Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-03-26

XXXIXth Congress
HOUSE. %
w1sHiSsroS, March q.

the Whole, the only business in order beinI
a general debate on the Presidents annua
message. The attendance both on the Aooi
and il the galleries was very slim. lEa
Mr.. BROOKS rose to a personal explana-
ton in reference to the Globes report o.
the discussion between himself and the
gentleman from Ohio, (Mr. Garfeld), on
Thursday last. He stated that the remark.
purporting to have been made by Mr.
Garfield were not heard by him., Mr.
Brooks, and were, as he understood them
incorrectly reported, although It was. not
for him to say how or where this misreport-
ing occurred. It was to him matter oi
comparatively little importance, except
that he wished to stand right upon the
record. Referring to the report made by Mr..
Garfield in the last Congress from the Select
Committee to investigate into the manage
ment of the Currency Printing Bureau, he
found that although it was not signed II
commenced by reciting that Garfield, from
the Committee, made the following report.
The minority report was signed by himself
Mr. Brooks and Messrs. Stewart, Steele and
Dawson. il
He had a letter read from Mr. Jordon,
Solicitor to the Treasury, to Mr.. Chase, stat
ing as the result of an investigation made
by him into the charges made against Mr..
Clark, are an entire conviction that the
most material part of the statements m ade
were true.
Mr.. GARFIELD said that he was obliged
/ to the gentleman from New York for the
correction he had made 1t was the uni
versal custom for one member, authorized
by Committee, to make the report and
that had been done in this case. He had
been authorized by a majority of the Com
mittee to make the report. If he had not
been 81 authorized surely some one of the
four members associated with him-Mr
Davis, of Maryland, Mr.. Wilson, of Iowa,
Mr.. Jenezs, of Rhode Island, and Mr.. Fem
ton, of New York would have made cor
rection at the time.
The conclusion of the report which he
made was in the following words:
Resolred, That the policy ofprinting pub
lie money in the Treasury has resulted in
great saving of expense to the govern
ment and security against fraud, and that
the affairs of the Printing Bureau have
been ministered with marked ability and
integrity. s-s
In addition to this there was report from
Governor Fenton expressly stating that ne
! eoneurred with the report of the committee
in everything except the reflection on the
New York Bank Note Company.
Mr.. WILSON, of Iswa, said that he had
not concurred in the conclusions Of the
presented to him for his signature he would
not have signed it.
Mr.. GARFIELD said that this was the
first that he knew that the gentleman from
Iowa dissented from the report of the ma
jority. The majority had authorized him
(Garfeld) 70 make the report and he had
made it. -- ...a-4
Mr.. WILSON said that he had been asked
by Mr. Henry Winter Davis, a member of
the committee, whether he was willing to
sign the report and he replied that he was
not as he did not agree with the committee
in its conclusions as set forth in the report,
and in the resolution accompanying it Here
the matter dropped.
Messrs. MoULT0N, of Illinois and
MYERS, of Pennsylvania, addressed the
House in strong radical speeches.
Mr.. BUCKLAND, OF Ohio, next addressed
the House. He said that the people were
becoming very impatient at the delay in
reconstruction, and did not understand
why Congress had not adopted some defn-
ite plan. He held that the people of
State finding themselves from any cause
without government, might organize
government and exercise its functions with
out assent of Congress, but he did not think
that Representatives should be admitted
from Tennessee or any of the rebel States
without the concurrent or joint action of
both branches of Congress. He deprecated
warfare waged against the President The
people did not believe that Mr.. johnson
! was about to prove recreant to the great
trust reposed in him, and they would stand
by him regardless of attacks from any
quarter He disapproVed Of the at
tacks made upon the President.
and thought they were unealled
for, and out of place. He did not follow the
lobo &
Mr.. Stevens, in that part of his plan of re-
constructing rebellious States. 1t seemed
to him as if it was the policy to get up
bad state of feeling between the President
and Congress, and 10 destroy the confidence
of the loyal people in the President. He
would not be party to any such warfare.
If he were sure that the rights of the loyal
whites and freedmen would berespected
and protected by the Southern people, he
would vote to-day to restore those States to
their practical relations with the Govern
ment without requiring more than a single
amendment to the Constitution, and that
would be on the subject of apportioning
representation. His own opinion was that
representation should be founded solely up
on voters He was very anxious that meas
ures should be devised that would satisfy
the people both South and North, so they
might again meet together in cordial friend
ship, on terms of perfect equality, and with
mutual respect. He hoped that before this
Congress adjourned such measures would
be adopted
Mr.. HART, of New York, next addressed
the House on the same question of Recon
struction, taking the ground that the people
of the South were not in a condition to be
entrusted with fun powers in the govern
ment, and in support of that position he
| grated extensively from the testimony taken
| before the Reconstruction Committee.
Mr.. Lawrence, of Ohio, spoke at length
on the Constitutional Amendment prohib-
iting Congress or the States from making
an account of the emancipation of the
/ slaves There was now in the United
States Treasury, as part of the $4,000, 900
applicable TO payment for the slaves en-
listed. As this was provided for by law, and
as the amount was small it was not pro-
posed, he said, to disturb that. He then
/ proceeded to argue in favor Of general
amendment to the Constitution. Slaves
were not property, and none of the States
which in our past history abolished sls-
very ever made compensation for them, and
there was now no obligation on the part Of
/ the Government to make compensation for
the slaves emaneipated. Our national debt
was now near s., 1000, 900 900 and it would
require US to increase that debt $l20, ,000, 900
to pay for the slaves. If we would avoid
reputation, we must forever prohibit
the possibility of this. It was i'm
portant that the question should be
/ finally settled. He exhibited statistical
table, showing that it would require one
quarter of all the taxable property Of the
slave states TO pay for the slaves If we did
not prohibit this Northern democracy would
unite with the South in the scheme Of max
ing payment. He read extracts from the
message Of the so-called Government Of
South Carolina, and from Gen. schurz' re-
port that the South were making Just sucha
demand. The Virginia Legislature had re-
/ Gently proposed TO take an inventory of all
slaves of the State, with q view to payment.
Let US here forever close this question, or it
! Will rise up to create among the creditors Of
the nation the greatest annoyance If we
don't make amendments they will not be
made when rebel representatives, I'LL thes
halls. The public demanded constitutional
amendme t. changing the basis Of represen-
tation, and prohibiting payment OF the
rebel debt and the emanctpated slaves.
At the conclusion of Mr.. Lawrence's re-
alr,d haFL