taken and READ.
THE COESTITUrI0EAL AMENDMENT.
| The regular order OF the day the Constitutional
| Amendment fixing the basis Of representation. was
then taken up, upon which Mr. Mi!liaInS OF Oregon,
| Mr.. Williams said, in speaking Of the States lately
IN rebellion, he would speak OF than as rebel 5;dtt
for the sake Of hreyity, if for nothing else As he
was mea!be- oi the Gonna .ttee On Reconstruction,
| he would do nothing more than discuss the legal as
| pccts OF the question. There had been much mis-
| take made III terms here. When Senators claimed
that these States were II tie InlOn, they were not
| so as New Hurf or Pennsylvania. When other Ser
ators claimed that they were out, they were not
as Canada or Mexico. ANY State which i0rcihly dis
rupted the ties that bound her TO the Union. lost bv
that act certain rights He recognized no difference
| between Il State and the peOuie of State and the
majority of the people made the record He did not
contend that all the people of South Carolina were
| traitors, but majority Of the people i that State
seized upon the state organization, and made II an
| embodiment OF their own views There were three
kinds Of treaSon-lega moral. ami political and, in
his opinion political treason vas Tar from being the
The leading rebels by the free exercise of the par
doning power had been restored 20 place ami Office
and, like their prototype, Lucifer were seeking ths
political overthrow of the Government they hated.
Was treason in this form less dangerous than when il
| came IN the "poinp ana glorious circumstance ot
war;" Senators might say these States were in OF
they were out but be never would consent to admit
| them here with equal rights and privileges wh.e
they retained their prescut obnoxious governments.
The ordinances of secession though not right in law
were accepted by the majority of the people OF those
States. and dc tGct7 governments the result.
Under them the Confederate Government had carried
| on var for four years with million bayone.s,
winch made this nation trebIe from It's center 10 lis
| circumference.
Mr.. Williams said that men who were forced to
| bear arms by their dc tacto governments were not
guilty OF treaSon ana be iet satisfied that no court
could convict them Of it, All men who were in these
States woaid have TO bear tLefate Of tho government
under which they lived without regard TO their pre-
objections. II useless to talk about the right Of
| the rebel States to SGcEde. Booth had no right t.
| murder the President. bat ne did it. England had
right to send prvateerS to prey on our commerce
but she did It. These States had no right to SeceGe
but they did it.. lie then reviewed the progress d
events, and declared that these States were now ab-
| soutely in the hands of Congress- which had the
power to make such laws the exigenes OF the case
| require.
lie replied to the arguments of Nr johnson aud
| Mr. Stewart, and said that TO man coulU make him
| believe that the policy OF President Lincoln woud
nave ADMITTED these States INTO tho Union. PreSl
| dent johnson had appointed Provisional Governor
! for HeOr2ia. Would he have done so for y eW UTh
Of course not: rs New NOr was i State in the Union
| appeTtaininE thereta. He had his miSgivinEs about
tue right Of the President up civil governments
in these States but did NOT wish to take issue on it,
All he wanted to be understood was, that the Pres
! dents action could not exclude Congress from juris
ffHfTA Ip fi,,.
took these COnSpra0rS thirty years to mature then
plans for the destruction OF the Union, and after four
years OF terrible war, are We to admit them to the
high seats Of place and power. with their hands yet
| red with the blood OF oar brethren? We need time
Tor tdis matter Of rec9nstrpch2n. Mr.. W then spoke
universal suffrage, but SAID the negroes OF the reho
states were not YET fl 10 vote; many Of them in the
agricultural districts aid not yet know that they were
free. Give them little time to learn, and he would
| go with the Senator from Massachusetts (Mr. sum
ner) il giving them the ballot.
lie then discussed the amendment Of Mr.. Hsnder-
son, and alluded to that Senator's remark, that twh4
was right must be done aAd said the rigs. could mo-
always be accomplished. # taey wefo to 90 before
the country With ta. senator's proposition for uni
versa! Suffrage, they would be defeated, and the
Union party would DC OyGrthrown. lie thought it OF
much more consequence that the Union party should
continue to rule, than that any men ny set OF men
should vote.
He then passed C-o.a the discussion Of the amend.
ment TO :, consideration of the Presidents Doliry
giving, he said, the President much credit e.,
his Upright purposes. lie tho ou.ht he was wrong il
granting SO many rardons TO- those who had aoncoct-
. d
sttute to Offer but des.cG 10 say that fIg action al
the President, whatever Il might be- did NOT cyc,Ic
tro;, C0nstesS the right to reorganize these rebe
States.
The liberal terms of surrender extended by Gran
and sherman, and the pardons By President John
| son, scattered like flower seeds ur the winds AZ
heaven; had been mst n No corresponding spirit
ne SIEg1"iAed any feelings Of revenge against the
cOuth ne was wiling Jnat the experiment yf aumis
sion SHOULD be tried with Tennessee. and thnn i! il
was found that the people did not realize their obi!
cations, let them be governed - military rule until
IL regerrad ~ ,'tt t ts 0IsJS. ~
from EnTt,cl,,I Nv GtLi2 - tnatV W Cue senator
freaiIAe5 III - Jitti,, lH4t tIe passage @f ttg
that Senat,T i,aI ira',Tt ~ - te otloL, &t1 S4id
cago COnyentc- declei,rc. n ;i Il; - 'H1 I'M
Mr.. Guthrie explained that the resolution in ouos-
ION cniy sad taat the war mad been failure up u
tnat ume
| Mr. NIthams-l tell the Senator there will be no
| var len hnh&rS1 thousand War-worn veterans
IfsSl from thelr e!dS OF tame and glory would spring
10 lhs rescue OF tue country. lAppauSe.l One blast
from tne 9ugle norm OF Grant Sherman or Sheridan,
| "ould raIly such l0st as would make traitors
| TsinRle; lAppIauSe.I
| The Chair announced that the question 5vos pno-,
the amendment OF Mr. Sumner.
MT: sumner SAL ne would withdraw his arnard
! the main proposition
| MT hendricks said ne desired TO make for, ra
marks on this amendment but did not wish 70 Jao
| a vote. ''
| BILL AGAINST KIDNAPPING
| On motion of Mr. Clark, the further consolidation
Of the resolution was DO tponed unit; 10 tn0rr0Ty ana
the bill to prevent and punish kidnappng was tak on
and Dassod rrnyidas rhat ,,orsa,,