Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1866-12-14
CONGRESSIONAL.
POWER OF AMNESTY AND PARDON
In the Senate, Dec. an.

In the Senate, Dec. an.
MIR. Chandler moved that the Senate pro
.,ed to the consideration Of House bill
No. 1913, 4" to repeal section thirteen of al
act to suppress instruction, to punish trea
son and rebellion, to seize and confscate tn,
property Of rebels, and for other purposes
approved July 18th, 1862"
Mr.. CHANDLER. Mr.. President thinl
if there was ever a case when the prompt &C
ton of Congress was needed, it is this. Il
is alleged that hundreds Of millions Of dollars
worth of property conhscated under the Law
have under that section been restored by the
President. The country expects us to act
promptly in this case. 1t is alleged that par.
dons are for sale for money around the streets
of this town by women of at least doubtful
reputation, and with those pardons property
has been restored to the amount of millions
Sir, il there ever was an occasion that requi.
red prompt action. in my judgement that oc.
casion is now, and this bill is that occasion
/ If the President has powers under the Con-
stituton, let him exercise them but in
| Gods name give him no greater powers than
/ he possesses under the Constitution, to exer-
] else as tut1 nave UttH tAtIClrtu LOT lue lhSi
twelve months. hope the Senate will take
up this bill and pass it promptly as the House
| OF Representatives did. The House suspen-
ded the rules and passed it within the hour,
and the country looks to the Senate to act
with as much promptness as the House.
hope, sir, there will be no delay, and no ref
erence Of this bill. hope it will be passed
this mo- ming.
Mr.. TKUMBULL. Mr. President, | was
not very we'll satisfied with the Con6scation
bill when we passed it, as | suppose every
! Senator who was here at that time very well
knows, and l think that the power granted
| by the clause which is now proposed to re-
peal has been very grossly abused but / am
| not aware Of any confscated property that is
| nov about to be restored. The report of
| the Commissioner of the Frecdmen's Bureau
made at the last session OF Congress, shows
that lands Of rebels which had been taken
possession CT as conhscaed property were
subs quently, by order Of the President, re-
stored to their previous owners; but | dc
not know at this time that there is any
property likely to be restored under this
clause of the confscation act.
1t is very probable that | shall vote fol
this bill repeating the clause under considers
ton but / think there is very great force il
the suggestion made by the Senator from
Maine, that 1t is always safer to refer a bill
to some one of our committees. The com
mittees are not yet formed There is now nc
committee to which this bill can be referred
know Of no pressing necessity for the pas
sage Of this bill to-day. | will not COMM
myself to say that it ought to pass at all.
should like to be be,ter informed than am
to-day before voting upon it,
Mr.. HOWE. Mr.. President, if the cas-
and nays had not been called for upon thi,
motion, of course should have said nothing
about it, and even then | do not know tha
| should have said word but for an expires
sion which has just been dropped by the Sen
ator from lllinols. propose It, vote for the
notion but | should be unwIlA4g that any
one should infer from that vote that | wls &C.
ting under any undue excitement. | do moi
think any such inference would properly arise
1t seems to me that there is the best of al
reasons patent upon the face Of the journal
for proceeding to the consideration Of this bill
That is what understand to be the motion
it is not motion that the bill pass 1mmedi-
ately, but that we proceed to the consideia.
ton of it now. That very good reason o
which | spoke, it seems to me, arises from
the fact that the bill is pending here and
do not know that we have anything else tC
do. i do not know Of any better opportunity
to proceed TO the consideration of it.
There is another reason which it seems tC
me supports the reason very strongly, anC
that is that nobody seems to have any sort
of objection to this bill. ! understand tn,
Senator from Illinois and the Senator from
Maine both to say that they are not satisfied
with the powers granted in the section of tn
act of 1862 which it is proposed by this bill
to repeal. ! understood the Senator from
Illinois to say that he believes the power
granted there are not only unjust in them
selves, but that they have been abused.
did not know myself that they have beel
abused, but do not think that they ar
powers which we should vest in any one, an
do not think there is any occasion for our as
tenting to them any longer. If we had othe
and more important business to attend to no'
that would be reason for postponing III
consideration of this bill but as know
nothing else, | shall vote to proceed to it
consideration.
The qestion being taken by yeas and nays
resulted--yeas 81, nays 81 as follows:
YEAS-Messrs. CAttell. Chandler, Conness, Creswel
Edmunds. Fowler Frenghuysen, Harris, Henderson
Howard, Howe, Lane Pomeroy, Ram ey Ross. she
man, Stewart, sumner Wade Williams, and Wilson
a
NAYS-Messrs. Anthony, Buokew, Davis, Dixo
Doohitle, Fessenden, Fogg Foster Grimes, Hendrick
johnson. kiIkwood Morgan, Nesmith. Norton Pate
son. Riddle, Salisbury, Trumbull, Van Winkle, al
Willey-2l.
ABsENT-Messrs Brown, Cowan, Cragin, Guthri
NcDougAll Morrill,, Nye, Poland, sprague, end Yates
, 10
So the motion of Mr.. Chandler was Mt
agreed to.
Mr.. SUMMERS REooNsTRUoTIoN RRsoLU
; TIoNs.-The following are the resolutions G
reconstruction offered by Mr.. Sumner in Il
Senate, Dec. 4th, TO which reference is mac
| in the teleRraphic summary of the proceed