Baltimore daily commercial. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1865-1867, 1866-01-30

tafqunar, OF Indiana. Otered q resolution.
which was agreed to; inStructing the Committee on
the District of Columbia to report bill disfranchis
ing such persons in this District who bore arms or held
any civil office under the sO-called Confederacy.
Mr.. Kelly. of Pennsylvania on leave introduced
bill providing for transferring all causes now pend.
ing in the States wherein nonresidents are parties
plaintiff or defendant-to the United States Courts
Referred to Judiciary Committee.
Mr.. Eckley. of Ohio, introduced a bill to inc0r-
bOrate the United States Life Insurance Company.
Referred
Mr.. Ingersoll. of Illinois, from the Committee on
the District OF Columbia, reported bill appTJrrla-
ting twenty-five hundred dollars for the relief OF the
sufferers by the late Washington arsenal.
Mr.. Washburne, OfIllinois. thought that there had
better better Gg general appropriation for the relief of
country and ne objected to the reporting of the bill
RECEPTION OF GENERAL SHERNaT.
MAJOR General Sherman here entered the Hall and
was Immediately surrounded by the members Mr..
Farnsworth, of Illinois, moved that recess of FIVE
minutes be taken, and that General Sherman be
Quoted by the Speaker of the House to the Speak
chair, which was agreed to unanimously.
The Speaker took General Sherman by the arm
and escorted him to the chair amid great applause
on the floor and in the crowded galleries.
=, The Speaker then said he had the honor to intro
dice 10 tho House, by their unanimous order Major
General sherman 50 vel known to them and to the
civilized world as one of our most gallant and heroic
defenders in the contest Just closed on behalf Of the
iInper,lled but, thank God, preserved nation. Ap-
Mr. Washburne of lliiino;s-F propose three cheers
for Major General Sherman.
They were enthusiastically given on the floor and
IN tne OYerHOwlng galleries., WIN waving OF nanu-
6erchefs by the ladies'
GEN sHERMAx's SPEECH
Genarai Sherman from the Speakers chair spoke
as follows;
Gentlemen Of the House Of Representatives. Il am
more accustomed to cheering such has been given
Of this a 6b beare
in those galleries. can simply thank you from my
heart for this reception you have given ne, ] hope
nay continue TO merit the good wishes you express,
and shall endeaycr to do all l can to that end.
Great applause)
members of the House. At the expiration of FIVE
minutes the Speaker resumed the Chair, and the
House proceeded to business
NEW BASIS OF REPRESENTATIONS.
The regular order, the Constitutional amendment,
taken up. and M. RAYMOND, of New York, pro
ceeded to address the House d; great length.
Mr. Raymond said that we had from the Joint Com
mittee on Reconstruction a noted proposition 10
amend the Constitution. He was afraid that he
would fall within that class who had been eensqred
on this floor for obiectng to tamperu- wth the Con-
stitution. For himself he distrusted all OF tae7e
amendments brought before this House. If anything
were established by men wonderful among the ma
tions, it was The Constitution Of the United States
1t had proved adequate for peace and war. A war
OF four years had been prosecuted under the Consti-
tution and that had led the highest est Of its
provisions Its distributions of power were equal
among the different Departments of the Government
as well as among the different States, Under the
Constitution, before it amended prohibiting
slavery. the Southern States entitled to a re-
presentation of three-ffhs of the slaves which gave
Union, while by the abolition of slavery the South
had gained the other two-6fths, or million six
hundred thousand addition to its population as a
basis tor representation.
1t was this change this evil that he admitted it was
necessary to change. While lie aid not approve of
constitutional amendments it was fundamental
principle Of the Government that all populations
should be entitled 70 representation and that within
the Government their rights an2 interests should be
considered This amendment, he cOntenGGI, vas OBJ
lectlonabe on the ground that it did not propose Il
basis on population. Another doubt contained in ii
arose on the subject Of eraces, because it disran
chised whole race for the that one portion
Of the race was disfranchsed While it did hold out
to the South an enGoRragement to entranchise the
cOlOred race, he could Gtt INT believe that in that
respect it would prove most disastrous II its relations
TO this Union to the Southern States. He was star
tIn6, however, he confessed when he thought that
tie amendment under consideration but an ini-
tiai step of what the Committee on Reconstruction
proposed to take in that direction, for the gentleman
from Ohio, (Mr. Bngham) had declared on this lOor
that he trembled for his country if the House only
adopted this single amendment,
lie (Mr. Raymond SaiG thG. # this was one of q
series we were entitled to the whole Programme, and
the House should know what amendment follows
the one under consideration. We should know II II
proposed to so extend the powers of the General
Government the States as to destroy the
States We we're entitled to know the rest Of the
schedule, for 1t was known that this was step tc
reconstruct the entire Government of the United
States. He alluded to the fact that it was claimed
here that the people Of the SOIth VauquisheC
enemies and that the occupied only a wasted terri
tory and the principle that they were territorle
1t Ta5 proposed 70 make this great change; III
Qouted the remarks of Mr.. Shellaharger, of Ohio
that the people of the Southern States had lost the
state governments by the war. and those Of Mr
Deming of Connecticut, that the people of the sout
| were rs yauqushed sinners. Mr.. Raymond declares
his position to Oe exactly opposite that OF the gen
tleman named.
He denied that those States or the people wet
suhJugated, for the war gave no such power. The
were to-day States within this Union. and enttle
to all OF the rights of States as conferred by the Ton
SiItution, the same as were he New England OF III
v Western States. We should restrain from dOin
anything toward, the Southern States we would 10
DO towards our own. Ire gentleman from Ohio, (NlI
ohellabarger) had said that when the political Obo
dence had ceased the State had ceased to be State
! but like adroit advocate the gentleman had no
read all that he should have read from Wheaton o
International Law in that regard, for the grser ha
said that the mere interruption of political 0hedienc
cannot eXtinguiSh a State It's ereignty Nas On
eXtnguisbed when its social ties had been entre
lie cited some historical parallels, and said tha
England never regarded France as no longer a stat
during the revolution. Juarez the President Of tn
Republic of Mexico was in the mountains ant
Maximiian was seated on throne in that country
but would gentlemen contend that the republic ha
ceased to exist? he claimed that the doctrine tha
State had ceased to exist because Of absence 0
obedience, alike untOunded either in public Law
or on Gonsttu!ionai grounds. lie supposed case
land in time of war completely surrounding MaSsa
chuSetts even for one, two or even four years. lii
would ask if Massachusetts ceased to be State;
Mr.. Shellabarger Of Ohio, said the gentleman baC
m'saPprchended his position His position, in brief
suspended by the war; their rights as States do not
come back to them, except they subject to tbs
high control of the Government Of the United States
Mr.. Raymond said he took issue then with the gen
tleman question of fact, for in his opinion there
was no time when the Southern States did not mani
fest an obedience to law; They had laws during th'
war, and he cared not what laws they were in tn,
sense of public laws, for they, therefore, did no
cease to be States; They were States in the lnioI
and subject to the control of the Constitution a
well rs Ry the rules Of international law There wa
not time when England and France would have
failed to recognize any of them States Mr.. Ray
| .4,.4l Il fTS
Great britain had possession Of one-third of tht
State of Maine, including the port of Castnc, bu
congress ne sald was not called on to act then to
usurpation lie would suppose that any Govern.
ment gets holds of portion all of any State, and
Congress fails to carry out the requirement Of the
Constitution to guarantee TO such State republi
can form Of government. would said State be out o
the Union?
If the power retained permanent possession he
would admit that the State would cease to exist
Now, he c0ntended that this precisely the posi-
ton of the Southern States lie then proceeded tC
show that II Gen, Scotts advice had been needed
and Congress and the President had acted in 1860
and troops had been placed in the Southern States
the usurpers would have obtained any success
If the United States had carried out its solemn
ment to guarantee to the States constitutional form
ofgovernment, the Southern men never would have
succeeded. But he would ask at what particular
time did these States go out of the Union. Was it
one, two or three years ago. He adhered to the doc
trine that "once State always State" and con
ten led that any of the Southern States during the
war had constitutional government they would
Louisiana, Kentucky and other States, portions OF
whose territory were held by the enemy, had repre-
Sentatives here during lhe war
Is Mr.. DroOmal. of Pennsylvania, had accused him OF
agreeing with Mr.. Rogers, of New jersey, Demo
crat, but he would say TO this House that he would
rather be right, with Mr.. Rogers, than even wrong
in the distinguished company of the gentleman from
Pennsylvania, (Mr. Steyens) If these States were
out, had acquired nothing by victory the
South we did not have before. Wehad not conquered
them in any Of SuhiugaOn. nor was there any
thing in the Constitution that provided for Furnishing
States. The Constitution dealt only with persons.
Mr. Lincoln, in his first inaugural the resolutions OF
Congress in 1861, and the dispatches Of Mr. Seward
L our Minister'S all exhibit the fact that il was
claimed that the rights of the Southern States were
not to be impaired and that they were to resume their
representation i'll these halls. Chief Justice Chase
in his speech at Dartmouth College, said that the
States were States in the Union.
Mr.. Raymond then traced the course of the present
Executive in recognizing the Southern States, du-
ring which MI. Stevens said that there was no law
authorizing the President to call any State Conven-
ton.
Mr.. Raymond continuing, said that the President
selected the Provisional Governors agents in exc
cutting the laws of the United States. He would
have this House exercise control over all credentials
of members claiming seats here. and examine them
by Districts instead of by States. If q loyal man
came here from Georgia district he would say
admit him. Congress needed more than anything
else loyal intelligent men from the South.
Information from that section was based too
much on newspaper extracts and anonymous CORE
pondence. Instead OF the Cons titutOnal mode OF
dealing with representation, we had here Recon-
Structon Committee, who sat in secret and who sent
its rescrpt into this House to be ratified before the
sun went down; but that monsirouS outrage had not
succeeded, and debate had bevG allowed. The
House should emancpate this committee from the
control of some of the matters before it, Mr.. Ray
mODd then debated the question OF what CCnstlu ed