The Portland daily press., 1866-01-20
Another Stem in the Right Direction.

The National Capital is not only to be
swept clean of all that savors of its old despot-
ism, but to be garnished anew with the pr1vi- I
leges and rights of its newly acquired liberty
The District of Columbia is the national heart,
belonging TO and representing the whole body
of the Union, and its character should be
fair index Of the average political condition of
the whole country.
A Iew years SINCE the District was cursed
with the institution of slavery, and had its
black code and its slave pens, and men, wo-
men, and children, beneath the stars and stripes
and in sight and hearing otthe national cap
itol, were sold like cattle. upon the auction
block. TWAS deemed even discourtesy and
insult for member to present a petition in
Congress asking for reform in this regard,
and for many sessions, under Democratic rule,
the peoples petitions were either Indignantly
refused admission, or as contemporary laid
upon the table. ~ - - - 81. Ia E.,.
Since then what changesl First went the
slave pen and the auction block, and next fell
the institution itself, under the peaceful act OF
Congress and before the terrible wave of wrath
swept over the whole South, Like prairie lire,
leaving nothing of the institution but its
smouldering and family cracking embers.
Now Congress, in, the exercise OF its legiti-
mate power, has taken another step, to wipe
out allvestiges of slavery by converting the re-
cent slaves, already made free, into indepen-
dent voters giving to them the highest politi-
cal rights of manhood. ii The bill to do this
striking out the word "aphite" in the suffrage
laws, and making the suffrage UNIVERSAL has
passed the House by a vote of 116 to 54-more
than two-thirds-and the Senate will no doubt
follow suit. --.,.s'sr .-,,s -.,s
Theintclligent correspondent of the Boston
Advertiser says. that 9those who supposed
Congress could be either forced or frightened
"into a backward movement on the District
suffrage question evidently failed to COM
"prehend the spirit of the House, and those
"who feared split in what Is technically call
led the party evidently failed to see how gen
''eral!y the people are in earnest 10 secure the
sfruits of the victories Of the battle field
"The vote by which the suffrage bill was pass
ed is proof sufficient that the reconstructicn
problem will not be solved with undue haste,
The scene which followed the announce
ment Of the passage of the bill was wild and
enthusiastic, indicative of the deep hold this
question of genuine democracy has taken of
the popular mind The correspondent al
luded to says: A , sr -, ~ g
When the Speaker declared that the bill ex-
tending the right Of suffrage to all negroes in
the District of Columbia had passed by vote
ofone hundred and sixteen to ffty-four, the
floor and the galleries broke out into most
hearty applause, and when some member OF
the oppos ton called for order in the galleries,
and the Speaker responded that he could not
be expected to enforce rule upon the CALLER
les which the House did not itself observe, the
applau Sc was renewed and kept up with great
enthusiasm for some minutes. D '4i'
The following are the names Of those elect
ed as Union menwho voted in the negative :-
Kuykcndall Of Illinois; Hill, stilwell and Far
qlalar or Indiana; Smith, Mckee and Ran
dull or Kentucky; Noel, vanhorn, Benjamin
and Anderson Of Missouri; Henderson of Gre
gon; Hubbard and Latham of West Virginia
Every Democrat ID voted solid against this
democratic measure; against enlarging the
rights of the people. - g s5ia-' 'o5s''i'l2iH