The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1866-04-14
The Civil Rights Bill in the House of
Representatives
Regular Correspondence of the Press.
WASuINcro,- ALL q 1occ

government, and it has been won for Justice
and freedom. To-day the Civil Rights bill
has become law, "the objections of the
President notwithstanding"
1t was known that at the expiration of the
morning hour, the bill would come up for ac-
| ton, and that Mr.. Wilson, OF Iowa, chairman
| of the Judiciary Committee, having the bill
in charge, would demand the "previous ques-
| ton" If the House should by vote sustain
the demand, then final vote upon the bill
would be taken as soon as might prove con-
sistent with due amount of Democratic fl
ibustering; if not, then the House would be
subjected to visitation of such speech-mak-
ing as was inflicted on the long suffering Sem
ate upon Friday.
AT fifteen minutes past one the bill is called
up, and the clerk enters upon the reading of
the Dill and the veto message. The House is
unusually full. The galleries are densely
packed, and the doorways choked up, while
not less than seventy-ive or one hundred
privileged persons are upon the floor. Among
them we notice many Senators, Morrill, of
Maine, engaged in conversation with Repre-
sentative Perham, of the second district; Col.
Forney standing near the central entrance,
| giving and receiving many salutations with a
| polished if not courtly air; Trumbull of ILL
nois, sitting beside that noble champion of
human rights, William D. Kelley of Philadel
| phia; Pol nd of Vermont, with his hand
some white hair and vigorous form on which
age sits like becoming garment; Stewart of
Nevada, whose flowing beard scenes to have
been powdered with the yellow dust of his
golden State; Howard of Michigan, with iron
gray hair, and frame of iron strength; Har-
ris of New York, as calm and judicial as when
upon the judgment seat; CONFESS of Caliior-
mia, with great head, and short stout figure !;
Wiley Of West Virginia, a lawyer in fact, but
clergyman in every look and motion; Doc
little, short and square, with grayish bair and
grizzled beard; Grimes of Iowa, looking like
stout, well-to-do farmer, and some other
members of the higher branch of Congress.
Most of the Representatives are present,
some In their seats and others walking about
the open spaces or sauntering up and down
| the aisles of their spacious and stately hail.
Gen. Garfield, of Ohio, a man of frank and
pleasant face, leans over in earnest converse
tion witha thin; spare man in the second
seat from him, his colleague bingham, an
orator second to none in the hall; Stew
ems, the parliamentary veteran, sits cool
and calm in his accustomed place, now chat
ting with friend who pauses beside his
dock aud tr1yn 10 80
of Vermont, who occupies the seat next be-
hind him, bearing the numberless calumnies
of his enemies as lightly as his three and sew
enty years; Mr.. Jack Rogers of New Jersey, a
remarkably handsome yonng man, but dis
tressingly addicted to effelvescent gushes of
copper-tinctured hyfalutin, sits with the We
to message before him, following the clerk, as
if he could not through the sense of hearing
alone absorb enough of that precious and con-
genial document while just behind him ap-
pear the massive and rugged features of a
man who never stopped to dissimulate, and
never knew fear, Senator Wade; Shelabarger,
the successor of "Sunset Cox, a new man but
one of the ablest, sits far round on the Union
side, quietly perusing bill; Gen. Banks, with
true military uprightness of body, sits leisurely
reading from volume of the Congressional
Globe; far round on the Democratic side, N.Y.
er Strouse, of Penn, an intensified specimen
of the German Israelite, a Hebrew of the He
brews, and a Democrat of the Democrats,
leans back in his chair, exhibiting kind of
hopeless interest in the proceedings; Niblack
of Indiana, the ablest man in appearance at
least upon that side of the hall, waits eagerly
for the bout at fillibustering to begin, and
others " too numerous to mention" beguile the
hour of suspense as their fancy leads them.
We miss this morning the leonine front of that
redoubtable knight, VOORHEES,, nor less the in
genuous countenance of the incorruptible Jim
Brooks. ....... ..... RI Fe--
While we have been looking about the clerk
has been reading in very loud and weari-
some voice. AS he approaches the end of his
task, the crowd upon the floor of the House.
which had thinned little, now grows more
dense. Among it may now be seen Maj. Gen.
Hancock, Gov. Curtin of Penn, and Theodore
Tilton Of the N. Y. Independent. While the
last paragraphs are being finished, Mr.. Wilson
! rises in his place, his short curly hair reveal
| ing the contour of well formed head, and his
| earnest features overspread with shade Of
anxiety and conscious responsibility, and as
the last words of the message are pronounced
calls,
"Mr. Speaker! Mr.. Speakerw
"The gentleman from Iowa."
"Mr. Speaker, the debate upon this bill pre-
vious to its passage occupied about four weeks
of the time of the House. Some forty speeches
were made on the bill, and the debate was not
closed until all the members had made
| speeches who desired to d. so. 1t was pass
ed by more than a two-thirds vote of this
House. 1t has now been returned to us by
the President, with his objections to its be-
coming a law. don't propose to reopen the
debate on this bill. I propose to leave the
closing argument on the subject to the Presi-
dent, as given in his message. I ask the
members of this House to answer the Presi-
dent with their votes. ask them to sustain
me in the demand which now make for the
previous question on the passage of the bill.
the Presidents objections to the contrary not
wlthstanding."
No sooner has Mr.. Wilson made his demand
! for the previous question than Niblack siezes
the floor with point of order, Messrs. FL
bridge of Wisconsin, LIE Blond of Ohio, Finck
Of Ohio, and Rogers of N. Jersey make an
abortive attempt to stave off the fnalvote by
motions to lay upon the table, to adjourn, &c.,
technically known as fillibustering. These at
tempts at delay are, however, SO evidently
aimless and hopeless, that they are soon given
over. The various dilatory motions being
soon disposed Of, and the question recurring
upon the demand for the previous question, it
is sustained by the House, and upon the ques
ton "Shall tins bill pass Notwithstanding the