The Portland daily press., 1866-01-11
BY TELEGRAPH,
Thursday Morning, January IL, 1866.
xxx CONGRESS---lst Session.

TO THE DAILY PRESS

SENATE.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 10.
A bill was introduced to fix the militar,
eace establishment of the army. 1t provide!
hat the army shall hereafter codsist of sever
egiments OF artillery, ten regiments of caval
and sixty regiments of infantry. In add.
ion to the five regiments of artillery now or
,anized, there shall be two new ones, one to
De composed of colored and one of white per-
'ons, officered by selections from the voiun-
Ger service. Two new regiments OF cavalry
ire to be of white and two of Colored persons
In the infantry there shall be eight regiments
composed of men from the veteran reserve
,orps and Differed by officers OF that corps.
There shall be one Lieut.. General, five major
GENERALS and ten brioadier generals. The bill
was referred to the Military Committee.
A resolution was passed to print 600 copies
Of Gen. Grants report.
The bill to regulate the elective franchise in
The District of Columbia was taken up, read,
and recommitted to the District Committee.
A resolution was offered by Mr.. How, de-
claring that the States lately in rebellion had
orfeited their rights as States, and it was for
Congress to say when those rights should be
restored. Mr.. How supported his resolution,
Affirming that by the act of secession and re-
bellion the Southern States had destroyed
their functions of civil government.
"a
League praying for the removal of protective
tariff was presented and referred to the FL
nance Committee. .f
The House bill, authorizing the appoint
ment of assessors of the internal revenue by
the Secretary of the Treasury, instead of as
now by the assessors, was reported from; the
Finance Committee, but was no. acted on.
Mr.. johnson obtained the floor, when the
Senate went into Executive Session, and soon
after adjourned. .e
HOUSE.
A resolution was adopted instructing the
Committee on Commerce to inquire into the
expediency of opening Hell Gate Channel.
A resolution was adopted requesting the
President to inform the House why Jefferson
Davis, Clay and others were kept in confne-
ment.
A resolution was introduced, pledging the
House to support the Presidents plan of resto-
ration. Referred. - 1A
Mr.. Wilson, OF Iowa, made speech in favor
of negro suffrage in the District OF Columbia.
The navy appropriation bill was reported
from the Committee on Appropriations.
A record of the proceedings of the Tobacco
Dealers Convention at New York was re-
ferred to the Ways and Means Committee
to the expediency of an amendment to the
Internal Revenue Act to conform to the sug-
gestion.
The Committee on Ways and Means was
instructed to consider the cxpediency of dis
pensing with income taxes, or assessing only
on incomes over twelve hundred dollars, and
of reducing the present per centage.
The Committee on Freedmen's Affairs was
instructed to inquire into the truth of the al
legged injustice of South. Carolina planters to-
ward the freedmen in their employment.
The Committee on Ways and Means was
instructed to inquire into the expediency of
exempting the manufactures of crutches and
artificial limbs from an internal revenue tax.
A bill was introduced to punish counterfeit
ing with death.
A resolution was adopted calling for infor-
nation in reference to the Imperial Express
Company, organized in New York under the
authority of the so-called Emperor of Mexico
to carry on contraband or other trade between
Mexico and the United States. -'E
Several resolutions, heretofore offered, were
referred.
Messrs. Scho6eld and Kelley spoke in favor
of negro suffrage. f.-
Adjourned. .f