Baltimore daily commercial. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1865-1867, 1866-02-07
XxxIXTH CONGRESS.
THE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.
Substitute offered by Mr.. DoOIittIe
SPEECH BY MR.. suMNER
PASSAGE OF FREEDMEN's BUREAU BILL
Passage at Arms Between Messrs. ROsseau
and GrinneII.
SENATE.

SENATE.
WASHINGTON Feb. 6.
| PETITION FOR UNIVERSAL SUFFRAGE
Mr. Pomeroy presented the petition of citizens of
| Massachusets, asking for universal suffrage Re-
| ferred to the Joint Committee on Reconstruction
! - DIPLOMATIC AGENT TO DOMINICA
lations, reported bill TO authorize the President to
| appoint diplomatic agent to the Republic of Do
| minica.
| CLAIMS FOR ARMY SUPPLIES.
On motion of Mr. Wiley, it was
hesoiDed, That the Coma ittee on the Judiciary be
requested to inquire into the expediency of making
claims of loyal citizens IN the rebel States for quar-
termasters stores subsistence supplies furnished
| States. " " "A''"
THE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.
The morning hour having expired, the considera-
!lon OF the proposed constitutional Amendment fix
| ing the basis of representation was resumed upon
which Mr., Sumner was entitled to the hoor
| Mr. Sumner giving way.
Mr.. Doolittle gave notice of his intention to pro-
pose the following amendment and asked that it be
Strike out all after the enactng clause and insert
| the following:
After the census to be taken in the year eiqbteen
! hundred and seventy, and each succeeding census
representatives, shall he appOrtoned among the seve
raj States which may be included within this Union
according to the number in each State of male cleo
tors. over twenty-one years of age qualified by the
laws thereof to choose members ofthe most numerous
branch ot lis legislature; and direct taxes shall be
apporuoned among the several States. according to
the value of the real and personal taxable property
situate IN each state, not belonging to the State
| the United States.
Mr.. Sumner commenced with the fourth head Of
his argument, eXpoundlng the features of republi-
| can government according to American IDEAS and
reviewed the public of the States at the peri a
of the adoption of the Constitution and asserted that
they had declined to make any distinction in the
elective franchise on account of color or race The
Continental ngress had also positively declined to
insert the word white in the article of confedera-
| tion. W tn the exception OF South Carolina there
was no State Constitution in which the word white
fathers. ''''' '''''' 'n' 'i'D'OHS u 'He
Referring to the possible objection that might be
urged against this. because of the temporary recog
milton of slavery when the Constitution was adopted
ne contended that its trainers did not recognize
slavery as permanent part of our system, but
treated ii exceptional and ransitory also that ac
cordlng to the nomenclature of Blackstone's COM
mentaries the slave was legally and politically re-
garded as part of the family of his master and like
q wie or chld, the slave was represented by the
head OF the family ,Gbo pad the t0res hiq uc-
count and therefore, the cardinal principles of the
revolution, assoratDg taxation and representation,
was not Violated IN any degree. Alexander Hamil-
ton, if anticipating the very question before us
had proclaime in the Federaiist that if the laws
were to restore the riZhtS which have been taken
away, the negroes could no longer be refused an
equal share of representation with other jphabi-
tants" III then said that this new idea was the
grand discovery of fathers, and to rob them of
this would be to take from them their highest title TO
gratitude
He next advanced to condition of the present
status of the rebel States and said the census tables
showed that 36OOO0O cOlored citizens were suffering
the tyranny OF taxation without representation
Why reject their votes when you take their money
States. Virginia disfranchses oue-thrd of her in
| ha6ltants, South Carolina nearly two-thirds To
call such a government republican," is Il mOckery
OF sense and decency Those States arStocracies
and oligarchies. He insisted that it plainly the
duty of Congress to interfere by legislation. The
ballot was the only sufficient guarantee.
He was willing to do something for that unhappy
portion of the country, which has been arrayed in
arms against us, and If they would permit it, gladly
would he have them not the South but as an
integral part of the republic Gl dly did he offer his
best efforts for their welfare but saw clearly that
caly and economically the decree Of equal rights
which he now invoked; They have given us war;
the name of slavery. We send them back the bene-
dicon Of justice for all. Thy menace hate; offer
in return all the sacred charities of country together
with oblivion of the past. This is measure for
measure" This is our retaliation. only revenge.
H. then expressed his unfai,ing confidence in the
triumph of ms cause. despite timd perverse coun
sells which might postpone but not arrest the glad
Some cOnSummatlOn.
He concluded by calling on the Senate to suppress
al olgarchiC al pretensons, and establish equal rights
They had proclaimed emancipation; proclaim en-
franchsemant also. Liberty and equality are the
two vital principles of republican government.
They belong to those diyn statute. which craven
OF the he TT of universal man.
The Roman Cato, after declaring his belief in the
Immortality Of the soul, added that if this were an
error, it error which he loved And now de-
carnE my belief in liberty and equality rs the cod
given hrthrsbt OF all men, let me say, III the same
spirit If this be an error it is an error ich love;
If this be fault il is fault which shall be slow to
reuOuuce if this be Illusion it is illusion which
pray may wrap the world in It's angelic forms.
u
was greeted with applause.
On motion Of Mr.. Morrill, the Senate proceeded to
executive session, at the conclusion Of which, it ad
''"' HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE
Mr.. Farnsworth. Of H., offered Joint resolution
providing for advertising the yearly mail lettings in
a newspaper in the Congressional district where said
lettiogs are to be contracted for. Referred.
THANKS TO ADMIRAL FARRAGUT.
Mr.. Rice. of Mass, from the Committee on Naval
Affairs, @ reported Senate JOINT resolution rendering
HI nEt GsaH tl,,NYt
debate
NAVAL CADETS.
Mr.. Miller, of Pa, offered 4 resolution, which was
agreed to. lnstructlng the Committee on Naval
Affairs to inquire into the expedenCy of sc am ending
the law relating 20 the Naval Academy as to allow
the admission OF cadets OF an age not exceeding that
required of cadets for the Military Academy
The Speaker called the attention Of the House to
the serious injury being done to the large bronze
doors Of the Capitol lie said several of the orna-
ments had been broken of, ana carried away, and
asked leave to refer the whole subject to the Com
mittee Public Buildings.
Mr.. Washburne. Of Illinois, also hoped that the
committee would inquire as to the removal of the
apple-sand, etc. from the old Hall.
Mr.. Stevens, of Pennsylvania said he rose for in
formation. He hoped the committee would inform
him what that monster that had just been erected
in the old Hall (evidenty referring the plaster
cast Of the statue of Freedom. The request of the
Speaker c0ncurreG ~.
FREFGSEN's BUREAU BuL.
The Specla! order1the treedmens Bureau bill
the amendments and the bill under the operations of
the previous question.
The FIRST amendment was that offered by Mr.. Green
Clay Smith, of kentucky, to the effect tndt Kentucky
be exempted from tho Operutions of the Bureau Not
agreed to. Yeas 81; nays III.
The question then recurred on the substitute of the
House the Senate bill, which passed by yeas
1876, nays 30, as follows:
Yeas--zMosSrs. Alley Allison. Ames. Anderson,
Ashley, Nevada Ashlev, Ohio, Baker, Baldwin |
Banks, Barker, Baxter, Beaman. Benjamin Rdwell |
Bingham, Blaine. Blow, Boutwell,, Brandagee Brom-
Cobb. Conkling, Cook. Culiom, Darling. Davis, |
Dawes, Defrees Delano. Deming, Dixon, Donneliy, |
worth. Farquhar Fry Garfield, Grinnell. Griswod, |
Hale. Harding, Illinois, Hart. Hayes, Henderson,
Highly, Hill, Holmes, Hooper. Hotrhkss, Hubbard |
Iowa, Hubbard, W. Virginia, Hubbard, New York.
Hubbel, Ohio, james Humphrey, New York, Inger- |
so Jenckes, Julian, kasson Kelley. Kelso, ketchum,
KuykeGGdall, Latin; Latham. Lawrence. Pa, Law |
renee Ohio, Loan longyear, Lynch. Ngrston. Mar |
YIN. MeGurg. Mclndoe, biGhee, Mckuer, Mercer. |
Newell, O'Neil, 0rth. Paine, Patterson, Perham
Phelps of Nd. Pike. Plonts PoIneroy Price, Ran
dali. KY, Raymond Rice Mass, Rice lie, Rollins.
Spaulding, Starr Stevens, Stillwe Ihayer Francis |
Thomas. Nd, John u l. Thomas Nd, TTTowbridge,
Ward, Warner. Washburne, III, Washburne, Mass,
Weker. Wentworth, Whaley, Williams Wilson, |
son. Edre Frof 5ei GPde2 HaTdns
Kerr Go g Blond Marshall. MtCaiioGgh' Sibiaet'
Nicholson, NOell, Randall, Of Pa. Ritter Rogers,
Ross, RosSeau ohankiln StTouso SiLgTeayes. Faber,
voting in the negative Democrats but Messrs. |
Noeil, Randall, of KY. and ROsseau. of ky.)
The bill as passed is in the nature of substitute |
for the Senate BILL although it only differs from that
bill in one or two essential particulars.
The first section provides that the Bureau shall |
continue to extend its operations to freedmen and |
refugees in all parts of the United States and the
President may divide the section Of country within
which the writ of hd0sus corpus is present sus-
pended, containing such refugees and freedmen into
di-trcts each containing more States not to |
exceed twelve in number. Sub-districts ara also /
provided Tor. The 18th section provides that the |
President be authorized to reserve from sale and set
tlement under the homestead or pre-emptiOn laws |
and to set apart for the of freedmen and loyal |
refugees. male female, unoccuped public lands in
Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana and Ark
ansas. not exceeding in all three millions of acres
in such parcels and at such annual rent as may be
agreed on. The House amendment TO the th section
OF the Senate bill is the only important change in
that BILL and is expressed in italics of the section in
full herewith given and as it passed the House.
viz:
cupants of land under Major General Shermans
special field Order, dated at Savannah January l6
1865, hereby confirmed in the possession for the
period of three years from the date OF said Order and
no person snail be disturbed in or ousted from said
osses>iOn during said three years unless settle
ment shall be made with said occupant by the former
owner, satisfactory to the Commissioner of Freed
mems bureau: ProUided, That rheneuer the former
otcners Of iands occupied under General hermans
/l.Is,. b1H Duls