Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1866-05-09
ROUSE.
tier the reading of the Journal,

After the reading of the Journal,
Mr.. GARFlELD, of Ohio moved to postpone the
reported by the committee on Reconstruction. until
the tax bill shall be disposed Of lie said it would
be n National calamity 10 have the tax bill delayed.
Mr.. STEVENS, of Penn, hoped that no such dis
position would be made Of it, lie had no idea that
tho discussion Of tho constitutional amendment
would occupy two or three davs, and itwas not the
purpose Of the committee tn have the other two
meas acted on until it was what disposition
the Senate would make Of the constitutional amend
mont, ,
Mr.. LRBLOND, of Ohio, called for the yeas and
nays on Mr. Garfell's motion, saying he wanted to
who were in favor Of giving the negr the prefer
ence over the important interests of the country.
The vote was taken and resulted as follows: Yeas
81, nays 50. SO the motion was lost. ..
Mr.. WASHBURSE, of Illinois, offered resolu-
tion, which was adopted, directing the committee on
Banking TO examine il to all the facts and circum.
stances connected with the recent failure of the
Merchants National Bank of Washington, and other
banks, and to report to the House the amount of Gov
ernment money deposited in such banks, and BY
whom. ths cause of the failure, and also what
further legislation is neoes .ary ia relation to the
National banks, to protect the public and tle Ciov-
ernment with power to send for persons and papers
and TO examine witnesses under oath.
fhe House then p Oceeded to the cOnsideua ton of
the special Order being the joint resolution reported
amendment to the Constitution OF the United states
The debate was opened byMr. Stevens in support Of
thej ointrgsolution. ... ...
the House fell far short Of his wishes, but he be-
leved that it was all that could be obtained in the
present state OF public opinion. Not only Congress
but the several States were to be consulted. On
careful survey of the whole ground, the committee
did not believe that 10 Of the loyal States could be
induced to Tatiiy any proposition more stringent
than this. He repeated, nineteen States; for be ut
tery repudiated and scorGed the idea that any State
not actually in the Union was to be counted on the
question Of ratification. 1t was absurd to suppose
that any more. than three -fourths of the States
which proposed tho amendment were required to
make 1t valid. Believing, then, that this Was the
hest proposit on that could be made elfectual, he
(Stevensl accepted it. U.. ....i +
Referring to the other constitutional amendments
passed in the House this session. and which waited
in theSenate, he said il was slaughtered by pueTie
and prodantic criticism, Its death, produced by self
righteous Republicans aud unrlghteOus Copper
heads. had pOstponed herhaps lOr ages, the saliva
those who had for thirty years fought the beasts at
EpheSus 20 be frightened AZ the tangs of mo ern
catamounts. Heaven forbid that the Southern
States, any of them, shall be represented in Con-
gress until the monuments OF freedom are built iu
high and firm. Against the will Of Congress, the
Southern States had been absent for four bloody
years, and must wait till CONGRESS is ready to re-
ceive them. He believed that this Congress wOuld
full grown man in the late rebel States was provided
with homestead on the land on which he had been
held as slave Forty acres of land and hut would
be of more value to him than the right to vote Un
less Congress gave them that measure Of justice it
would receive the censure Of mankind and the curse
Of Heaven. In conclusion MIR. Stevens, in order 10
have control Of the bill, entered motion TO recon-
nit it.
Mr.. BLAIN called the attention of Mr.. Stevens
and Of the House to an objection TO the third
not fatal That section provided that until the 4th
Of July 1870, all persons who voluntarily adhere 10
the late nsurrocton, giving II al and comfort shall
beexoluded from the right to vote for Representa-