The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-01-25
HOUSE.

Inc HOUSE resumed tue COuSlueIdllou
of the proposed amendment to the Con-
MI. Lawrence, of Ohio, moved to re-
commit the resolution with Instructions
to report that direct taxes shall be ap-
portfoned according to property and
representation fixed on the basis of
adult male voters, who shall be citizens
of the United States. BE advocated his
proposition ~ 81 y.
Mr.. Shellabarger supported Mr.. Law
rence's amendment, and opposed the
resolution of the Committee on Recon
struction. ~ IftEi3
Messrs. Elliott and Pike also sever
ally opposed the resolution reported
from the Committee on Reconstruction.
The House resumed the consider
alton of the Senate resolution propos-
ing an amendment to the Constitution
Mr.. Lawrence, of Ohio, moved to re-
commit the resolution to the Commit
tee on Reconstruction, with the in
structions of the United States, which
shall first apportion direct taxes among
the States according to the property in
each, and which shall record a portion
of the representation among the States
on the basis of the number of adult
male voters who shall be citizens of the
United States. Mr.. Lawrence explain
ed his proposition. The present mode
of apportionfng direct taxes and repre-
sentation was unjust, and although the
result of compromise, il was wrong in
principle and unequal in its practical
result. By his amendment they would
make voters in each State precisely
equal. 1t was not proposed to withhold
suffrage from any class of people. The
amendment did not design to interfere
with the right of any State to say who
shall or who shall not vote. The origi-
nal basis of representation in SO of the
States of the South having ceased, the
mode itself should now pass away
Place not u tax on labor but on proper
ty which was the true basis of taxa
ton. r
Mr.. Shellabarger, of Ohio, opposed the
resolution, because it contemplates to
provide, in effect authorizes the States
to wholly disfranchise an entire race of
people; and that too whether that race
be white or black, Saxon or Celt, or Cir
cassian, without regard to proportion
of the entire population of States.
Mr.. Banks said that the basis of rep
resentation having been in effect strick-
en- out by the anu-Slavery constitutions
the question was wheth-
er the House should re-establish it.
Mr.. Shellabarger further opposed the
resolution and advocated the amend
ment of Mr.. Lawrence. r-,ti-
Mr.. Wilson offered an amendment to
Mr.. Lawrence's instructions, that rep
anu NlIGGb bdAt6 bLd11 OG
apporttoned among the several States
which may be included in the Union,
according to their respective numbers,
counting whole numbers of persons In
each State including Indians, and cleo
tive franchise shall not be denied or
abridged; in any Slate on account of
race or color. He said he could not give
the resolution, reported from the Com
mittee on Reconstruction, his support,
because it asserted by implying that a
State has right to disfranchise large
mass of its citizens; another objection TO
the resolution was that it enabled a
State, by makinglthe right to vote, de-
pend upon property qualification to
exclude a large class of men of both
races, and State might legislate in
such a way as to convert itself from a
republic to an oligarcby.
Mr.. Schenck moved the following
amendments to Mr.. Lawrence's in
structions: Representatives shall be
appointed among the several States
Union, according to the number of
male citizens over twenty-one years of
age, having the quail fications of electors
for the numerous branches of the State
legislature. Congress, at their first ses-
sion AFTER the ratification of this amend-
ment by the required number of States,
shall provide by law for the actual emu
meration of such voters, and such ac-
tual enumeration shall be separately
made in general census of the popn-
lation of all the States, within every
subsequent term of ten years, in such
manner as Congress may, by law, di-
rect. The number of representations
shall not exceed one for every hundred
thousand of population, but each State
shall have at least one representative.
MIR. Pike, of Maine opposed the reso-
luton.
After considerable debate the House
adjourned.